Died On This Date (July 8, 2011) Kenny Baker / Bluegrass Fiddler

Kenny Baker
June 26, 1926 – July 8, 2011

Kenny Baker was a legendary bluegrass fiddle player who is perhaps best remembered for the 25 years he served in Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys.  He was called the “Greatest Fiddler in Bluegrass.”  Baker learned to play the fiddle at a young age, and after working in the coal mines of Kentucky and serving in U.S. Navy, he decided to make a career out of playing the instrument.  He was soon hired on by country great, Don Gibson who took him on the road.  Along one of Gibson’s tours, Baker met Monroe who asked him to join his band, with whom he made his first records December of 1957.  By the time he left Monroe in 1984, Baker had played with him more than any other musician before or since.  He went on to record numerous albums, both his own and as a sideman for many years on such iconic roots labels as County and Rounder.  His most recent, Darkness On The Delta, came out in 2004.   Kenny Baker passed away on July 8, 2011 as a result of a stroke he suffered earlier that week.  He was 85 years old.

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