Happy Presidents Day! For today’s Forgotten 45 at 3:45, we celebrate the birthdate of Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker, born on this day in 1950, so we’ll feature their final top 10 chart hit from 1980, “Hey Nineteen”.
Becker met future songwriting partner and Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen while they were students at Bard College. After a short period of time in New York, the two moved to Los Angeles in 1971 and formed the nucleus of the group, which enjoyed a critically and commercially successful ten-year career. Following the group’s dissolution, Becker moved to Hawaii and reduced his musical activity, working primarily as a record producer.
Sadly, in the spring of 2017, Becker was diagnosed with “an aggressive form of esophageal cancer” and despite undergoing vigorous treatment, the cancer rapidly worsened to the point that he was completely absent from all of Steely Dan’s concerts in the months that followed. He died from the disease on September 3, 2017, at the age of 67.
From their album “Gaucho”, check out the video for “Hey Nineteen” today’s Forgotten 45.
