Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in 1971 by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen while they were students at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Known for their unique blend of rock, jazz, R and B, and sophisticated studio production, Steely Dan stood out with their cryptic lyrics and irony. After early years performing as a full band, Becker and Fagen stopped touring in 1974 and turned Steely Dan into a studio-based project, working with top session musicians. Their breakthrough came with the release of Can't Buy a Thrill in 1972, and they reached their commercial peak with Aja in 1977. The group disbanded in 1981 but reunited in 1993, later winning a Grammy Award for Album of the Year with Two Against Nature in 2000. After Becker's death in 2017, Fagen continued performing under the Steely Dan name. Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and has sold over 40 million albums worldwide.