Libby Titus was a singer who recorded two albums within the late Sixties and Nineteen Seventies earlier than retiring from the music scene and later grew to become Donald Trump of Steely Dan. The spouse of Donald Fagen, she died on Sunday on the age of 77.
Fagan introduced her demise on Steely Dan’s web site. “My stunning spouse Libby Titus Fagen handed away on October thirteenth surrounded by her household,” he wrote. “Thanks in your continued concern and respecting our privateness presently.”
Titus is the mom of singer-songwriter Amy Helm, whose father was Levon Helm, Titus’ companion within the late Sixties and Nineteen Seventies.
Titus’ best-known and most ceaselessly recorded track is “Love Has No Satisfaction,” which he co-wrote with Eric Kaz. The track is healthier identified for its quite a few covers than her 1977 model, together with recordings in fast succession by Bonnie Raitt in 1972, Linda Ronstadt in 1973, and Tracy Nelson and Rita Coolidge in 1974. The track has additionally been coated.
Titus’ transient profession as a recording artist included two self-titled albums. The primary, launched in 1968 on the unbiased Sizzling Biscuit Disc Firm label, featured covers of songs corresponding to “The Idiot on the Hill” and “You Dont Need to Be So Good” however did not appeal to a lot consideration. Practically a decade later, in 1977, a second album was launched on Columbia to larger publicity, with 4 songs co-written by Titus and producers together with Paul Simon, Robbie All-star producers corresponding to Robbie Robertson and Carly.
On October 15, 1977, she appeared because the musical visitor on the third season of Saturday Night time Reside.
As a songwriter, Titus co-wrote songs with Burt Bacharach for his “Lady” album within the late Nineteen Seventies and contributed to Carly Simon’s albums.
Titus helped type Rock & Soul Cabaret with Fagan and carried out with the band earlier than Steely Dan reunited, though she didn’t seem on the group’s solely album launch.
The Woodstock, New York, native was married first to Barry Titus, then to Helm, and at last to Fagen in 1993.
She was praised for her small roles within the movies “Awakening” and “Heartburn.”
Rolling Stone profiled Stely Dan in 2000, when the 2 reunited to launch a reunion album, and Titus opened up about a few of her position in it, in addition to her Historical past with husband. The singer stated she first met Fagan in 1987 after they each went backstage to hang around with Dr. John. Fagan recalled seeing her at Bard — however not assembly her in individual but, and he or she stated he remembered her from afar. “I used to be dressed up in a fur coat and a really brief skirt, and he stated he thought I appeared like bohemian royalty,” she stated. After assembly Dr. John in ’87, “we went to dinner and began a dialog that by no means ended. He took me out to dinner and we talked till the spring of ’89. She advised the journal that she had been in Manhattan A restaurant produced a mini-show for “Saturday Night time Reside” veteran Tom Schiller. “For instance, one evening, Dr. John was there with Carly Simon, and it was by invitation solely. One other evening, I invited. Aaron Bell, Duke Ellington’s bass participant, Donald was right here that evening and he actually loved enjoying a present for me at Elaine’s home in Could of 1989, which he did for a few years. First time performing right here.
“Then we determined to do our personal present,” she continued. “We invited a number of artists to do Jerry Ragovoy songs. Donald did not wish to carry out, however I stated, ‘You need to carry out or nobody will come. “We had a present each month or each two months – which later grew to become the New York Rock and Soul Cabaret – till early ’92. It introduced Walt to New York. He got here again to supply Donald’s album Kamakiriad, after which he was on Enjoying guitar with Donald on stage” – finally resulting in a Steely Dan reunion tour within the mid-’90s.
Titus and Fagan made headlines in New York in 2016 when police have been known as and he was accused of pushing her towards an house window throughout an argument. She advised a New York Put up reporter by telephone that she was “drained and within the strategy of divorcing my husband,” however the rush was apparently short-lived and police dismissed the case by the tip of the month. In a short assertion later submitted to The Washington Put up, the couple stated, “Regardless of deceptive media experiences, we’re fortunately married. We are actually in our twenty third 12 months of marriage and we sit up for many, many extra years of marriage.” marriage.
Amy Helm spoke in an interview concerning the affect of her mom and father, Levon. “She had an enormous affect on me, too,” she advised Relix in 2021. Joni Mitchell, who made positive my musical training was full, they have been singer-songwriters whose poetry was so intense and the singing was so totally different from the soul music I had all the time listened to. I fell in love with Aretha Franklin and by no means appeared again, however she additionally made positive to open my ears to different singers.
Carly Simon wrote a track about her, “Libby,” in 1976. The lyrics embrace:
However Libby, we’re gonna fly it doesn’t matter what, hey
Go away our melancholy behind
half sung melody
Alternate all of them for the Parisian breeze,
Libby we are able to fly
