Steely Dan’s ELLIOT RANDALL: Guitar Virtuoso Unleashed

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Elliott Randall is one of the greatest guitarists of the Rock era His solos on Steely Dan s hit Reelin In The Years and Irene Cara s Fame are nothing short of iconic To the uninitiated it might seem like Elliott has made a career out of saying no to great opportunities Steely Dan The Doobie Brothers The Blues Brothers and Toto all asked him to join their bands and he said no But Elliot is different He has always trusted his intuition Known as one of the greatest session musicians around he 39 s the man behind that renowned Reelin 39 In The Years Steely Dan solo which is said to be Jimmy Page 39 s favourite ever lead guitar break among literally hundreds if not thousands of other cuts He also continues to write produce consult engineer tutor and perform to this day In this interview we turn back the clock to learn about his upbringing in World and his passion for music ignited at a young age During his formative years Elliott immersed himself in the vibrant musical culture of the 50s and 60s He took guitar lessons honed his skills and his dedication caught the attention of instructors and peers alike By the time he had ended his teens Elliott had already been a pro 39 player for four or five years In 1967 Musicor Records who gave the world Gene Pitney offered him a role as a Staff Musician He then joined the roots fusion act Seatrain briefly in 1969 and signed as a solo artist releasing his debut album in 1970 It was the death of his good friend Jimi Hendrix that helped Elliott realise he didn 39 t need to be the rockstar or the centre of attention so he began working with other artists and clients providing solutions for their musical and commercial success The most well known four-and-a-half minutes of his guitar life became the lead breaks he added to Steely Dan 39 s megahit Reelin 39 In The Years in 1972 It has received acclaim from other players and audiences alike Since then Elliott Randall has played with Joan Baez Chuck Berry Kate Bush The Doobie Brothers Peter Frampton Art Garfunkel Albert Hammond Bob Marley Yoko Ono Gene Simmons Loudon Wainright III Gary Barlow of Take That fame and many many more He has also soundtracked jingles for some of world 39 s biggest brands including Coca-Cola Budweiser McDonald 39 s Citi Bank Procter amp Gamble MTV ESPN and BBC TV He 39 s also performed for musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway and has been a musical consultant for Saturday Night Live and the film director Oliver Stone Elliott 39 s passion for music continues unabated today His story is fascinating and I hope you will enjoy every minute of it To learn more about Elliott Randall head for his website https elliott-randall com To contact me head for my website https www abreathoffreshair com au Click here to visit this podcast episode