Articles — Roger Nichols

A series of rare, in-studio candid photographs of Steely Dan and the musicians they worked with have come to light. The images in the collection were all taken by Steely Dan's long-time recording engineer Roger Nichols (1944-2011) during the first three seminal Steely Dan albums. See the collection here. Coined the Roger Nichols Steely Dan "Through The Glass" Collection, some were actually taken through the glass window separating the studio control room and live room. The photos capture candid moments during the process of recording several seminal albums by the group and their elite cast of supporting musicians.  Pictured in the...

Recorded in 1978-79 and released on November 21, 1980, Gaucho stands as one of the most meticulously crafted albums in popular music history. Created by Steely Dan—the studio-focused partnership of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker—the record represents both the peak of their perfectionism and a turning point in music production technology. At the center of its story is an unlikely “musician”: A custom-built drum machine named Wendel, invented by late recording engineer Roger Nichols (1944-2011), which would go on to receive its very own RIAA Platinum Album award. Roger Nichols and Wendel's RIAA Awards for Steely Dan's Gaucho album, along with...