About the Band

Strictly Dan are 12 musicians with very different individual musical loves and backgrounds: American West Coast; 70s Rock (some of us were definitely there); jazz; classical; veering into prog rock, blues and somewhat dangerously into heavy metal, though mercifully kept to a minimum on stage. All drawn by the fun and wickedness of Steely Dan's artful and subversive lyrics and the enjoyment and challenge of playing their original and complex music.

Alan played guitar in his first two bands in the sixties, then added keyboard, sax, flute and vocals in Rogue Herring, reaching the finals of the Melody Maker Folk/Rock contest at the “Marquee" club in London. Following their much lamented demise,

Alan played guitar in his first two bands in the sixties, then added keyboard, sax, flute and vocals in Rogue Herring, reaching the finals of the Melody Maker Folk/Rock contest at the “Marquee" club in London. Following their much lamented demise, he has been adding vocals and Norman Watt-Roy bass in a range of blues, soul and rock bands until he discovered the inimitable Walter Becker/Chuck Rainey bass lines of Steely Dan, since when he has been well and truly hooked on playing with us in Strictly Dan.

Rio is one of those singers who just makes a band sound better! Extremely musical and a solo singer in her own right, she is able to find and hit a part perfectly in any Steely Dan song. She rediscovered her love of Steely Dan when she sang with us l

Rio is one of those singers who just makes a band sound better! Extremely musical and a solo singer in her own right, she is able to find and hit a part perfectly in any Steely Dan song. She rediscovered her love of Steely Dan when she sang with us last year and prides herself on being able to sing any of them. She regularly travels from the South Coast just to sing and rehearse with us.

Victoria has a love of soul and show music with the great voice and personality to go with both, but she caught the Steely Dan bug over 5 years ago when she gave herself the Very Best of Steely Dan for Christmas and has been singing their songs with

Victoria has a love of soul and show music with the great voice and personality to go with both, but she caught the Steely Dan bug over 5 years ago when she gave herself the Very Best of Steely Dan for Christmas and has been singing their songs with us ever since. Never happier than when singing her heart out, every gig is an occasion when she is on stage with us. Happy to both lead sing and harmony sing, she is front and centre of Strictly Dan.

Steve is a multi-talented musician and arranger and a master of dynamics, both musical and personal. He is the eminence grise of the band and its calm centre, while his lovely, deft jazz guitar playing adds immeasurably to capturing those light and

Steve is a multi-talented musician and arranger and a master of dynamics, both musical and personal. He is the eminence grise of the band and its calm centre, while his lovely, deft jazz guitar playing adds immeasurably to capturing those light and clever touches in Steely Dan's music that take it a mile away from ordinary rock and pop into jazz chord inversions and progressions and improvisational creativity which make it so rewarding to listen carefully to.

Lead singer Tommy's musical influences go back to his upbringing in Derry. Irish radio had always had a close relationship with American music and that opened up a whole new world of bands and artists that weren’t always mainstream in the UK. Aged a

Lead singer Tommy's musical influences go back to his upbringing in Derry. Irish radio had always had a close relationship with American music and that opened up a whole new world of bands and artists that weren’t always mainstream in the UK. Aged around 15 years, he was drawn to the cool, sophisticated lyrics and sounds of Steely Dan. Like most teenagers, he wanted a band that was exclusively ‘his discovery’ and that was Steely Dan. As he says, "I never envisaged being part of a tribute band but I absolutely love it. Like the rest of the band, I find Steely Dan's music challenging and rewarding in equal measure and just when you think you’ve found all their best work, you suddenly find another hidden gem in the back catalogue!"

Rob was a key instigator of Strictly Dan as he'd always wanted to get the chance to play the Larry Carlton, Skunk Baxter and other brilliantly conceived and apparently impossible guitar solos he'd been listening to and loving since the 70s. Now he g

Rob was a key instigator of Strictly Dan as he'd always wanted to get the chance to play the Larry Carlton, Skunk Baxter and other brilliantly conceived and apparently impossible guitar solos he'd been listening to and loving since the 70s. Now he gets to play them all the time and is quite simply the happiest member of the band.

Philip's musical background is classical by training and he is often found playing the piano or singing chorales or period music in a small Farnham-based choir of 16. But, like all of us in Strictly Dan his real musical life has been lived through gi

Philip's musical background is classical by training and he is often found playing the piano or singing chorales or period music in a small Farnham-based choir of 16. But, like all of us in Strictly Dan his real musical life has been lived through gigs and concerts, folk and rock festivals embracing everything from Planxty to Fascinating Aida to Ian Dury. He has been playing drums in bands for years and Steely Dan for a decade, so he fitted right into the mix that is Strictly Dan.

Paul fits in his gigs with us around a busy London theatre singing and acting career, including most recently Guys and Dolls, Made in Dagenham and School of Rock. Currently slated to be performing in the upcoming Hello Dolly with Imelda Staunton, Pau

Paul fits in his gigs with us around a busy London theatre singing and acting career, including most recently Guys and Dolls, Made in Dagenham and School of Rock. Currently slated to be performing in the upcoming Hello Dolly with Imelda Staunton, Paul's other love in life is fronting his rock, soul and funk band Doctor Funkenstein (now Doctor Rock). And even more now, Strictly Dan. Not quite sure how he got from there to here, but we're glad he has.

Paul has a lifetime of professional trumpet playing experience across all genres, handed on to him by his dad, who was himself a professional trumpet player. Although jazz may be his musical home, his love of the jazz/rock music of Steely Dan provide

Paul has a lifetime of professional trumpet playing experience across all genres, handed on to him by his dad, who was himself a professional trumpet player. Although jazz may be his musical home, his love of the jazz/rock music of Steely Dan provides him with the perfect opportunity for his stylish playing and improvisational talents.

Joe is a modern improvisational jazz composer, player and band leader who plays regularly in London jazz venues. And in his spare time he's Musical Director for Band Without Boundaries, widening musical access to those who have overcome challenges t

Joe is a modern improvisational jazz composer, player and band leader who plays regularly in London jazz venues. And in his spare time he's Musical Director for Band Without Boundaries, widening musical access to those who have overcome challenges to play their music. But once he'd let slip that he loves Steely Dan we found out that he can effortlessly recreate those great original tenor solos recorded on Steely Dan’s albums, as well as adding his own improvisation, particularly on their later, more jazz-centric albums, such as Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go.

Hugh has been a slightly obsessive Steely Dan fan ever since being handed off a free copy of Can't Buy A Thrill in the early 70s by a friend who'd mistaken it for a Steeleye Span album. Although missing out on Gaudete and All Around My Hat, he now li

Hugh has been a slightly obsessive Steely Dan fan ever since being handed off a free copy of Can't Buy A Thrill in the early 70s by a friend who'd mistaken it for a Steeleye Span album. Although missing out on Gaudete and All Around My Hat, he now likes to think he owns copies of the entire Steely Dan album back catalogue but frets that not everybody else seems to like them all as much as he does. He's nevertheless learning the keys parts to every track in an attempt to prove them all wrong.

Jane is a freelance professional sax and woodwind performer and she teaches saxophone, clarinet and flute. After studying at The London College of Music and The Royal Academy of Music she has played in the West End and The National Theatre in Cats ,

Jane is a freelance professional sax and woodwind performer and she teaches saxophone, clarinet and flute. After studying at The London College of Music and The Royal Academy of Music she has played in the West End and The National Theatre in Cats , Cabaret, Crazy for You, Carmen Jones, 42nd street and Guys and Dolls. Her orchestral performances include CBSO and RPCO, but her highlight (until Strictly Dan, obviously) has been playing with The Lightning Seeds and The Pogues.