Legendary guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter sets solo tour of the Midwest

Jimmy Steinfeld

Guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, best known for his work with The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, has scheduled his first solo tour of the Midwest — in support of his first solo album, Speed of Heat.

The five-date tour is the latest leg of his debut solo tour, which started back in May. The run of shows starts December 14 in Milwaukee and visits Evanston, Illinois; Ferndale, Michigan; and Kent, Ohio, before wrapping up in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. Tickets are available now at jeffskunkbaxter.com.

In addition to songs from Speed of Heat, Baxter’s solo sets have included his versions of Steely Dan’s “My Old School,” “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number” and “Do It Again,” as well as The Doobies’ “China Grove.”

In recent years, Baxter has built a successful consulting career, advising the government and the Defense Department on missile defense and counterterrorism. In an interview in Stars and Stripes, Baxter also said he teaches jazz improvisation to intelligence analysts, which apparently helps with their problem-solving abilities.

As Baxter told the publication, “Problem solving, whether it’s doing a solo on the guitar in the middle of a song or trying to figure out are the Russians really going to come down the Fulda Gap, it’s kind of all the same. At least I see it as all the same.”

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