DONALD FAGEN Biography - Musicians

 
 

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DONALD FAGEN

Name: Donald Jay Fagen                                                             
Born: 10 January 1948 Passaic, New Jersey                                           
                                                                                     
Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948 in Passaic, New Jersey) is an American     
musician and songwriter, best known as co-writer, co-founder, singer, and           
pianist with the rock band Steely Dan.                                             
                                                                                     
Fagen is a 1965 graduate of South Brunswick High School in South Brunswick, New     
Jersey.                                                                             
                                                                                     
Fagen and Walter Becker founded Steely Dan in August 1972. They initially formed   
the core of the band, and co-wrote all the group's music; on tour and record,       
Becker played bass (and later lead guitar) and Fagen played keyboards, as well     
as performing almost all of the lead vocals on their recordings. (Fagen and         
Becker initially met at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, in upstate New York     
in the 60's.)                                                                       
                                                                                     
After releasing their third LP in 1974 the other members gradually left the band   
and it evolved into a studio project headed by Becker and Fagen, who from that     
point on recorded their albums with the cream of America's jazz and rock session   
musicians. They scored their biggest success in 1977 with the platinum-selling     
album Aja.