where did the band steely dan get their name
Steely Dan After realizing that their songs were too complex for other ABC artists, at Katz's suggestion Becker and Fagen formed their own band with guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, drummer Jim Hodder and singer David Palmer, and Katz signed them to ABC as recording artists. Fans of Beat Generation literature, Fagen and Becker named the band after "Steely Dan III from Yokohama", an oversized, steam-powered strap-on dildo mentioned in the William S. Burroughs novel Naked Lunch.[22][23] Palmer joined as a second lead vocalist because of Fagen's occasional stage fright, his reluctance to sing in front of an audience, and because the label believed that his voice was not "commercial" enough.
David Palmer (vocalist) At the insistence of ABC Records executives, Palmer joined Steely Dan in an early incarnation in 1972.[3] He sang lead on two tracks on their debut album, Can't Buy A Thrill – "Dirty Work" and "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" – as well as doubling parts of Donald Fagen's vocals on "Reelin' in the Years", "Only a Fool Would Say That", and "Change of the Guard" to reach the high notes.[4] He also sang lead on most of Steely Dan's songs when performed live in their early concerts as a result of Fagen's lack of live vocal power at this point. Fagen eventually took over as lead vocalist and Palmer left the band, although he did contribute backing vocals on the band's subsequent release, Countdown to Ecstasy.