Lee Muddy Baker

Lee Baker
Lee Baker
Also known as	Muddy
Born	16 November 1969 (age 49)
Origin	Watford, England
Genres	Alternative rock, Electronica
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Bass guitar, Guitar, Tabla
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Eye Industries, Chrysalis
Associated acts	My Federation; James; Tim Booth; Marbaker
Website	My Federation

Last updated April 17, 2019

Lee "Muddy" Baker (born 16 November 1969) is a UK-based singer-songwriter, producer, performer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.

Biography

Early years

Lee Baker grew up in Watford, England where he attended Watford Boys' Grammar School. Having gained A-Levels in Art, Maths & Physics he went on to read Modern Art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he graduated in 1992. During his time at university, Baker formed and fronted his first band, called Cup of Sunshine.

Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of central London.

Watford Grammar School for Boys is a partially selective academy for boys in Watford in Hertfordshire, England. The school and its sister school, Watford Grammar School for Girls, descend from a Free School founded as a charity school for boys and girls by Elizabeth Fuller in 1704. Despite its name, the school accepts boys of all abilities, although approximately a third are selected for academic or musical aptitude, and brothers of existing pupils are also guaranteed places. Its results are among the highest achieved by non-grammar state schools in England.

Marbaker

Baker left Newcastle to settle in Brighton and it was here that he truly focused on forging a career in the music industry, forming a new 4 piece band, Marbaker. The new band soon proved hugely popular on the live music circuit. It was not long before Marbaker was signed to Chrysalis Music and toured the UK to promote the band's debut single "Hope You Find".

Brighton is a seaside resort on the south coast of England that is part of the City of Brighton and Hove, located 47 miles (76 km) south of London.

Chrysalis Music is a British independent music publisher.

This first release received national radio airplay and the accolade of Melody Maker's Single of the Week as voted by the band Gomez. However, frustrated with the direction in which the band was going, Marbaker split up and the first album was never made.

Melody Maker was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies, and—according to its publisher IPC Media—the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born composer, publisher Lawrence Wright; the first editor was Edgar Jackson. In 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.

Gomez are an English indie rock band from Southport, comprising Ian Ball, Paul "Blackie" Blackburn (bass), Tom Gray, Ben Ottewell and Olly Peacock. The band has three singers and four songwriters, employing traditional and electronic instruments. Their music covers the genres blues, indie, alternative, rock, folk, psychedelic and experimental.

Performer, writer & producer

After the breakup of Marbaker, Baker continued to perform, write and produce new material both for himself, other artists, including Mo Solid Gold and Chung King, and for TV programmes and advertising. In a move away from the more soulful and hypnotic beats of Marbaker, Baker co-wrote, performed and produced a clutch of club tunes under the guise of "Special Unit". The most successful of these was "Sights on You" which was hugely popular on the UK and Miami club scene, reaching number 1 in Pete Tong's BBC Radio 1 Buzz Chart in the UK.

Peter Michael TongMBE, better known as Pete Tong, is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for his own performances at nightclubs and music festivals. Tong has also worked as a record producer, and is regarded as the "global ambassador for electronic music"

BBC Radio 1 is a British radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7 pm, including electronica, dance, hip hop, rock and indie. The choice of music and presenting style is entirely that of programme hosts, however those who present in the daytime have to rotate a number of songs a specific number of times per week. It was launched in 1967 to meet the demand for music generated by pirate radio stations, when the average age of the UK population was 27. The BBC claim that they target the 15–29 age group, and the average age of its UK audience since 2009 is 30. BBC Radio 1 started 24-hour broadcasting on 1 May 1991.

Baker continues to work for and with others; he produced an acoustic remix of the hit single "Borderline" by Michael Gray and wrote the score for an episode of BBC Four's Arena series, celebrating 57 years of the BBC Radio 4 radio drama serial The Archers — a testament to Baker's breadth of musical capabilities.

Borderline (Michael Gray song) 2006 single by Shelly Poole and Michael Gray

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Michael Anthony Gray, better known as Michael Gray, is a British DJ and house music producer. He is also half of the dance music production and remixing duo Full Intention.

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Tim Booth & James

Baker teamed up with Tim Booth at the time the ex-front man of the band James. The two formed a strong friendship based on a chance meeting in Brighton which ultimately led to the release of the highly acclaimed album Bone, which was produced by Baker and written by Booth, Baker and KK (Kevin Kerrigan). The album artwork was also created by Baker. The band was called "Tim Booth and the Individuals", and toured the UK and the US and received much radio airplay, including the UK's Virgin Radio and BBC Radio 2 with Jonathan Ross. The band also appeared on TV on BBC Three and played to a packed crowd at the Glastonbury Festival. The album, although highly acclaimed, never achieved commercial success, and the band have moved on to pursue their individual interests. Tim Booth had a small part in the film Batman Begins and is writing a screenplay, but most notably is now back with James who announced their reformation in January 2007. Lisa Lindley Jones is embarking upon a solo career, and her first single "Firetime" was released in October 2006.

Timothy John Booth is an English singer, dancer and actor best known as the lead singer from the band James.

James are an English rock band from Manchester, who were formed in 1982 and enjoyed popularity throughout the 1990s. The band's best-known singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", "She's a Star" and "Laid", which also became a hit on American college radio.

Virgin Radio is a brand owned by the Virgin Group. Virgin Radio International was established in 2001 to develop the brand and has since built one of the world's most popular music radio franchises, broadcasting in multiple languages and music based formats in North America, Europe and Asia – including the Middle East – with over 25 million listeners worldwide. Virgin Radio stations in each country are owned independently of the Virgin Group and of each other.

With James' reformation, Baker produced two new songs, followed by James's new album Hey Ma , which was released on 7 April 2008. He sings backing vocals for James on Hey Ma and also does so on "Not So Strong", an additional track released via the James website in 2009.

In 2011, Baker and Tim Booth released their second collaboration album titled "Love Life". It was released under Booth's name, but Lee Baker produced, mixed, and performed on the recording, while co-writing many tracks on the album as well.

My Federation

Since the end of Tim Booth and the Individuals, Baker formed a new band, called My Federation. The band has released a debut album called Don't Wanna Die and an EP Honey Bee.^[1]

This Morning

After the loss of Fern Britton from ITV This Morning in 2009, it was announced Holly Willoughby would take over her position along with a full graphic, logo and music rebrand. Baker was approached to rearrange the familiar signature tune, which needed updating after sixteen years on air. His rendition remained until 2013 when a new version premiered to celebrate the 25th Anniversary year, though this rendition was short lived and Baker's arrangement was reinstated for another year between 2014 and 2015.

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References

↑ My Federation's website Archived 19 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine

External links

James website

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[1] My Federation's website Archived 19 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine