Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Steely Dan: Walter Becker honored with New York City street naming ceremony



Late Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker was honored with a street-naming ceremony in New York City on October 28.

Live For Live Music reports the hour-long festivities – hosted by Jim Kerr of New York’s Classic Rock Q104.3 – began with opening remarks by New York City Council Member Karen Koslowitz of the 29th District, who proposed the street renaming, and was followed by a keynote address by screenwriter and longtime Becker friend Howard A. Rodman.

Streamed live on Facebook by the radio station (see video below), the noon-time event in the Forest Hills section of Queens saw the official unveiling of “Walter Becker Way” at the corner of 112th Street and 72nd Drive in a tribute to the late rocker, who passed away last fall from esophageal cancer at the age of 67.

The New York City Council customarily uses street co-naming to honor New York-based activists, cultural heroes, and community leaders whose contributions continue to reverberate in the city and beyond.

Becker’s bandmate Donald Fagen continues to perform under the Steely Dan banner; the lineup just wrapped up a residency at New York’s Beacon Theatre that mixed full album presentations with greatest hits evenings.

Steely Dan will begin 2019 with a brief tour of the UK and Ireland in February.



See also:

Steely Dan detail Walter Becker street naming ceremony
Steely Dan announces tour of the UK and Ireland
Steely Dan: New York City to name street after the late Walter Becker
Steely Dan ownership lawsuit update
Search Steely Dan at hennemusic