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.
“I was on the road with Johnny Rodriguez [Tejano and Texas country music singer]. I mean, I was playing country music. And so to me, this was an easy one. But when I heard the song, they didn't tell me what to play. They called me because they wanted the Donna Summer thing [Baxter had previously performed on Hot Stuff]. They wanted something a little different.
“So I thought I would give it some bounce, which eventually helped the song out because it has a syncopation to it that you don't really hear in country music.”
He also recalls his experience meeting and recording with Parton: “Dolly just sat there and listened very sweetly. She was so kind. She was baking cookies. And really, this woman is an angel.
“But when they ran the track, I asked the producer, I said, ‘Is there anything special you want from me? You know, because there's really all these chords here.’ And he said, ‘I want you to do what Skunk does.’ So okay, I will.”
According to Baxter, what made the song stand out from the hundreds of country singles out at that time was its R&B influence.
“When I listened to it, it has a lot of [American funk and disco band] Fatback feel to it and R&B. And I think that any good flavor of R&B, if it's done tastefully, can be positive for any record because it's in people's DNA.”
