Chevy Chase Was the Original Drummer for Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan

It sounds like one of those “no way that’s true” classic rock stories, but this one checks out with Snopes. Before he became a household name on Saturday Night Live, before Caddyshack, before Clark Griswold ever took a family vacation, Chevy Chase was… a drummer. And not just any drummer. Chevy Chase was the original drummer for a college band with Walter Becker and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.

Yeah. That Steely Dan.

Back in the late 1960s, Chase was a student at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. It was there that he crossed paths with two musically obsessed classmates: Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. Like a lot of college kids with instruments and ambition, they started jamming. One of those early groups, often referred to as The Leather Canary (and at times jokingly called “The Very Bad Jazz Band”), featured Chase on drums, Fagen on keys, and Becker on guitar. 

This wasn’t Steely Dan yet, not even close. But it was the musical partnership that would eventually evolve into one of the most sophisticated and influential rock acts of the 1970s. And here’s the wild part: by all accounts, Chevy Chase could actually play.

Fagen himself later described Chase as a capable, even solid drummer who “kept excellent time.”  That’s not faint praise coming from a guy known for perfectionism and high musical standards. So why isn’t Chevy Chase listed somewhere between Becker and Fagen in Steely Dan history? Simple. He left.

According to multiple accounts, including Chase’s own recollections, he didn’t think he was good enough to keep up musically. In fact, he reportedly encouraged Fagen and Becker to find a better drummer. That decision changed everything.

Not long after, Chase drifted away from music entirely and began exploring writing and comedy. He would eventually become a key figure in the National Lampoon scene, which led directly to his breakout role on Saturday Night Live in 1975.

Meanwhile, Fagen and Becker doubled down on music. They moved forward, refined their songwriting, and by 1971 officially formed Steely Dan, launching a career that would include albums like Can’t Buy a Thrill, Pretzel Logic, and Aja. 

So no, Chevy Chase was never technically a member of Steely Dan. But he was there at the very beginning, part of the musical DNA before the band even had a name. It’s one of those perfect “sliding doors” moments in rock history.

Imagine if Chase had stuck with it. Maybe he becomes a session drummer. Maybe he tours. Maybe he’s part of one of the most meticulous studio bands ever assembled. Or maybe… we never get Chevy Chase the comedian.

And that’s what makes this story so great. It’s not just a fun fact; it’s a reminder of how close some of these timelines come to being completely different. Steely Dan still becomes Steely Dan. Chevy Chase still becomes Chevy Chase.

But for a brief moment in upstate New York, those two worlds were playing the same gig. To have been a fly on that wall. I guess it's true what they say... "You're exactly where you're supposed to be."