Jeff Baxter

For the member of the Washington State Senate, seeJeff Baxter (politician).

Jeff Baxter
Baxter performing at USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore’s 36th Annual Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. May 10, 2018.
Background information
Birth name	Jeffrey Allen Baxter
Born	(1948-12-13)December 13, 1948 Washington, D.C., United States
Genres	Rock jazz-rock blue-eyed soul
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter producer military advisor
Instrument(s)	Guitar pedal steel · piano · congas
Years active	1968–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Capitol Glass Records Arista

Jeffrey Allen"Skunk"Baxter(born December 13, 1948) is an American guitarist, known for his stints in therockbandsSteely DanandThe Doobie Brothersduring the 1970s andSpiritin the 1980s. More recently, he has worked as a defense consultant and advised U.S. members of Congress onmissile defense.He was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fameas a member of The Doobie Brothers in 2020.

Early life and education

Jeffrey Baxter was born inWashington, D.C.,and spent some of his formative years in Mexico.He graduated from theTaft Schoolin 1967inWatertown,Connecticut,and was a self-describedpreppie.He enrolled at the School of Public Communication (now College of Communication) atBoston Universityin September 1967, where he studied journalismwhile continuing to perform with local bands. His freshman roommate was blues musicianJames Montgomery.

Music career

Early years

Baxter joined his first band at age 11.At the Taft School, he played drums in a band called King Thunder and the Lightning Bolts.While still a high school student, he worked at Jimmy's Music Shop in Manhattan in 1966. At Jimmy's, Baxter met guitaristJimi Hendrix,who was just beginning his career as afrontman.Later, Baxter claimed to have sat in with the Hendrix-led bandJimmy James and the Blue Flames,when the regular bassist could not make the show.Moving to Boston to attend college, Baxter worked as a guitar technician and amplifier repairman at Jack's Drum Shop on Boylston Street.

Baxter first reached a wide rock audience in 1968 as a member of thepsychedelic rockbandUltimate Spinach.

Baxter joined the band forUltimate Spinach III,their third and final album.After leaving the band, he played with theHoly Modal Roundersand backed singerBuzzy Linhart.He was using the moniker "Skunk" by this time; so far, Baxter has kept the origin of the nickname a secret.

With Steely Dan

After the breakup of Ultimate Spinach, Baxter relocated to Los Angeles, finding work as asession guitarist.

In 1972, he became a founding member of the bandSteely Dan,along with guitaristDenny Dias,guitarist-bassistWalter Becker,keyboardist-vocalistDonald Fagen,drummerJim Hodderand vocalistDavid Palmer.

Baxter appeared with Steely Dan on their first three albums,Can't Buy a Thrillin 1972,Countdown to Ecstasyin 1973, andPretzel Logicin 1974. He contributed the guitarfillsand signature solo heard on the group's highest charting hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number."

With The Doobie Brothers

Baxter performing withThe Doobie Brothersin the 70s.

While finishing work onPretzel Logic,Baxter became aware of Becker and Fagen's intentions to retire Steely Dan from touring and work almost exclusively with session players. With that in mind, Baxter left the band in 1974 to joinThe Doobie Brothers,who at the time were touring in support of their fourth albumWhat Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.

As a session man, he had contributed pedal steel guitar onVicesas well as "South City Midnight Lady" on its predecessor,The Captain and Me.Baxter's first album as a full member of the group was 1975'sStampede.He contributed an acoustic interlude ( "Precis" ) and significant turns on slide and pedal steel guitar.

While preparing to tour in support ofStampede,Doobie Brothers founderTom Johnstonwas hospitalized with a stomach ailment. To fill in for Johnston on vocals, Baxter suggested bringing in singer-keyboardistMichael McDonald,with whom Baxter had worked in Steely Dan. With Johnston still convalescing, McDonald soon was invited to join the band full-time. McDonald's vocal and songwriting contributions, as well as Baxter's jazzier guitar style, marked a new direction for the band. They went on to continued success with the 1976 albumTakin' It to the Streets,1977'sLivin' on the Fault Line,and particularly 1978'sMinute by Minute,which spent five weeks as the #1 album in the U.S. and spawned several hit singles; Baxter's work on the album includes an extended solo at the end of the closing track "How Do the Fools Survive?".

In early 1979, Baxter left the band, as did drummer and band co-founderJohn Hartman.

Later music career

Baxter has continued working as a session guitarist for a diverse group of artists, includingWilly DeVille,Bryan Adams,Hoyt Axton,Eric Clapton,Gene Clark,Sheryl Crow,Freddie Hubbard,Tim Weisberg,Joni Mitchell,Ricky Nelson,Dolly Parton,Carly Simon,Ringo Starr,Gene Simmons,Rod Stewart,Burton Cummings,Barbra Streisand,andDonna Summer.He has worked as a touring musician forElton John,Linda Ronstadt,andBilly Vera and the Beaters.

In 1982, he featured onSpirit's albumSpirit of '84,released asThe Thirteenth Dreamoutside of the US.

In 1984, Baxter played keyboards withBobby and the Midnites'Bob Weir,Billy Cobham,Bobby Cochran,Kenny Gradney( "Tigger" ), and Dave Garland at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey.That same year, he produced and played guitar and synthesizer on the band's albumWhere the Beat Meets the Streeton Columbia Records.

In 1986, Baxter joinedJames BrownandMaceo Parkeron guitar for several North American tour dates.

In 1990, Baxter joinedJohn Entwistle,Joe Walsh,Keith Emerson,Simon Phillipsand relatively unknown vocalist Rick Livingstone in asupergroupcalledThe Best.The group released a live performance video in Japan before disbanding. He also produced two albums for thehard rockbandNazareth,and also produced albums forCarl Wilson,Livingston Taylor,The Ventures,andNils Lofgren.He was producer on the 1982Bob WelchalbumEye Contact.In 1991 Baxter also produced a documentary video, "Guitar" (Warner Brothers VHS and LaserDisc), in which he travels the world and interviews guitarists he admires. In 1994 he performed on the video gameTuneland.

In 1997 Baxterscoredthe movieThe Curse of Inferno.

Baxter continues to do studio work, most recently on tribute albums toPink FloydandAerosmith.In 2012, he appeared on keyboardistBrian Auger'sLanguage of the Heart,andThe Beach Boys'That's Why God Made the Radio.He also occasionally plays in The Coalition of the Willing, a band comprisingAndras Simonyi,Hungarian Ambassador to the United States;Alexander Vershbow,US Ambassador to South Korea;Daniel Poneman,formerly of theUnited States National Security Counciland later the Obama Administration's Deputy Secretary of Energy; andLincoln Bloomfield Jr.,former United StatesAssistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs.On June 19, 2007, Baxter jammed with former White House Press SecretaryTony Snow's band Beats Workin' at theCongressional Picnicheld on the White House South Lawn.

Other media

Baxter appeared on the TV sitcomWhat's Happening!!in the two-part episode "Doobie or Not Doobie" (1978) as a member of the Doobie Brothers.

Baxter worked on the animated TV seriesKing of the Hillin 1997, composing songs for three episodes: "Peggy the Boggle Champ", "Hank's Unmentionable Problem", and "Square Peg". Also in 1997, he worked on two other TV series as a composer:The Blues BrothersAnimated SeriesandThe Curse of Inferno.He composed forShelley Duvall's Bedtime StoriesTV series episode "Bootsie Barker Bites/Ruby the Copycat" in 1993, thePee-wee's Playhouseepisode "Tons of Fun" in 1987, and theBeverly Hills, 90210episode "The Green Room" in 1990. He is credited on the movie soundtrack for the feature filmRoxanne(1987) as writer and producer for the songs "Party Tonight" and "Can This Be Love". Other credits include music forClass of 1984(1982): "You Better Not Step Out of Line" and as a performer on "Suburbanite".He appeared in the filmBlues Brothers 2000and can be heard on the cast album.

Baxter has appeared in a number of documentaries, includingJan & Dean:The OtherBeach Boys(2002),The History of Rock 'n' Roll(1995),American Bandstand's 40th Anniversary Special(1995),Emerson(2013),Turn It Up!(2013),Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who(2007),Overnight(2003),The Doobie Brothers: Let the Music Play(2012),The Making of 'Blues Brothers 2000'(1998) andGuitar(1991).

Defense consulting career

Baxter fell into his second profession almost by accident. In the mid-1980s, his interest in music recording technology led him to wonder about hardware and software originally developed for military use, specificallydata compressionalgorithmsand large-capacity storage devices.

His next-door neighbor was a retired engineer who had worked on theSidewindermissile program.This neighbor bought Baxter a subscription toAviation Weekmagazine, provoking his interest in additional military-oriented publications and missile defense systems in particular. He became self-taught in this area, and at one point wrote a five-page paper that proposed converting the ship-based anti-aircraftAegismissile into a rudimentary missile defense system.

He gave the paper toCaliforniaRepublican CongressmanDana Rohrabacher,and his career as a defense consultant began. Baxter received a series ofsecurity clearancesso he could work with classified information. In 1995,PennsylvaniaRepublican CongressmanCurt Weldon,then the chairman of the House Military Research and Development Subcommittee, nominated Baxter to chair the Civilian Advisory Board for Ballistic Missile Defense.

Baxter's work with that panel led to consulting contracts with the Pentagon'sMissile Defense AgencyandNational Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.He consults for theUS Department of Defenseand the US intelligence community, as well as defense-oriented manufacturers such asScience Applications International Corporation,Northrop Grumman Corp.,General Dynamics,andGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.He has said his unconventional approach to thinking aboutterrorism,tied to his interest in technology, is a major reason the government sought his assistance.

"We thought turntables were for playing records untilrappersbegan to use themas instruments,and we thought airplanes were for carrying passengers until terrorists realized they could be used as missiles, "Baxter has said. "My big thing is to look at existing technologies and try to see other ways they can be used, which happens in music all the time and happens to be what terrorists are incredibly good at."

Baxter has also appeared in public debates and as a guest onCNNandFox Newsadvocating missile defense.He served as a national spokesman for Americans for Missile Defense, a coalition of organizations devoted to the issue.

In 2000, Baxter considered challenging RepresentativeBrad Shermanfor the24th Congressional Districtseat in California before deciding not to run.

In April 2005, he joined theNASAExploration SystemsAdvisory Committee.

Baxter was a member of an independent study group that produced the Civil Applications Committee Blue Ribbon Study recommending an increased domestic role for US spy satellites in September 2005. This study was first reported byThe Wall Street Journalon August 15, 2007.He is listed as "Senior Thinker andRaconteur"at theFlorida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition,and is aSenior Fellowand Member of theBoard of Regentsat thePotomac Institute for Policy Studies.

Discography

WithRichie Havens

• The End of the Beginning(A&M Records, 1976)
• Connections(Elektra Records, 1980)

WithSteve Cropper

• Night After Night(MCA Records, 1982)

WithGlen Campbell

• Somethin' 'Bout You Baby I Like(Capitol Records, 1980)

WithDolly Parton

• Heartbreaker(RCA Records, 1978)
• 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs(RCA Records, 1980)
• Heartbreak Express(RCA Records, 1982)

WithRingo Starr

• Time Takes Time(Private Music, 1992)
• Vertical Man(Mercury Records, 1998)

WithJackie DeShannon

• Quick Touches(Amherst Records, 1978)

WithLivingston Taylor

• Man's Best Friend(Epic Records, 1980)

WithAl Kooper

• Championship Wrestling(Columbia Records, 1982)

WithSteely Dan

• Can't Buy a Thrill(ABC Records, 1972)
• Countdown to Ecstasy(ABC Records, 1973)
• Pretzel Logic(ABC Records, 1974)

WithRod Stewart

• Tonight I'm Yours(Warner Bros. Records, 1981)
• When We Were the New Boys(Warner Bros. Records, 1998)

WithDalbello

• Drastic Measures(Capitol Records, 1981)

WithJudy Collins

• Hard Times for Lovers(Elektra Records, 1979)

WithCarly Simon

• Carly Simon(Elektra Records, 1971)
• Playing Possum(Elektra Records, 1975)
• Another Passenger(Elektra Records, 1976)

WithLeo Sayer

• Here(Warner Bros.Records, 1979)

WithJoe Cocker

• Heart & Soul(EMI, 2004)

WithElton John

• Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt CowboyDeluxe Edition - Live Concert, Wembley, June 21, 1975 (Island reissue, 2005)

WithDeniece Williams

• I'm So Proud(Columbia Records, 1983)
• Let's Hear It for the Boy(Columbia Records, 1984)

WithJohn Mellencamp

• Nothin' Matters and What If It Did(Riva Records, 1980)

WithAlbert King

• Red House(Essential Records, 1991)

WithDusty Springfield

• It Begins Again(Mercury Records, 1978)

WithBarbra Streisand

• Wet(Columbia Records, 1979)
• Till I Loved You(Columbia Records, 1988)

WithTom Rush

• Ladies Love Outlaws(Columbia Records, 1974)

WithDonna Summer

• Bad Girls(Casablanca Records, 1979)
• The Wanderer(Geffen, 1980)

WithCher

• Stars(Warner Bros. Records, 1975)

WithCarl Wilson

• Youngblood(Caribou Records, 1983)

WithSteve Goodman

• Hot Spot(Asylum Records, 1980)
• Unfinished Business(Red Pajamas,1987)

WithJoni Mitchell

• The Hissing of Summer Lawns(Asylum Records, 1975)

WithThe Beach Boys

• That's Why God Made the Radio(Capitol Records, 2012)

Solo albums

• Speed of Heat(2022, BMG Records)

External links

• Editor & Publisher article referencing the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association dinner
• Article and photos about the "Coalition of the Willing" band
• NASA Establishes Exploration Systems Advisory Committee,NASA.gov
• Interview onTodayshow(December 2005), MSNBC.com
• Beets, Greg (March 14, 2003)."Crash Course: Guitar Workshop With Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter".Austin Chronicle.RetrievedSeptember 5,2017.
• Jeff "Skunk" Baxter InterviewatNAMM Oral History Library(2001)
• AppearancesonC-SPAN