Former Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter will be pretty busy during the early part of 2025. The acclaimed musician will start the year off by participating in several events at the 2025 NAMM Show, which runs from January 21 to January 25 in Anaheim, California.
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The NAMM Show, is the annual trade show organized by the National Association of Music Merchants. Among the events in which Baxter will take part is 40th annual TEC Awards, scheduled for January 23 at 5:30 p.m. PT. The awards recognize people and companies that are audio innovators in studio recordings, live performances, film, television, and other media.
Baxter, who was inducted into the NAMM TEC Awards Hall of Fame in 2016, will host the ceremony. During the event, he will present former White Stripes frontman Jack White with the 2025 TEC Innovation Award. White specifically requested to he receive the honor from Skunk.
“That was very kind of him, and I appreciate it,” Baxter said in a statement. “We’ve never met, but I’m most impressed with Jack. He’s fearless and certainly innovative. I know that he once bought one of my signature Epiphone Firebirds, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity for a good musicians’-style hang with him.”
Other NAMM Show Events Featuring Baxter
Also on January 23, Baxter take part in in a seminar called Good Vibrations: The Science of Sound and Music for Healing. The presentation, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT, will examine how music affects people physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The seminar will be hosted by sound therapist Cimcie Nichols, whose father was Steely Dan’s famed engineer Roger Nichols.
“There’s a close connection between the physics of frequency and vibration and their ability to positively affect living things,” Baxter said. “For instance, I’ve seen interesting research using focused frequencies to destroy cancer cells. Music, frequency and vibration are deeply analogous, and I’m really delighted to see Cimcie carrying on Roger’s work.”
On January 24 at 5 p.m. PT, Baxter will perform on the Roland Stage with his backing band. The group features drummer Mark Damian, bassist Hank Horton, and keyboardist Freddie Ravel.
Lastly, Baxter will participate in a seminar titled The Art and Business of Songwriting that will be held on January 25 at 2 p.m. PT. The event will be hosted by musician/songwriter/producer Larry Batiste, and was inspired by Batiste’s book of the same name. The book into various aspects of creating songs and marketing music.
“Larry is an extremely talented cat and a good friend,” Baxter said. “Along with everything else he does, he’s been the musical director for the TEC Awards ever since I can remember. I’m very flattered that he would ask me to be part of his seminar.”
Baxter’s Other 2025 Plans
Following the 2025 NAMM Show, Baxter and his band will take part in the sold-out Rock Legends Cruise XII. The seagoing music extravaganza is scheduled for February 13-17, and will travel from Miami to the Bahamas. Other performers on the cruise include Alice Cooper, Styx, The Guess Who’s Burton Cummings, The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone, ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder, and many more.
“I’ve never done a music cruise before,” Baxter pointed out. “Really looking forward to a week of hanging with old friends and great music!”
Skunk also will participate in an upcoming installment of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp dubbed “Jam with the Masters.” The Los Angeles event, which runs from February 27 to March 2, also will feature Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Doors guitarist Robby Kreiger and Rolling Stones touring bassist Darryl Jones.
In addition, Baxter will join the lineup of the Surf City All-Stars, which also features Jan and Dean’s Dean Torrance, for the 2025 Flower Power Cruise. That star-studded event runs from March 22 to March 29. The cruise sets sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and visits Jamaica and Grand Cayman.
Baxter, who’s good friends with Torrance, said he was happy that Dean invited him to perform on the cruise.
“It was a chance to play surf music with some great musicians, so I said sure,” Jeff noted. “Dean and I are always looking for opportunities to play together, as he knows how much I love surf music, especially the instrumentals! The whole thing sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
More About Baxter
Baxter was a co-founding member of Steely Dan, and played on the band’s first three albums. He joined The Doobie Brothers in 1974 and was a member of that group until 1979. Jeff also was an in-demand session musician who contributed to many famous artists’ recordings.
Baxter was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Doobie Brothers in 2020.
In 2022, Skunk released his debut solo album, Speed of Heat. An expanded “Storytellers” edition of the album was released in 2024.
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