Kenny Baker
Bluegrass fiddler Kenny Baker was born on June 26, 1926, in Burdine, Kentucky. Both his father and grandfather were fiddlers, and by eight years old, Kenny himself had picked up the instrument. After a stint in the Navy, Baker returned to Kentucky, where he worked in the coal mines and played fiddle and some guitar at local dances. In 1953, country vocalist Don Gibson hired Baker for his band at WNOX in Knoxville, Tennessee. During his tenure with Gibson, Baker expanded his stylistic range, incorporating the smoother jazz violin style of Stéphane Grappelli. He also began to develop his "long-bow" style of playing, which blended and elongated notes much more than the traditional chop of bluegrass fiddle. Of his style, Baker would later comment "bluegrass is nothing but a hillbilly version of jazz."
In 1955, he released Baker's Dozen, a no-frills bluegrass picking album that featured a young Sam Bush. By 1957, Baker was playing bluegrass full-time as a member of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys. It proved to be a lasting partnership -- he became the longest running Bluegrass Boy. He worked with Monroe off and on over the next 30 years, leaving during the lean times to focus on his farm or for work in the mines. But it was as a Bluegrass Boy that Baker influenced countless latter-day fiddle players with his easy, traditional style.
Baker issued another solo album, Portrait of a Bluegrass Fiddler, in 1969, capitalizing on the popular resurgence of the genre on the heels of the late-'60s folk movement. He also rejoined Monroe's group for good, playing with the Bluegrass Boys through the 1980s. In 1989, he teamed with Dobro king Josh Graves in a bluegrass supergroup called the Masters. Also featuring banjoist Eddie Adcock and mandolin virtuoso Jesse McReynolds, the Masters released two albums, including a Grammy-nominated self-titled 1989 debut. Baker continued to perform throughout the 1990s, lodging a series of tours backed by the National Council on Traditional Arts. After an almost ten-year recording hiatus, Baker returned to wax in 2000 with Cotton Baggin'. The album included contributions from old friends Graves, McReynolds, and Blaine Sprouse. He returned in 2002 with the acclaimed Spider Bit the Baby! Kenny Baker died on July 8, 2011 in Gallatin, Tennessee due to complications from a stroke; he was 85 years old.
© Johnny Loftus /TiVo
Artisti simili
-
Kurt Weill: One Touch of Venus (Shellack Album of 1944)
Mary Martin, Orchestra Maurice Abravanel, Kenny Baker, Male Quartet, Chorus, Martin Mery
Classica - Pubblicato da September Song il 30 set 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Harvey Girls (Original Soundtrack Recording)
Judy Garland, Kenny Baker, Virginia O'Brien
Colonne sonore - Pubblicato da Geffen il 1 nov 1945
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cotton Baggin' 2000
Folk - Pubblicato da OMS Records il 17 ott 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spider Bit The Baby
Folk - Pubblicato da OMS Records il 20 mar 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Harvey Girls (O.S.T - 1946)
Judy Garland, Kenny Baker, Viriginia O'Brien
Colonne sonore - Pubblicato da Vintage Music il 9 mag 1946
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker Plays Armstrong Vol. 1
Jazz - Pubblicato da Documents il 27 mag 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Indian Springs
Country - Pubblicato da Rounder Records il 1 gen 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker Plays Armstrong Vol. 2
Jazz - Pubblicato da Documents il 27 mag 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Britannica, Vol. 8: Kenny Baker
Jazz - Pubblicato da Editions Audiovisuel Beulah il 8 apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker Plays Armstrong Vol. 3
Jazz - Pubblicato da Documents il 27 mag 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker Plays Armstrong Vol. 6
Jazz - Pubblicato da Documents il 27 mag 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Starlit Hour
Musica vocale (sacra e profana) - Pubblicato da Flare Records il 14 mag 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Louis Armstrong interpretiert von Kenny Baker, Vol.4
Jazz - Pubblicato da History il 1 gen 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker's All Stars and Dick Morrissey Quartet
Jazz - Pubblicato da Progressive il 13 dic 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nice And Easy - [The Dave Cash Collection]
Jazz - Pubblicato da The Dave Cash Collection - OMP il 9 mag 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker & His Half Dozen Present: Dixie Christmas
Canzoni di Natale - Pubblicato da Pastels il 1 gen 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker Selected Favorites
Country - Pubblicato da Charly Records il 20 giu 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker Selected Favorites
Pop - Pubblicato da Charly Records il 20 giu 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenny Baker Plays Armstrong Vol. 9
Jazz - Pubblicato da Documents il 27 mag 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Acker Bilk: The Stars and Stripes Collection (Live)
Acker Bilk, Kenny Baker, Kenny Ball
Jazz - Pubblicato da Music Manager il 4 giu 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tribute To The Great Trumpeters
Jazz - Pubblicato da Documents il 1 dic 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo