John Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | John William Baker 12 October 1937 Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Died | 7 February 1997 (aged 59) Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
John William Baker (12 October 1937 in Leigh-on-Sea – 7 February 1997 in Freshwater, Isle of Wight) was a British musician and composer who worked in jazz and electronic music.[1]
Baker was educated at the Royal Academy of Music where he studied piano and composition. In 1960 he joined the BBC as a sound mixer, before transferring, in 1963, to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop where he remained until 1974. He was the most prolific of the early Workshop composers, developing a trademark style, creating music by manipulating tapes of everyday sounds such as blowing across the top of an empty bottle. A rare snippet of Baker at work was included in the 1968 documentary film Music, which also featured the Beatles working on Hey Jude in the studio. A jazz pianist, he brought a sense of rhythm to the Workshop which some of the other more mathematical composers lacked. His work included many signature tunes for BBC television and radio, including Many a Slip, PM and BBC English by Radio.[2] He was also particularly interested in combining recorded electronic music with live musicians.[3]
After struggling with alcoholism, Baker recorded no further music after being sacked by the Radiophonic Workshop in 1974. He died from liver cancer in 1997.[4][5]
Two compilations of his work entitled The John Baker Tapes were released in July 2008 by Trunk Records.[1]