Roots of Steely Dan

Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul, funk and jazz musician. He is known for his precise time-keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the Purdie shuffle. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.

The Ikettes were a female backing vocal group for R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner, performing primarily as a trio, though occasionally expanding to a quartet. The group originated in 1960 when Ike Turner recruited members of Art Lassiter's backing trio, the Artettes—Robbie Montgomery, Frances Hodges, and Sandra Harding—to record "A Fool in Love" with Tina Turner after Lassiter failed to appear for a scheduled session. Following the success of the single, Turner formed the Ike & Tina Turner Revue and assembled a new backing group, soon known as the Ikettes.

Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby".

The Soul Survivors are an American, Philadelphia-based, soul and R&B group, founded by New York natives Richie and Charlie Ingui along with Kenny Jeremiah. The Soul Survivors are known for their 1967 hit single "Expressway to Your Heart", which was the first hit by Philadelphia soul record producers and songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Jay and the Americans are an American vocal group who were popular in the 1960s. Their initial line-up consisted of John "Jay" Traynor, Howard "Howie" Kane, Kenny Vance, and Sandy Deanne, though their greatest success on the charts in the United States and Canada came after Traynor left and once Jay Black and Marty Sanders joined the group; Black replaced Traynor as lead singer. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.