Steely Dan.

Years ago I was doing the all night show at LG73 Am in Vancouver. My best pal was a real good jock I'd met in Moose Jaw named Jeff Hamilton, who was doing mid-days on The Fox. He and I used to get together, drink, smoke-legal/not legal and try and play Steely Dan songs. He was a much better guitar player than me and in 81 when I got the morning show at CFOX he bought me a huge Steely Dan piano/vocal/guitar book called Complete to Aja. Very complex stuff and charts that I still can barely play. But the book and my buddy Jeff, exposed me to a vast amount of songs that I hadn't heard and are still among my favorites. Pretzel Logic, Don't Take Me Alive, Kid Charlemagne, Babylon Sisters, and so many more including Deacon Blues which is probably my all time fav tune, Steely Dan or other.

Jeff died in 1987 of a brain aneurysm leaving a wife and 2 small kids. I was living in Los Angeles came up for the funeral and wake then went back to LA. A year and a half later I moved to Montreal and lost touch with his family.
He was a great guy that died way too young at age 28.

I almost never listen to Steely Dan without thinking of him.