Ann Baker (August 21, 1915 – August 29, 1999) was an American jazz singer. Baker was discovered by

Louie Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and played with his band on Broadway. She is best known for her time spent as a member of

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

's band, "The Dream Band" where she performed with

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

, Dexter Gordon,

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

and

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

. She retired in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

, where she was known as the "First Lady of Jazz".

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

once told an interviewer his favorite jazz singer was "Little ol' Ann Baker." In 2008, Baker was inducted into the West Virginia Musician Hall of Fame.

Early life and career

Baker was born on August 21, 1915, in Washington, Pennsylvania Baker started her career by performing in Pittsburgh jazz clubs, and by 1941, she was singing with Louie Armstrong and his band. She also played with the bands of

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

and Count Basie. In 1946, she replaced

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

in Billy Eckstine's band. Ecksteine's band included jazz legends

, and Dexter Gordon, throughout the years she performed with Eckstine. Baker was featured in the 1946 film '' Rhythm in a Riff'' in which she sang "I Cried For You."

Retirement

In the late 1940s, Baker retired in

, where she married barbecue restaurateur Delaney "Wag" Wagner. She stayed active in the jazz scene in Charleston, performing with local bands; The Earl Tate Trio, The Francis Taylor Trio, and the Billy J, Trio. Baker and her husband also founded The Shalamar Club, where Baker performed with singers Nat King Cole and

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad "Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first rec ...

. She was still singing well into her 70s, and she became a regular guest at the West Virginia Jazz Festival. Additionally, she performed several times on ''

Mountain Stage ''Mountain Stage'' is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio (NPR). Hosted by Larry Groce from the show's inception until 2021 and current ...

''. She died in Charleston on August 29, 1999 at age 84. Prior to her death, Baker had been in St. Francis Hospital in August 1999, undergoing surgery to remove a benign lung tumor. In 2008, Baker was posthumously inducted into the West Virginia Musician Hall of Fame.

References

External links

*
Ann Baker discography
*
Photo of Baker with Louie Armstrong and reporter George Brown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Ann Musicians from Charleston, West Virginia American women jazz singers American jazz singers Singers from West Virginia People from Washington, Pennsylvania Jazz musicians from West Virginia 1915 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania

Early life and career

Retirement

See also

References

Further reading

External links