mickey baker

Biography

MacHouston "Mickey" Baker was born on October 15, 1925, in Louisville, Kentucky, to a black mother and a white father whom he never met. His early life was marked by hardship—at age 11, he was placed in an orphanage and repeatedly ran away, eventually landing in New York City at 16 where he worked as a laborer, dishwasher, and pool shark. At 19, determined to become a jazz musician, he could only afford a $14 guitar from a pawnshop (his original choice was trumpet), and began studying at The New York School of Music before dropping out to teach himself. After nearly giving up, an encounter with a street guitarist reignited his passion, and he took private lessons from various teachers, with his style heavily influenced by saxophonist Charlie Parker.

By 1949, Baker had formed his own combo, but a trip to California proved unsuccessful until he witnessed blues guitarist Pee Wee Crayton's lucrative career, prompting him to adopt the blues style for financial survival. Returning to New York, Baker became the city's premier R&B session guitarist during the 1950s, recording for Savoy, King, and Atlantic Records with artists including Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, The Drifters, Big Joe Turner, and Louis Jordan. His distinctive "brittle, twangy sound" was achieved through Fender guitars, as he sought maximum volume and feeling. Inspired by Les Paul and Mary Ford's success, he formed the duo Mickey & Sylvia with his guitar student (and later wife) Sylvia Robinson in the mid-1950s, achieving massive success with "Love Is Strange" in 1956, which reached #1 on R&B charts and #11 on pop charts, selling over a million copies.

After divorcing Robinson in the late 1950s, Baker moved to France around 1960, where he remained for the rest of his life. He continued working as a session musician and sideman with American jazz and blues artists touring Europe, including Memphis Slim, and collaborated with French artists like Ronnie Bird and Chantal Goya. Beyond performing, Baker authored influential guitar instruction books and recorded solo albums, including "The Wildest Guitar" (1959) and two albums with Big Bear Records in the 1970s. He appeared at the 1975 Roskilde Festival and remained actively working until his death from heart and kidney failure on November 27, 2012, at age 87, at his home near Toulouse, France. Baker's pioneering guitar work played a critical role in bridging rhythm and blues with rock and roll.

Fun Facts

• Baker wrote his first jazz guitar instruction book before he had done any rhythm and blues or rock and roll work, and his influential series of guitar tutor books became widely used by aspiring guitarists.
• He initially wanted to play trumpet but could only afford a $14 guitar at a pawnshop, an accident that led to his legendary guitar career.
• Baker pragmatically admitted: 'I became the most famous rock 'n' roll guitar player in the world because I wanted to make money. And I wanted to eat.' He adopted the blues style purely for financial survival after seeing Pee Wee Crayton driving a big white Eldorado.
• He was so prolific as a session guitarist from 1952 to 1956 that he declared: 'I was the guitarist' of that era, recording with hundreds of classic R&B and early rock artists including Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, The Drifters, LaVern Baker, and Louis Jordan.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Rector Bailey - Harlem fretsman who gave Mickey guitar lessons that helped him develop his foundational skills (Early guitar training) [Late 1940s]
• Charlie Parker - Saxophonist whose musical style heavily influenced Baker's approach to guitar playing (Stylistic influence on Baker's jazz guitar work) [1940s]
• Pee Wee Crayton - Blues guitarist whose successful performance in California inspired Baker to adopt the blues style and 'bend strings' for commercial viability (Live performance influence) [1949]
• Iannis Xenakis - Studied classical composition with this renowned composer (Classical composition studies) [Unknown]

Key Collaborators

• Sylvia Robinson (Sylvia Vanderpool) - Guitar student who became his wife and singing partner in the duo Mickey & Sylvia (Love Is Strange (1956), There Oughta Be a Law, reunion recordings in 1960s) [1953-1960s]
• Jimmy Neely - Pianist whose band, The Incomparables, Baker played jazz with in his early career (Jazz performances) [Late 1940s]
• Memphis Slim - American blues pianist with whom Baker worked as sideman and session guitarist in France (European tour and recording sessions) [1960s-2012]
• Ronnie Bird - French artist Baker worked with after moving to France (Studio recordings) [1960s-1970s]
• Chantal Goya - French artist Baker collaborated with during his time in France (Studio recordings) [1960s-1970s]
• Gene Conners - Trombonist with whom Baker recorded as sideman for Big Bear Records (Album collaboration) [1970s]
• Kitty Noble - Partner in duo Mickey & Kitty after split with Sylvia Robinson (Three records on Atlantic Records) [1959]

Artists Influenced

• Sylvia Robinson - Baker's guitar student who became his musical partner and later a pioneering producer in hip-hop (Guitar instruction leading to Mickey & Sylvia partnership) [1953 onward]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Love Is Strange (This Is My Story)
2. Love Is Strange
3. Love Is Strange - Alternate Take (This Is My Story)
4. Lover Boy (This Is My Story)
5. Love Is Strange (The 1950's)
6. Lover Boy
7. Hit Git and Split (This Is My Story)
8. No Good Lover (This Is My Story)
9. Dearest (This Is My Story)
10. Rib Joint (Rib Joint: Roots Of Rock 'N' Roll)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia