East Coast Piedmont Blues

Full name: Etta Baker

Born: March 31, 1913, Caldwell County, NC; currently lives in Morganton, NC

Instrument: 6-string, 12-string acoustic guitar

Biographical Sketch

Etta Baker was born Etta Lucille Reid in Caldwell County, North Carolina, on March 31, 1913. Baker is closely associated with the Caldwell County music scene, alongside such contemporaries as Theopolis “The” Phillips, Cora Phillips, and half-sister Elizabeth “Babe” Reid. Baker, who plays both the 6-string and 12-string forms of the acoustic guitar, is most often referred to as a Piedmont blues guitarist and African American singer. She learned how to play as a child from her father and other relatives, mostly learning traditional blues and folk songs. Baker often displayed these influences in her work. In 1956, Baker recorded with musicians Boone Reid, Lacy Phillips, and Theopolis “The” Phillips on a record titled Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians. The others performed songs influenced by “old-time white string-band dances,” whereas Baker played solos consisting of blues ballads in the black tradition. Baker plays in a style known as “Travis,” where the instrument is played with the thumb and finger. The technique, akin to bluegrass banjo picking, is a unique trait of the Piedmont blues. Baker rarely recorded, mostly performing for family gatherings and friends. Baker left the industry, giving birth to nine children and working in a textile mill. Baker received acclaim later on in life, receiving such awards as the Folk Heritage Award from the North Carolina Arts Council in 1989, the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 1991, and the North Carolina Award in 2003. Around this approximate time, Baker began performing again, appearing at the 42nd Annual National Folk Festival held at Wolf Trap Farm, Virginia, in June, 1980, and a number of other folk and blues shows. Baker released the albums One-Dime Blues in 1991, Railroad Bill in 1999, and Etta Baker with Taj Mahal in 2004. She currently lives in Morganton, North Carolina.

Books

Bastin, Bruce. Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1986. 287-289.

Cohn, Lawrence. Nothing but the blues: the music and the musicians. New York: Abbeville Press, 1993. 194.

Articles

Bernhardt, Jack. "At 78, Etta Baker is powerful, sensitive." The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) 29 Dec. 1991, sec. H: 2.

Clark, Paul. "N.C. BLUES PICKER ETTA BAKER HONORED." Asheville Citizen-Times (NC) 2 Dec. 2003, sec. C: 1.

Henderson, Bruce. "PIEDMONT PICKING BLUES NOT DOLEFUL IN ETTA BAKER`S HANDS." The Charlotte Observer 27 Dec. 1998, sec. B: 1.

Jameson, Tonya. "PAYING BACK A PIEDMONT BLUES MARVEL -." The Charlotte Observer 10 Apr. 2005, sec. H: 1.

Johnson, Maria C. "ETTA BAKER:BLUES MUSIC'S MATRIARCH." Greensboro News & Record 20 Apr. 1997, sec. D: 1.

Lacour, Greg. "NO BLUES ON ETTA BAKER DAY." The Charlotte Observer 17 June 2005, sec. B: 8.

Menconi, David. "She picks up a guitar, and nothing gets in the way." The News & Observer 23 June 1991.

Menconi, David. "Slowing down, not bowing out." The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) 24 Oct. 2004, sec. G: 1.

Rowe, Jeri. "MUSIC'S HERITAGE." Greensboro News & Record 14 Jan. 1999, sec. A: 7.

Whalen, Meg. "OFTEN-OVERLOOKED BRANCH OF THE BLUES HAS MANY OF ITS ROOTS IN CAROLINA." The Charlotte Observer 28 Sept. 2003, sec. H: 1.

Recordings on CD

One-Dime Blues. Recorded 1991. Rounder Select.

Railroad Bill. Recorded 1999. Music Maker.

Etta Baker with Taj Mahal. Recorded 2004. Music Maker.

Web Sites

Etta Baker. Accessed Sept. 28, 2005. <http://www.wikipedia.org>

Ankeny, Jason. Etta Baker. Accessed Sept. 28, 2005. <http://www.allmusic.com>

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Last updated 26 October 2005.