“I gave him 35 bucks for the guitar, bought a six-pack of Bud, went down to the studios and they played me the song. Recorded it in one take”: Skunk Baxter on how he recorded his classic Hot Stuff solo on a cheap guitar he bought right before the session

Left-Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter of The Doobie Brothers performing on stage at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan, February 1979. He is playing a Burns guitar; Right-Disco diva Donna Summer, November 1978. .

The blazing guitar solo on Donna Summer's Hot Stuff signified a new direction for the disco star – one that was more rock-oriented, allowing the Queen of Disco to successfully dip into new genres. However, that solo almost didn't happen, as ex-Doobie Brother and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter nearly missed the call.

“My assistant said, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you. This guy, Giorgio Moroder [esteemed Italian producer credited with pioneering Euro disco], called.’ I said, ‘What kind of music is it?’ ‘He said it's disco,’” Baxter tells Vertex Effects.