May 19
The Baker Boys, the young Baker Boys, release CD
The Baker Boys. Photo by Michael Stewart.If you caught Karl Shifflet’s Big Country Show last summer on the Midwest bluegrass festival circuit, chances are you saw banjo wiz-kid Jessie Baker perform. He spent a stint on the road with Shifflet’s band. Not bad if you’re 17.
What you might not have seen was his brother, Taylor, age 15, who plays mandolin.
Together — and with their mom Anna playing bass — they’re The Baker Boys from Martinsville, Ind., not far from Indianapolis and closer still to Bill Monroe’s old stomping ground, the hallowed Bean Blossom.
And, the brothers have their first CD on the market, Lonesome Weary Heart on the Patuxent Music label.
According to publicity on Patuxent’s Web site, Jessie Baker taught himself the major chords at age 11 after receiving a $10 pawn shop guitar from his grandma. He soon branched out to his primary instrument, the banjo.
Around the same time, 9-year-old Taylor Baker started on mandolin because it fit his hands, and has since begun playing fiddle. Both boys sing and have a natural ear for harmonies. After playing together only six weeks, Taylor and Jessie played on stage at a local festival. They took every first-place prize they tried for in Indiana state competitions.
Home-schooled, the Baker Boys soon figured out that if they could get through their lessons without slacking, they’d have the rest of the day free to pick. They started winning awards and gaining attention wherever they went. Their father Rex and mother Anna were extremely supportive of their abilities, driving long distances to music events where the boys could be heard and appreciated — and where they could win more ribbons.
Anna, playing bass and contributing vocal harmonies, joined them, allowing the duo to expand their repertoire. Working with a band further increased the speed and flexibility of their styles. The Baker Boys band, led by Jessie, garnered a goodly share of first place prizes. “I love real traditional bluegrass,” Jessie says. “The old stuff.”
Taylor shares that enthusiasm, as well as an insatiable desire to learn many styles of music on the mandolin from Italian to jazz. The brothers demonstrate a special touch with gospel songs, having been raised in a religious family.
On their new CD, the Boys tackle everything from the high-strung drive of Ralph Stanley’s “Hard Times” to the rarified strains of Frank Wakefield’s “Lonesome Weary Heart.” Wakefield contributes a mandolin solo on the fast and furious opener, “Air Mail Special.” The boys are also assisted by journeyman players Michael Cleveland (fiddle), Audie Blaylock (rhythm guitar and percussion) and Barry Reid (bass) with contributions from Jordan Tice and Danny Knicely.
Lonesome Weary Heart can be ordered from the label’s Web site, http://pxrec.com.
The track listing includes:
- Air Mail Special on the Fly
- Cold Grey Tomb of Stone
- Roanoke
- My Baby’s Gone
- Lonesome Weary Heart
- Talk of the Town
- Taylor’s Waltz
- Silence or Tears
- The Family Who Prays
- Hard Times
- I Don’t Believe You’d Do Me Wrong
- Jessie’s Tune
- Polka on a Banjo
- Midnight Special
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