Abie Baker

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Abie "Available" Baker (né Leslie Robert Baker; September 28, 1913 – February 14, 1993) was an American session musician, arranger, and bandleader who played double bass on jazz, R&B, and pop recordings in New York City, from 1934 through the early 1960s. His credits have been chronicled under the names Abe Baker (rarely), Abie Baker (mostly), and Abie "Available" Baker.

Career[edit]

He was born in South Bend, Indiana, United States. As a New York-based session bassist in jazz from 1934 to 1960, he recorded with Blanche Calloway, Snub Mosley, Herman Chittison, Joey Thomas, Titus Turner and the Howard Biggs Orchestra, Dosie Terry, John Greer, George James and the Howard Biggs Orchestra, Johnny Hartman and the Howard Biggs Orchestra, Jimmy "Baby Face" Lewis, Hadda Brooks, Melvin Smith (vocalist), The Du-Droppers, Annie Laurie, Larry Darnell, Ethel Ennis, Jimmy Tyler, Bobbie and Ronald (vocalists), Varetta Dillard, Cootie Williams, Bill Doggett, Little Willie John, Ruth Brown, King Curtis, LaVern Baker, Big Joe Turner, Teddy Humphries, Little Jimmy Scott, and Baby Boy Jennings & The Satellites.[1]

Around 1936, he was a member of Claude Hopkins' touring orchestra.[2]

By 1949, he had started recording in New York with his own trio and singer Richie Cannon (previously of The Ravens).[3]

As New York session bassist in R&B during the 1950s, he recorded for labels that included Savoy and Atlantic with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Marie Knight,[4][5] Hadda Brooks, Nappy Brown, Big Maybelle, The Coasters, and The Drifters.[6] He also played on the banned 1957 record "My Pussy Belongs to Daddy", credited to Faye Richmonde.[5]

In filmography, Baker, in 1959, performed on "The Web", an instrumental released on the small Laurel label which was later used as part of the score for the camp horror movie The Brain That Wouldn't Die.[6]

In June 1965, Baker established two record labels, Internationale and Forest Green, both in New York.[7] He also established publishing companies. With Johnny Worlds, he established and headed Worlds-Baker Enterprises, covering several record labels, publishing, marketing and distribution.[8]

He died in Harlem, New York, on February 14, 1993, at the age of 79.

Family[edit]

Some sources state that he was the father of guitarist Mickey Baker, with whom he played on sessions during the 1950s,[6] but this conflicts with other sources about Mickey Baker's parentage.[9]

Discography[edit]

With Bill Doggett

With The Coasters[10]

With Lavern Baker

With Ruth Brown

  • Jack O' Diamonds[14]
  • I Can't Hear a Word You Say
  • I Don’t Know
  • Don't Deceive Me
  • I Burned Your Letter
  • What I Wouldn't Give
  • The Door Is Still Open
  • Taking Care Of Business
  • Honey Boy
  • Sure ‘Muff
  • Here He Comes[15]

With Nappy Brown

With The Top Notes

  • Twist and Shout (the original version)
  • Hearts of Stone
  • Always Late
  • The Basic Things

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Jazz Discography, Tom Lord (ed.) (retrieved December 17, 2015)
  2. ^ Griffiths, David (February 5, 1998). "Hot Jazz: From Harlem to Storyville". Scarecrow Press – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Marv Goldberg, "The Ravens - Part 1", Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks. Retrieved 5 March 2019
  4. ^ "Abie Baker", Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 5 March 2019
  5. ^ a b Biography by Eugene Chadbourne, AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2019
  6. ^ a b c "Midnight in the Naked City", OfficeNaps.com. Retrieved 5 March 2019
  7. ^ Record World (June 5, 1965). "New Forest Label" (PDF). p. 18. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Americanradiohistory.com; David Frackelton Gleason (born 1946), Cleveland.
  8. ^ Billboard (January 27, 1968). "Worlds-Baker Consolidates Divisions Into Four Units". p. 10. Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Weber, Bruce (30 November 2012). "Mickey Baker, Guitarist, Is Dead at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  10. ^ Hounsome, Terry, Rock Record: A Collector’s Directory of Rock Albums and Musicians, Enlarged, Revised, Expanded, Facts On File Publications, New York,1987 p. 119
  11. ^ Coasters, The Ultimate Coasters, Warner Special Products, 1986, liner notes
  12. ^ Baker, LaVern, Soul on Fire: The Best of LaVern Baker, Atlantic Records, 1991 liner notes
  13. ^ Selvin, Joel, Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues, Counterpoint, Berkeley, California, 2014, Bert Berns Discography pages
  14. ^ Brown, Ruth, The Very Best of Ruth Brown:50 Original R&B Classics, One Day Music, DAY2CD286 CD, 2015
  15. ^ "Ruth Brown – Taking Care Of Business (2011, CD)". Discogs.com.
  16. ^ Nappy Brown, Nappy Brown: Down in the Alley, The Complete Savoy Singles, As & Bs, 1954-1962, Jasmine mcps, CD, 2016, liner notes
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