Jeff Skunk Baxter Musicians Hall of Fame Backstage, Part One.
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- Опубліковано 22 вер 2021
- In this episode with Jeff Skunk Baxter, Joe Chambers asks about how he got started playing music. Skunk speaks about his first band, The Tarantulas, his time working in New York City on 48th Street, meeting Andres Segovia, and playing a gig with Jimmy James & The Blue Flames.
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I was lucky enough to stand at stage wall, directly in front Skunk Baxter, at two Doobie Brothers concerts in the 70s. He’d lean back in a chair, with his feet propped on either side of a floor monitor, and let it fly. No one else like him.
Skunk is truly a Renaissance Man and certainly one of the brightest lights in the music world. His playing on Steely Dan's 'Countdown to Ecstasy' is among my high school year's fondest memories.
Same here John..
Skunk is a one-of-a-kind human. I could listen to him talk for days, thank you for letting him talk Joe. That's a big part of you being the great interviewer that you are. I can hardly wait for part 2. Peace.
Thanks Monkeyman….:..Joe
If you never heard Skunk interviewed you might see him and say what a bizarre looking guy but hearing him and his intelligence is amazing. And music is only part of who he is if you aren't aware of his defense consulting side. He is a very interesting human being.
Joe, you've hit another one out of the Park with Mr. Baxter. He is a brilliant individual in not only music, but other facets of his life. Just a super engaging person.
Thanks Winston…Joe
Seriously, how does Skunk keep all these musician's names front and center? He must have a photographic memory.
Also, I heard he consults to the military on missile defense.
Amazing.
I worked with him in the Missile Defense Agency. He is incredibly bright, gifted and a true out of the box analyst. I’m retired now, but Jeff was truly a part of the MDA family.
@@alhemphill8296 wow..
Thanks..
Skunk is amazing. I did get to meet him when I worked at West LA Music which was around the corner from Village Recorders back in 89-90. He knew the owner, Don and the other mgmt team. I was in Pro Audio, I think he called every day for the Akai 12 track proprietary tape which was almost impossible to get. He had his own room at Village and had gotten one of those Akai 12 tracks to mess around with. He reminds me of Zappa, other than compositional bandleader thing, he's got the rest of it, tinkering with guitars, electronics, studio gear, play guitar anything, literally, Rock, Jazz, all over the map. Smarter than smart, the whole warfare history thing, he's well spoken like Zappa. Just an amazing person. He would have been killer in Zappa's band.
I worked with a great man named Cliff. I was a young guitar player at the time.
He said to me, "you want to get better...real good, learn all the Jeff Baxter licks on every Steely Dan album"
Another national treasure for sure. Cheers
check his licks and tone on Buzzy Linhart's album "Buzzy" (mixed by Tod Rungren), this was Skunk's last recording session before moving over to Steely Dan. Buzzy shouts "Come on Skunk!" before his solo on Sing Joy/Tutti Frutti. Amazing shit, "skwonking" years before Eddy Van Halen supposedly invented it.
Met Skunk at the first Clapton Crossroads event. We spent some time listening to Paul Reed Smith talk about making guitars. Skunk was an absolutely amazing person to visit with. So intelligent but very humble. A true class act and musical genius.
I had the pleasure of watching Skunk play with the Doobie Brothers back in the 1980's, I remember him sitting on the edge of the stage with his guitar, he was playing so fast he was almost falling into the audience, just flipping amazing. What a talented musician. Blessed to see him live. From this interview he spoke of his time with Andre Segovia "The Master", I saw Mr. Segovia play at the Dorothy Chandler in LA, you could hear a pin drop. He was in his 80's and still practiced 5 hours a day. What a blessing again to see him preform live.
Thanks for watching and sharing your memories Brian…..Joe
The Segovia story is amazing and just shows the early vision and innovation of this highly intelligent person, Jeff Baxter......Great interview!!
Skunk gave me much of my musical life and has had an impact on my entire career as a player, producer and engineer.
His articles in Guitar Player Magazine were some of the most useful and insightful music journalism ever. He is MUCH more than just a guitarist and seems to be brilliant in every endeavor.
Nice guy too. Met him as many did at NAMM shows a few times and he always managed to share a minute.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Joe Chambers. Skunk is such a well rounded graduate of The College of Musical Knowledge. Thank you Skunk, for giving this 64 yo GA boy the best sound track for a life that anyone ever had on Planet Earth! You decorated my memories.
Babalouie59, thank you for supporting the channel and all your kind words… would have meant so much to my dad, Joe.
Best,
Britt
I had no idea that Baxter had his start in Mexico; I had thought he was a Boston guy who moved to NY. Such a unique guitar sound.
So many great '70s memories with this guy, Joe. When I first heard "Do It Again" on FM radio in late 1972, I bought Steely Dan's first album "Can't Buy a Thrill" as a Christmas gift for myself. Then in 1973 my wife and I were blown away by their live performances on NBC's "The Midnight Special." By the time we bought their 2nd album "Countdown To Ecstasy" in the summer of '73 we were determined to see them live, which we did on April 21, 1974 at the U. of Toledo on their "Pretzel Logic" tour. When Steely Dan refused to tour after that, we followed Baxter and Michael McDonald over to The Doobie Brothers who we saw on their "Takin' It To the Streets" tour in April 1977 at Bowling Green State U. After that concert we headed to the nearby Holiday Inn Lounge for drinks and who did we see there showing the pinball machine who's boss but the Skunk himself. I've always told anyone who would listen that Jeff's lead guitar on Steely Dan's "My Old School" is my favorite of all time by any artist. And his mention of the powerful Mexican A.M. radio stations at 6:30 brings to mind the song "Border Radio" by The Blasters' Dave Alvin: "50,000 watts out of Mexico / This is the border radio." Can't wait for parts 2 and 3, Joe!
Andy….Glad you enjoyed it …. Thanks for sharing your memories too…. I still love his lead break on Rikki Don’t Lose That Number…..Best, Joe
@@MusiciansHallofFameMuseum Baxter's solo on "Rikki" is so good he deserves a co-songwriting credit.
Heard it on the X
Skunk!! Saw him with the Doobies in ‘77, amazing!! His playing on Doobie records was phenomenal, and added flavors and colors to the songs they did together that are under appreciated, IMO. Such beautiful complex edge he put on each song that featured him.
Thanks for sharing your memories with us Key….Best………….Joe
@@MusiciansHallofFameMuseum - Joe, thank you for releasing these wonderful videos and interviews. They are unique, always totally honest, and never fail to entertain. You have great rapport with these artists.
Skunk used to live in my hometown of Milford Massachusetts many years ago when he was playing with the Ultimate Spinach in Boston.
Great series, superb entertainment especially during Covid lockdown as we have here in Sydney, Australia. Jeff's foray into maths & government military is astounding. I think of the picture from the Steely Dan record with Skunks feet on the mixing desk whenever I hear Jeff's name.
You're the best, Joe. Super nice to hear from someone I was watching close back in my formative days. Skunk is an interesting man, to say the least!
Thanks Roger…..Joe
That was a great interview! I especially liked hearing that he got to meet Andre Segovia, my fav. Very Cool indeed. Thanks, man🤙🤙
Thanks Kate…. Joe
Thank you for doing and sharing these, letting us hear from these amazing people and musicians. It's a gift.
Thanks for watching David….Joe
Wow! Yep. I didn’t even know who Skunk was, although I have worshipped Steely Dan for 44 years. And yes this interviewer is really dang good. Most interviewers just don’t know how to shut their traps, and let the expert tell his story. Big thanks to both Skunk and Joe.
Many thanks Pendejo…Joe
"He's the King of the World, as far as I know". Great stuff Joe.
Thanks again Playpen…..Joe
P9l
[Mr. Baxter is an interesting fellow. This is great.]
Joe - you have a great way of getting the stories out of the folks you interview.
Thanks Velvet…..Joe
Joe, I'm certainly glad you got around to interviewing Jeff. I ran into him at the '96 NAMM show, but neither of us had the time to talk. There were a couple of things I've always wanted to ask him and you've already covered them both. You're a priceless jewel for getting all of this done. Kudos, dude.
Thanks Johnny….Joe
Joe, I will add my comment to the many others posted on all three parts of this interview. Thank you for another fascinating interview with an incredible musician (and fascinating commentator in his own right). I think that this interview, and the one you did with John Jorgenson, are the best music interviews I can ever remember hearing, with two of the most influential musicians of our time. I especially enjoyed Jeff talking about improvisation vs. session playing, his stories about recording and touring, and his days working at those NYC music shops. Wow, what a life. The only thing Jeff didn't cover here was how he got the name "skunk." Thank you again for doing these great interviews and posting them.
Thanks John… Skunk has never told how he got that name:) Thanks again for watching…Best, Joe
Good to be back joe, love steely dan and I can remember seeing skunk play the guitar on the midnight special while doing my favorite song reelin in the years
I remember him on Midnight Special too Bruce….. best, Joe
This man, Joe Chambers, knows precisely which button to push for someone like me. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of musicians and the art and craft and toil of making music. These legends, like Baxter, obviously respect him and have time for him. He’s a subtlety brilliant interviewer. He pulls a lot of good stuff out of these guys. Really love what this channel is doing and cannot wait to visit the MHOF.
Hi Area Man…. You are too kind. I appreciate your supporting us and such nice comments…… I hope to see you when you visit the museum…. Sincerely, Joe
Still have old Guitar Player Magazines with The Skunk's monthly article, The Eclectic Electric. The opening intro in Reeling In The Years still brings joy to my heart after so many years when I was 11 in 1972.
Joe , that was awesome!
He tells the story and you feel like you were actually there!
Can’t wait for the next part of this.
Thanks buddy!
Thank you too Cal…..Joe
I was lucky enough to meet Jeff way back in the late 80’s. He is an awesome guy. Very polite, extremely friendly and outgoing.
These conversations are absolutely priceless
There is a lot of great music out there... but playing by Jeff Baxter is very special to me and has been since 1972..... few players can keep me wanting more the way he does....
Great interview as usual. What an engaging soul. Hopefully this is part one of a six part series!
Sam…. Thanks for watching……there are two more parts…. Joe
I drove by Musicbox in Pensacola and checked to see if they had Howard Roberts and I found a clean copy of H.R. is a dirty guitar player on mono vinyl for $5. I'm going to go listen to it while I fix dinner.
I waited for part 3 to listen to these interviews. A true icon of my generation! Thanks so much Joe! ✌🤘
Thanks for watching John…..Joe
What a great interview, thanks Joe
Thanks David….. Joe
Oh to be a fly on the wall when Segovia was playing and to see the looks on the others faces! Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching Brent….Joe
There is something extraordinary with that story. Segovia never played Aranjuez !!! False memory or Jeff B. witness of classical guitar history ?
Been waiting for this. What a life he has had. Great interview Joe. Looking forward to part 2. 👍🏻😎
Part two probably Sunday David…. Joe
Wow, another fascinating interview Joe. Loved hearing Skunk Baxter's stories.
Thanks to both of you 😊
Thanks Stu…. Two parts coming…. Joe
@@MusiciansHallofFameMuseum Terrific Joe. Looking forward to watching them 😊
Can't be said enough, these interviews are gold. Thanks again for recording these and sharing them with us, Joe.
Thanks again for watching Paul….. Joe
This is a treasure. I could listen to Skunk's stories for days. Such recall, and such insight. Wow.
Thanks to Greg Gutfeld for having Skunk on his show. So now I'm here rediscovering someone I've listened to throughout my life and just didn't know it.
Skunk Baxter is one of the most melodic guitar players ever.
Amazing the similarities. I too lived in Mejico City as a kid. My father worked for the U.S. government. But this was in the early to late 60s. I too grew up in DC. Late 60s early 70s. He's right about Mexican bands. I've seen excellent bands in Philippines too. I was blown away that this man speaks excellent Spanish. Biggest difference is I play no instruments. What an amazing career. Amazing talent.
Wow, watched all three back to back, like hanging on every word, every story. Just great stuff. There is... being a great guitar player, and then there is being a great creative guitar player.....just fascinating to listen to.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and supporting our channel Nick….Joe
This guy is a regular Einstein on top of being a great musician. Thank you Joe!
Thanks Vay….Joe
This is one of the most amazing interviews I've seen on UA-cam! What and incredible mix of knowledge and experience! Thanks so much for posting!
Thanks for watching Robert….Joe
When I was pretty new to learning guitar, I decided to get to grips with Howard Roberts playing Relaxin' At Camarillo! There's nothing wrong with aiming high even if you fail! Howard used to also play Telecaster and do great bluesy stuff on various Capitol recordings with 1950s country artists. Hot stuff! Great interview- I can't wait for the next two!
Thanks for watching Nick……. Joe
It's always a treat to see another Musicians Hall of Fame interview in my Subs come up. This one was another great one, Joe. Thanks so much.
Thanks again Seven…. There will be two more parts coming up within a week or so…… Joe
Thanks for posting enjoyed this interview with such a great part of modern music history
Thanks for watching Christopher….Joe
Love Jeff. Always will.
how have I never hear of or listened to Howard Roberts. thanks. I can hardly wait to explore. love and respect to Skunk. Legend
Wow! I'm really looking forward to the next video.
What an amazing life, professionally and probably personally, this man has lived.
I love MHOF interviews. Always interesting, intimate and intelligent. I always leave feeling like I’ve learned so much!
Thanks Bishop….. Joe
Fantastic interview. Thank you!!
I had the pleasure of meeting 'the Skunk' at a NAMM Show in the early 80s. Super nice and kind to this star-eyed 21 yearold. I have his autograph somewhere in my basement. I'd better go find it...
😎👍🎸
Joe, great episode, looking forward to seeing more! Thanks for sharing!💫
Thanks again Larry….. next two are best…… Joe
Superb interview Joe and Skunk deserves every bit of success he has gotten. Wish it was longer....
What a great interview, can't wait for the rest.
Thanks for watching Fred….Joe
Wow! Again! Thanks so much Joe!
Great again!
You just know a guy with that strong of a moustache game will be a great interview.😏
I'm a big fan, luv ur work....thanks for the interview... Godspeed
Awesome interview, always a big fan of the Skunk & look forward to Part 2!! Amazing how this reformed hippie has security clearance with the D.O.D.
Top session man of his day
I love this channel . Thanks Joe.
Thanks Bruce…..Joe
Skunk's playing in the 70s era when he was one of the go-to studio guys was insane. Just insane. One of the best players of all time.
The final solo on My Old School...it simply does not get better.
Most awesome.. Thank you :)
Great job!
An amazing story about Andres Segovia repairing his guitar then the respect Jeff, Zappa and Michael Bloomfield gave to Segovia. They all knew the legacy Segovia gave to the instrument and all in awe hearing a private performance by the maestro himself. An incredible story! Thanks Joe for making this available.
Thanks for watching too Ed….Joe
Muy buena la entrevista.
Asi que el gran Jeff skunk Baxter lived in Mexico City and speaks perfect Spanish wow que agradable sorpresa !
What a wonderful conversation!
Thanks for watching Mc…Joe
Another 5 Star ★★★★★ interview... Thank you Joe!
Thanks Tele…..Joe
Love Skunk I read something he said years ago. He advised parents to buy a cheap guitar if your kid says they want a guitar. If they lose interest you are out a few bucks and not thousands.
You can buy a cheap guitar these days that tunes up and is easy to play. Fender is a good example but in the 60’s, some of the imports and even cheap domestic guitars were almost impossible to play even for professionals. Thanks for watching Mark….. Joe
Abe Laboriel and Jeff Baxter together in The Tarantulas: a Mexico City teen surf band. Mind completely blown.
Soo good!
Joe, thanks so much for the great videos and channel!
Thanks Pas………….Joe
what an erudite, brilliant man. thanks!
Another tremendous interview. Always been a fan of Skunk Baxter. Great that you guys gave The Ventures some love on here. I'm definitely going to look for Don Wilson's bass when I visit the museum. Great stuff, Joe. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you too Don…. ( actually it’s Don’s Jazzmaster) best, Joe
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G !!!! Thank you!!! God Bless
Immediately Started Looking For Part 2... Ha! Great Stuff!
Thanks Spike…Joe
love love love these stories Joe,,,thank you thank you thank you
Thanks again Tom……Joe
Wow Joe! What a great interview with such a special person! Thanks!
Thanks for watching Jim….Joe
Thanks, Joe, great interview!
Thanks again TC…….Joe
Joe, thank you for making my night. I’ve learned the “Rikki” solo and it is so beautifully melodic and also does very cool harmonic stuff with the double stops on the end of it. I used to read Skunk’s column in Guitar Player mag religiously along with Tommy Tedesco’s, Howard Roberts’ and Lenny Breau’s. I think when Lenny died I was so bummed I stopped playing for about a month. It was interesting that Skunk mentioned Segovia, because it was Lenny that put me onto Segovia.
Thanks Tom…. Joe
Great video
Love the stories. Reminds me of listening to Tommy Tedesco.
I asked for a guitar for Xmas from both parents. I got 2 guitars, both the same from the Sears catalog. I exchanged one for a tool kit because I figured I didn't need two guitars.
Well, long story, but I ended up breaking the guitar over my step brother's head. And sadly the tool kit was not help repairing it...
So I had to wait years later to get another guitar.
Excellent! I met Skunk at the Javitz Center NYC mid 90's. I was working for a software company for the software trade show. I heard music playing and it sounded somewhat LIVE,,,, I wandered over & it was Skunk & the Sax player from the version of Pink Floyd of that time,,, Jamming along to prerecorded tracks. I remember thinking, how does he not hit ANY bum notes?? I asked him afterwards & he said, "man I just have fun". Is there a 2nd part to this? I looked but didn't see it.
Hi Bill…. Part two and three coming next week……Joe
@@MusiciansHallofFameMuseum Thanks Much Joe! KEEP up the GOOD Work! I love it!
Thx Joe this is an awesome episode, glad you got to meet Mr Baxter. Skunk was so good on the Steely stuff.
Thanks Uppe…..Joe
Abe Laboriel is now McCartney’s longtime drummer and musical director. Great musician all the way around.
Joe, another triumph!! Now, onto part 2
Thanks 707…. Glad you like it….Joe
you always get the good ones joe keep them coming ...
Thanks Lee… two more parts of Skunk coming… then John Sebastian. Best,Joe
I saw Jeff at a small club on Sunset called the Central (now the Viper Room) in the mid eighties. Dude is inhuman (as a guitar player).
Skunk is AWESOME!
Thank you Joe for your amazing interview (part one) with Jeff Baxter. Greatly appreciated.
Thanks Ivan…. Actually I think you might enjoy two and next week part three better even more…. we talk about Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers…..Best, Joe
@@MusiciansHallofFameMuseum
Thanks Joe, have seen part 2 already (awesome)...now can hardly wait for part 3. Again, thank you for keeping me posted about all my favorites...much appreciated.
Thanks again & again Joe & the MHOF&M. One day ill make my way there.
I look forward to seeing you here Jukebox……..Joe
Thanks Joe, Jeff is one of my heroes, what a life!
Thanks Viewer… Joe