Cary Baker

Last updated
Cary Baker
Born (1955-11-14) November 14, 1955 (age 69)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Occupation(s)music publicist, journalist
Years active1973–present
Website www.carybaker.com

Cary Baker is an American music publicist, author, journalist, and reissue record producer. He is the author of the 2024 book Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music. [1] [2]

Contents

His work is archived at the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill [3] and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [4]

Early life and education

Baker was born in Chicago on November 14, 1955, and grew up in the suburb of Wilmette, Illinois. He started writing about blues, rock and punk rock music while in high school. [5] As a teenager, he wrote a feature on Blind Arvella Gray for the Chicago Reader, [6] and in 1972 convinced the owner of the Wilmette-based Birch Records to finance and release Gray's only album, The Singing Drifter. [7]

Baker attended Northern Illinois University. While a student, he wrote for publications including Billboard, Creem , and Trouser Press . He graduated in 1978. [8] [6]

Career

1979-1997: Ovation Records, I.R.S. Records, Capitol Records

Following his graduation, Baker worked part time at Billboard. [9] His first full-time job was as publicity director for the country label Ovation Records. [5] He continued to write frequently about music. [8]

In 1984, he moved to Los Angeles to work for I.R.S. Records. As the director of national publicity, he helped artists including The Go-Go's [10] and R.E.M. [11] find audiences in their early days. He also worked with The Alarm, Timbuk3, Fine Young Cannibals, The dB's, and General Public [12] among others. He was promoted to vice president of publicity at IRS before he left the label in 1988 to accept a job as national director of media and artist relations at Capitol Records. [13] After leaving Capitol, he was national publicity director at labels including Enigma Records, Morgan Creek, and Discovery Records. [11]

1998-2022: Baker/Northrop, Conqueroo, reissues and compilations

In 1998 Baker co-founded the Baker/Northrop Media Group, [11] whose clients included Cheap Trick, Robert Cray, Delbert McClinton, Yes, HBO's Reverb series, and Susan Tedeschi. [12] He founded Conqueroo, [14] [5] a music publicity company that specialized in roots music, Americana and blues, in 2004. [15] Conqueroo's clients included Mitch Ryder, [16] Bobby Rush, [11] [17] Pam Tillis, Los Lonely Boys, Willie Nile, [18] James McMurtry, Marshall Crenshaw, Chris Hillman, Rodney Crowell, and Nils Lofgren. [12] In 2006, he was named Blues Publicist of the Year at the Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive Awards. [3]

In addition to his work in public relations, Baker helped compile and annotate reissue collections from a number of record manufacturers over the course of his career. He co-produced the Blues Music Award-winning box set Bobby Rush: Chicken Heads: 50 Years of Bobby Rush [19] and wrote liner notes for reissues from The Numero Group, as well as for albums from Muddy Waters and Little Milton for Chess Records, Luther Allison, Little Milton, The NoBS, Jay Migliori [18] and others.

2022-present: Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music

Baker retired from Conqueroo in March 2022. [11] In November 2024, his book Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music was published by Jawbone Press. [20] An NPR "Book of the Day" in December, [21] it includes Baker's interviews with Lucinda Williams, Violent Femmes, Billy Bragg, Old Crow Medicine Show, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and Madeleine Peyroux, among others. [22] [23] In a Chicago Tribune story published just after its release, Rick Kogan described Down on the Corner as "an important book that explores a sadly overlooked form of music...soaring in its ability to provide a panoramic view of busking from the East Coast to the South, California and Europe." [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doo-wop</span> Style of rhythm and blues music

Doo-wop is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. It features vocal group harmony that carries an engaging melodic line to a simple beat with little or no instrumentation. Lyrics are simple, usually about love, sung by a lead vocal over background vocals, and often featuring, in the bridge, a melodramatically heartfelt recitative addressed to the beloved. Harmonic singing of nonsense syllables is a common characteristic of these songs. Gaining popularity in the 1950s, doo-wop was "artistically and commercially viable" until the early 1960s and continued to influence performers in other genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Wilson</span> American singer (1934–1984)

Jack Leroy Wilson Jr., also known as Jackie Wilson, was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of the most dynamic singers and performers in soul, R&B, and rock and roll history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Bland</span> American blues and soul singer and musician (1930–2013)

Robert Calvin Bland, known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was described as "among the great storytellers of blues and soul music... [who] created tempestuous arias of love, betrayal and resignation, set against roiling, dramatic orchestrations, and left the listener drained but awed." The inspiration behind his unique style was a Detroit Preacher, CL Franklin, because Bland studied his sermons. He was sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues" and as the "Sinatra of the Blues". His music was influenced by Nat King Cole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chess Records</span> American record label (1950–1975)

Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll, and jazz and comedy recordings, released on the Chess and its subsidiary labels Checker and Argo/Cadet. The Chess catalogue is owned by Universal Music Group and managed by Geffen Records and Universal Music Enterprises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street performance</span> Performing in public places for gratuities

Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is practiced all over the world and dates back to antiquity. People engaging in this practice are called street performers or buskers. Buskers is not a term generally used in American English.

The story of Tennessee's contribution to American music is essentially the story of three cities: Nashville, Memphis, and Bristol. While Nashville is most famous for its status as the long-time capital of country music, Bristol is recognized as the "Birthplace of Country Music". Memphis musicians have had an enormous influence on blues, early rock and roll, R&B, and soul music, as well as an increasing presence in rap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Walter</span> American blues harmonica player (1930–1968)

Marion Walter Jacobs, known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him comparisons to such seminal artists as Django Reinhardt, Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix. His virtuosity and musical innovations fundamentally altered many listeners' expectations of what was possible on blues harmonica. He was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, the first and, to date, only artist to be inducted specifically as a harmonica player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Rush (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Bobby Rush is an American blues musician, composer, record producer, and singer. His style incorporates elements of blues, rap, and funk, as well as a comic sense about blues tropes.

Southern soul or country soul is a type of soul and country music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originated from a combination of styles, including blues, country, early R&B, and a strong gospel influence that emanated from the sounds of Southern black churches. Bass guitar, drums, horn section, and gospel roots vocal are important to soul groove. This rhythmic force made it a strong influence in the rise of funk music. The terms "deep soul", "country soul", "downhome soul" and "hard soul" have been used synonymously with "Southern soul".p. 18

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Chandler</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1937)

Gene Chandler is an American singer, songwriter, music producer, and record-label executive. Chandler is nicknamed "the Duke of Earl" or, simply, "the Duke." He is best known for his most successful songs, "Duke of Earl" and "Groovy Situation", and his association with the Dukays, the Impressions, and Curtis Mayfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis Rush</span> American blues singer and guitarist (1934–2018)

Otis Rush Jr. was an American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter who's been long revered as one of the creators of modern Chicago blues and though he was respected and praised, the success he sought eluded him while others profited from what he created and his career never reached the heights that he deserved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baker Street (song)</span> 1978 single by Gerry Rafferty

"Baker Street" is a single by the Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, released in February 1978. It won the 1979 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and reached the top three in the UK, US and elsewhere. The song is known for its saxophone riff, written by Rafferty and performed by Raphael Ravenscroft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Goldberg</span> Musical artist

Barry Joseph Goldberg is an American blues and rock keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. Goldberg has co-produced albums by Percy Sledge, Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, and the Textones, plus Bob Dylan's version of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready".

Blind Arvella Gray was an American blues, folk and gospel singer and guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis Taylor (musician)</span> American blues musician (born 1948)

Otis Taylor is an American blues musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist whose talents include the guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and vocals. In 2001, he was awarded a fellowship to the Sundance Film Composers Laboratory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out</span> Early blues standard written by Jimmie Cox

"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is a blues standard written by pianist Jimmie Cox in 1923 and originally performed in a Vaudeville-blues style in the aftermath of the 1920–1921 U.S. economic depression. A later 1929 recording by Bessie Smith became popular during the early years of the Great Depression due to the lyrics highlighting the fleeting nature of material wealth and the friendships that come and go with it. Since Smith's 1929 recording, the song has been interpreted by numerous musicians in a variety of styles.

Joseph Leon "Jody" Williams was an American blues guitarist and singer. His singular guitar playing, marked by flamboyant string-bending, imaginative chord voicings and a distinctive tone, was influential in the Chicago blues scene of the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Nelson (musician)</span> Musical artist

Paul Nelson was an American, Grammy Award winning blues and rock guitarist, record producer and songwriter. He played and or recorded alongside artists such as Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and members of the Allman Brothers Band. He was the hand-picked guitarist to join Johnny Winter's band in 2010, performing on and producing several of Winter's albums, including the Grammy Award-nominated I'm a Blues Man, Roots, and Step Back, which won the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album, debuted at number one on the Billboard chart for Blues Albums, and Independent Albums, and debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking the highest spot in Winter's career. Nelson was also a Blues Music Award recipient for Best Rock Blues Album, and was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame and was a recipient of the KBA award from the Blues Foundation. He received a Grammy nomination for his work as producer and performer on Joe Louis Walker's, Everybody Wants a Piece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Messano</span> American artist, guitarist and musician (born 1954)

Bobby Messano is an American artist, guitarist and musician. He has recorded and toured with STARZ, Lou Gramm, Steve Winwood, Clarence Clemons, Franke and the Knockouts, and Peter Criss.

Richard Flohil is a Canadian music promoter, publicist, former Mariposa Folk Festival artistic director and journalist based in Toronto. Flohil now runs a public relations company, Richard Flohil and Associates.

References

  1. ↑ A Martinez (13 November 2024), A new book explores a hundred years of busking history, NPR, retrieved 19 November 2024
  2. 1 2 Rick Kogan (6 November 2024), Column: 'Down on the Corner' is a book about how busking and street music became the soundtrack of our cities, Chicago Tribune, retrieved 6 November 2024
  3. 1 2 Collection Number: 70139 Collection Title: Cary Baker Collection, 1970s-1990s, Wilson Special Collections Library, retrieved 6 June 2024
  4. ↑ Cary Baker Papers, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library & Archives, retrieved 6 August 2024
  5. 1 2 3 Bill Frater (17 June 2016), Conqueroo's Cary Baker: From Cheap Trick to the Blues, No Depression, retrieved 4 June 2024
  6. 1 2 Blueskye, Brian. "Retired Palm Desert music publicist pens new book celebrating street musicians". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  7. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Blind Arvella Gray". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  8. 1 2 Peter Margasak (5 May 2016), Chicago's Disco Demoliton, Cheap Trick, and the Rise of House Music, Pitchfork, retrieved 7 June 2024
  9. ↑ Billboard, Jan 20, 1979
  10. ↑ Ed Condran (6 July 2021), 'I knew the Go-Go's had something': Manager Miles Copeland looks back at future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, The Spokesman-Review, retrieved 4 June 2024
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Chris Willman (4 March 2022), Veteran Music Publicist Cary Baker to Retire After 42 Years (EXCLUSIVE), Variety, retrieved 4 June 2024
  12. 1 2 3 Don Wilcock (19 March 2022), Cary Baker – An Artist's Artist, American Blues Scene, retrieved 4 June 2024
  13. ↑ Graff, Gary (2024). 501 Essential Albums of The '90s: The Music Fan's Definitive Guide (1st ed.). Minneapolis: Quarto Publishing Group USA. ISBN   978-0-7603-8904-1.
  14. ↑ William Harris Graham (15 July 2014), Tommy Ramone Goes Gold, Austin Chronicle, retrieved 4 June 2024
  15. ↑ Andy Hermann (14 January 2019), Independent Music Publicists Grapple With a Shrinking Media Landscape, Billboard, retrieved 7 June 2024
  16. ↑ Susan Whitall (31 March 2017), Mitch Ryder to be inducted in R&B Hall of Fame, The Detroit News, retrieved 4 June 2024
  17. ↑ Suzanne Cadgène (23 September 2016), High Voltage at the High Watt, Elmore Magazine, retrieved 4 June 2024
  18. 1 2 Cary Baker at AllMusic
  19. ↑ Bobby Rush Celebrates 50 Years of 'Chicken Heads', American Blues Scene, 1 October 2021, retrieved 6 June 2024
  20. ↑ Cary Baker (26 September 2024), Fantastic Negrito: Power in Not Caring – Exclusive Book Excerpt, American Blues Scene, retrieved 30 September 2024
  21. ↑ 2 new nonfiction books explore the impact of cultural forces in the world of music, NPR, 6 December 2024, retrieved 6 December 2024
  22. ↑ Milano, Brett (2024-11-26). "Cary Baker: Down On The Corner: Adventures In Busking & Street Music (Jawbone Press)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  23. ↑ Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking & Street Music, Publishers Weekly, retrieved 25 October 2024
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.