“Dolly just sat there and listened very sweetly. I asked the producer, ‘Is there anything special you want from me? He said, ‘I want you to do what Skunk does’”: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter recalls recording guitar on Dolly Parton mega-hit 9 to 5

Left-Skunk Baxter performs onstage at The 2020 NAMM Show – 35th Annual NAMM TEC Awards on January 18, 2020 in Anaheim, California; Right-Musical guest Dolly Parton performs on August 23, 2016.

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has had an illustrious career sessioning for artists like Joni Mitchell, Donna Summer, and Dolly Parton, alongside stints with Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers. One of the most iconic songs he played on is Dolly Parton staple 9 to 5, originally written for the 1980 comedy of the same name, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her first movie role.

“I was out here in LA, got the call, showed up, brought my original '61 Jazzmaster with me. [During that time,] I was playing in and out of the house band in the Palomino Club [a popular music venue in North Hollywood that was once the most prominent country music club in LA],” Baxter says in an interview with Vertex Effects.