Elliott Randall - wikipedia Elliott Randall Elliott Randall Elliott Randall in 1970 Background information 1947 ( age 69 -- 70 ) Origin United States Occupation ( s ) Guitarist, session musician Elliott Randall ( born 1947 ) is an American guitarist, best known for being a session musician with popular artists. Randall played the well - known guitar solos from Steely Dan 's song `` Reelin ' in the Years '' and Irene Cara 's song `` Fame ''. It was reported that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page said Randall 's solo on `` Reelin ' in the Years '' is his favorite guitar solo of all - time. The solo was ranked as the 40th best guitar solo of all - time by the readers of Guitar World magazine and the eighth best guitar solo by Q4 Music. Contents 1 Career 2 Gear 3 Discography 3.1 CD 3.2 Soundtracks 3.3 Also appears on ( partial list ) 3.4 Video 3.5 Books 4 References 5 External links Career Randall began taking piano lessons at age five. At nine, in 1956, he switched to guitar. He attended New York City 's High School of Music & Art, where he was classmates with Laura Nyro and Michael Kamen. In 1963, at sixteen, Randall met Richie Havens in Greenwich Village and began gigging. Randall did some early work behind The Capris and The Ronnettes, and by 1964 was recording `` small - time '' demos. Between 1966 and 1967, he taught music in Ohio. Returning to New York, he began working as a staff musician for the Musicor record company. During 1968, he recorded with the Druids of Stonehenge with a brief cameo appearance on the Joe Franklin show. He began recording with friends around 1968, including Tim Rose, and made demo recordings with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker -- who at the time were with Jay and the Americans. In 1969 he recorded on the album Electric Black Man, featuring Eric Mercury, and toured with the ensemble, which included Bill Lordan on drums, later to perform in the Robin Trower Band and with Sly Stone. In 1969, he joined the band Seatrain, opting for that band rather than joining Wilson Pickett in Muscle Shoals. In 1970, Randall signed with the Robert Stigwood Organization, which managed Cream, The Bee Gees, John Mayall, and The Staple Singers. He formed a band called Randall 's Island, which recorded a few albums on Polydor. In 1972, The Stigwood Organization bought the rights to Jesus Christ Superstar and produced the show on Broadway. They hired Randall 's band to perform the music. There, Randall met guitarist Vinnie Bell, who was experimenting with various electronic effects. Randall began to dabble in electronics as well, and whenever Bell could n't make a gig, he recommended Randall. In 1972, Randall left New York for California. He reunited with Becker, Fagen, and childhood friend Jeff ' Skunk ' Baxter, and recorded the first Steely Dan album, Ca n't Buy a Thrill. Randall 's guitar work on `` Reelin ' in the Years '' became popular as the song became a chart success, and soon, as the solo gained fame and respect, Randall began getting calls from other artists. Randall has had a history of turning down permanent gigs, instead favoring session work. He did become a touring member of Sha Na Na in 1974, exiting amicably in 1975. Becker and Fagen asked Randall to become a permanent member of Steely Dan, but Randall politely declined, as he felt that the band 's dynamics would make the band dissolve after the third album -- which happened. Later, Randall played with Steely Dan on their fourth and fifth albums, Katy Lied ( 1975 ) and The Royal Scam ( 1976 ). In 1980, John Belushi asked Randall to be musical director for The Blues Brothers, a position he also turned down. Jeff Porcaro and David Paich offered Randall the chance to be a founding member of Toto, and he rejected that too. As a session player, Randall played with artists such as The Doobie Brothers, Tom Rush, Elkie Brooks, Carly Simon, Carl Wilson, Peter Wolf, Peter Frampton, James Galway, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and The American Symphony Orchestra, among many others. He was also a music consultant for the American late - night live television sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live and for American film director, screenwriter, and producer Oliver Stone and did projects with music producers Gary Katz, David Kershenbaum, The Tokens, Steve Lillywhite, Eddie Kramer and Jerry Wexler. A full list of artists and producers with whom Randall has recorded can be found at elliott-randall.com. In addition to artistic projects, Elliott has also played, produced, and composed myriad advertisements ( jingles ) for television, radio and cinema, for clients including Coca - Cola, PepsiCo, Miller Beer, Budweiser, Cadillac, Ford, McDonald 's, Burger King, Wendy 's, CitiBank, General Mills, Nabisco, Procter & Gamble, MTV, ESPN, CBS, ABC, BBC - TV and countless others. Since the advent of MIDI in the early 1980s, Randall has worked as independent consultant for a wide range of companies -- including Akai, Roland, Korg, and Yamaha -- in musical instrument and amplifier development, recording and sampling technology, software design, and education. Randall 's recent projects include recording, production, and consulting on streaming Internet content. He is currently recording a new CD in London, New York, and Ireland that blends Celtic, Afro - Cuban, and other global musical influences. He recorded and plays with his London - based band Posse and NYC - based Randall 's Rangers. Randall appeared as a guest at London 's Hammersmith Apollo on July 1, 2009 with Steely Dan to play lead guitar on `` Reelin ' in the Years ''. Many clips of this performance are on YouTube. Gear Randall plays a 1963 Fender Stratocaster. The neck pickup is a 1969 Gibson Humbucker. He often plays through a Fender Super Reverb. He was listed as an endorser for Dimarzio pickups in the company 's product brochure circa 1981. In an article in Guitar Player magazine ( July 2007 ) Randall was asked what rig he used to record the solo on `` Reelin ' in the Years ''. He states, `` That was my ' 63 Fender Stratocaster with a PAF humbucker in the neck position, straight into an Ampeg SVT bass amp. The SVT would n't have been my first choice for an amp -- or even my fifth choice -- but it worked a storm on that recording ! '' Discography CD Druids of Stonehenge ( 1968 ) `` Creation '' Eric Mercury `` Electric Black Man '' 1969 Avco Randall 's Island ( 1970 ) Polydor, catalogue number 2489 004 Rock ' n ' Roll City ( 1973 ) Polydor Randall 's New York ( 1977 ) Kirshner Still Reelin ' ( 2007 ) Private Collection Records HeartStrings ( 2011 ) Private Collection Records Virtual Memory ( 2012 ) Private Collection Records Soundtracks The Warriors ( 1979 ) The Blues Brothers : Music from the Soundtrack ( 1980 ) Fame ( 1980 ) Heart of Dixie ( 1989 ) Looking for an Echo ( 2000 ) Also appears on ( partial list ) Ca n't Buy a Thrill ( 1972 ) -- Steely Dan Satan -- Sonny Stitt ( Cadet, 1974 ) Katy Lied ( 1975 ) -- Steely Dan Royal Scam ( 1976 ) -- Steely Dan Gene Simmons ( 1978 ) -- Gene Simmons Peter Criss ( 1978 ) -- Peter Criss Live and Sleazy ( 1979 ) -- Village People Connections ( 1980 ) -- Richie Havens It 's Alright ( I See Rainbows ) ( 1982 ) -- Yoko Ono Hello Big Man ( 1983 ) -- Carly Simon Milk and Honey ( 1984 ) -- John Lennon The Animals ' Christmas ( 1986 ) -- Art Garfunkel & Amy Grant Electric Landlady ( 1991 ) -- Kirsty MacColl Walking on Thin Ice ( 1992 ) -- Yoko Ono Walk the Dog and Light the Light ( 1993 ) -- Laura Nyro Arena ( 1996 ) -- Asia Spirit of Christmas ( 2009 ) -- Northern Light Orchestra Left, ( 2016 ) - Monkey House Video On Guitar, Pt. 1 ( 1992 ) Books Foreword of The Artist 's Guide to Success in the Music Business, 2nd Edition Loren Weisman ( 2013 ) References Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ `` The 100 Best Guitar Solos of All Time ''. Guitar.about.com. Retrieved 2014 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Q Magazine Music news & reviews, music videos, band pictures & interviewsQ Magazine ''. News.q4music.com. Retrieved 2014 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ `` ( NO TITLE FOUND ) Berklee College of Music ''. Berklee.edu. Retrieved 2014 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Archived May 10, 2004, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Steely Dan London - 1 / 7 / 09 - `` Reelin ' in the Years '' with Elliott Randall ``. YouTube. 2009 - 07 - 02. Retrieved 2014 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2014 - 05 - 25. Retrieved 2006 - 07 - 07. Jump up ^ http://californianewswire.com/2014/01/29/CNW18819_225920.php/the-artists-guide-to-success-in-the-music-business-by-loren-weisman-is-now-available-in-26-different-countries-as-well-as-an-ebook-edition/ External links Elliott Randall website Official MySpace page Elliott Randall discography The Berklee Today Interview ( May 2010 ) Elliott Randall interview with Access Rock Asia Geoff Downes Carl Palmer Sam Coulson Billy Sherwood John Wetton Steve Howe Greg Lake Mandy Meyer John Young Pat Thrall John Payne Al Pitrelli Vinny Burns Aziz Ibrahim Mike Sturgis Elliott Randall Ian Crichton Chris Slade Guthrie Govan Jay Schellen Studio albums Asia Alpha Astra Then & Now Aqua Aria Arena Rare Aura Silent Nation Phoenix Omega XXX Gravitas Live albums Fantasia : Live in Tokyo EPs Aurora Compilations Then & Now Archiva Vol. 1 Archiva Vol. 2 Anthology The Very Best of Asia : Heat of the Moment Singles `` Heat of the Moment '' `` Only Time Will Tell '' `` Sole Survivor '' `` Do n't Cry '' Related articles Discography Asia Featuring John Payne GPS Qango Book : Asia Book VIAF : 79644628 LCCN : n92037952 ISNI : 0000 0000 7149 3341 GND : 134491793 MusicBrainz : 1bca0b10 - 157d - 4d42 - 86c2 - d5b42344668c Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elliott_Randall&oldid=801386892 '' Categories : 1947 births Living people American rock guitarists American male guitarists Steely Dan members The High School of Music & Art alumni Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from July 2014 Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Norsk nynorsk Edit links This page was last edited on 19 September 2017, at 10 : 48. 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Question: who played lead guitar on reeling in the years
Answer: Elliott Randall