Most of the press's coverage focused on Kanye West being at the White House, but guitar geeks spotted a Skunk in the crowd.

Pres. Trump, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Kid Rock

Jeff Baxter, known to rock music fans as Jeff Skunk Baxter, was standing just behind President Trump during the signing ceremony for a piece of legislation that protects the rights of songwriters in the age of digital music streaming. He's a fascinating guy who's been successful in two wildly different careers.

Imagine a guy who played with Jimi Hendrix and has a Top Secret security clearance!

While still in high school he worked at a music store in Manhattan with another student, Randy California, who went on to form the band Spirit. Jeff and Randy both ended up playing in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, today we know Jimmy James as Jimi Hendrix. Jeff played bass in that band for a short time.

Like many of the musicians I recently posted about, Jeff made his way to Los Angeles to work as a session musician. He began working with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker and was a founding member of the band Steely Dan.

After a couple of years he realized Fagen and Becker were planning to give up touring and concentrate on studio albums with session musicians, and he joined the Doobie Brothers Band, for whom he had already worked as a session guitarist on pedal steel guitar.

Important factoid: when Tom Johnston was hospitalized it was Jeff who recommended adding Michael McDonald to the band. Jeff and McDonald had worked together in Steely Dan.

Michael McDonald, as Doobie Brothers fans know, was a tremendous addition to the band and was the driving force behind “Minute By Minute” which won four Grammy awards and was the band's most successful album.

Rather than writing about Jeff job as a defense analyst with a top secret security clearance, here is a brief Today Show segment that will give you a good overview.

Photo: YouTube screen capture