Walter Becker, Steely Dan Guitarist, Dead at 67
Walter Becker, longtime guitarist of classic rock titans Steely Dan, has died at the age of 67, according to a post on his website.
With bandmate Donald Fagen, Becker was the architecht of the smooth, polished, jazzy sound that made Steely Dan one of the most iconic rock bands of the decade.
Becker was not present at Steely Dan's concerts in July, as he was said to be recovering from an unspecified procedure.
More on this story as it develops.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
“Damn, that guy could shred. Can you imagine what that would have sounded like?” Wednesday 13 says the late Alexi Laiho once came close to joining him and Slipknot’s Joey Jordison in Murderdolls
“Chuck Berry's not a very good guitar player. He's a clown. He runs all over the guitar, just like any one of these old rock players would do, and makes no sense”: Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown pulled no punches when speaking about his fellow guitar heroes