Denny Dias
Birth nameDennis Dias
Born (1946-12-12) December 12, 1946
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresRock, jazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Guitar
LabelsABC Records

Dennis Dias (born December 12, 1946) is an American guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Steely Dan.

Career

Dias was working with his own band out of his garage in Hicksville, New York, when he placed an ad in The Village Voice[1] in the summer of 1970 that read: "Looking for keyboardist and bassist. Must have jazz chops! Assholes need not apply".[2] Donald Fagen and Walter Becker responded to the advertisement.

They joined his band and immediately began playing their own material. Dias fired the rest of the band, and the three of them moved to California, adding drummer Jim Hodder, guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, and vocalist David Palmer before recording for ABC/Dunhill Records as Steely Dan. Dias recorded as a permanent member of the band on 1972's Can't Buy a Thrill (with an electric sitar solo on the song "Do It Again"), on 1973's Countdown to Ecstasy, and on 1974's Pretzel Logic.

Following a tour promoting Pretzel Logic, Becker and Fagen decided to break the band up and use session musicians on future albums. Though no longer a member of the band, Dias continued to work with them as a session guitarist, appearing on 1975's Katy Lied, 1976's The Royal Scam, and 1977's Aja. In 1991 he joined Toto on their Summer Festival Tour. He also recorded with Wayne Shorter, Wilfrido Vargas and Pete Christlieb. Some of Dias's original material was recorded on a 1999 CD called Matter of Time, with Lisa Jason (Vocals) and Andy Bergsten (Bass) as the core of the band.

As of 2012, Dias was playing with Spanky and Our Gang.[3] In 2014, he was playing with Denny Dias and Friends, a Boston-based band formed with Lisa Jason and Andy Bergsten with session musicians from around the country. In 2015, they planned a tour that included the Iridium in NYC.

Discography

With Steely Dan

With others

References

  1. ↑ Wilkinson, Alec (March 30, 2000). "Steely Dan: Return of the Dark Brothers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. ↑ Pell, Nicholas (January 20, 2012). "Steely Dan Fans Are Assholes". L.A. Weekly. LA Weekly. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  3. ↑ Roland, Terry (March 12, 2012). "Spanky & Our Gang's Lost Treasures of Americana Music". No Depression. ISSN 1088-4971. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
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