Before ‘Soul Train,’ there was Big Bill Hillโs ‘Red Hot & Blues’: a fleeting Chicago broadcast that lived and disappeared in real time.
Author: Cary Baker
Cary Baker
Born on Chicagoโs South Side, Cary Baker began his writing career at sixteen with a feature on street singer Blind Arvella Gray for the Chicago Reader. After decades directing publicity for six record labelsโincluding Capitol and I.R.S.โand running two companies, he returned to writing. Baker represented artists such as R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, The Smithereens, James McMurtry, The Mavericks, Bobby Rush, and Willie Nile. He has contributed to ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ, ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด, ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ, and ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ, written liner notes for historical reissues, and has been a voting member of the Recording Academy since 1979. In 2024, Jawbone Press published his book ๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ: ๐๐ฅ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ค, a collection of stories spotlighting street musicians across cities including Chicago, New Orleans, Venice Beach, and Dublin. He lives in Southern California.
‘Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted’ is streaming, offering a glimpse inside the wildly creative, eccentric life of the soul-blues pioneer.
‘King of Them All’ unpacks the pioneering label that gave the world James Brown, genre-crossing hits, and a behind-the-scenes story every music fan needs to see.
To mark Willie Dixonโs 110th birthday, retired music publicist and journalist Cary Baker offers a rare and personal tribute. From his early days as a Golden Gloves boxing champion to his pivotal role at Chess Records, Dixonโs songwriting and production helped elevate the careers of Muddy Waters, Howlinโ Wolf, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, and many others. Baker reflects on a remarkable friendship that began with a cold call in 1970 and grew into a decades-long connection with one of American musicโs most influential figures.
In celebration of Blind Arvella Grayโs 119th birthday, author Cary Baker shares an exclusive chapter from his new book, ‘Down On The Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music,’ shedding light on Gray’s remarkable legacy.
For the artist whoโd soon be known as Fantastic Negrito, busking was not a first step. It was a way to restore a sense of purpose following a disastrous major label experience and a debilitating accident. โThereโs a lot of power not caring. not wanting things, and that’s how busking was for me.”
Author Cary Baker shares exclusively a chapter from his new book, ‘Down On The Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music.’
An interview with Bob Koester, conducted by Cary Baker circa 1982!
An interview with Bob Koester, conducted by Cary Baker circa 1982!
“I met Willie on many occasions โ the first of which is when I cold-called him out of the Chicago phone book and asked him to come to my high school radio station.” Cary Baker