[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 971]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING KENNY BAKER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, today I rise to mourn the loss of a 
great American veteran and a musical legend in Kentucky's own signature 
genre, bluegrass.
  Mr. Kenny Baker of Letcher County passed away in July of 2011. He was 
85 years old. Although Mr. Baker is no longer with us, his monumental 
contribution to the musical world will remain for many years to come.
  Mr. Baker was most widely known for his innovative style of fiddle 
playing that many have referred to as ``long bow fiddling.'' He would 
use every inch of the bow, from tip to tip, to produce a sound unlike 
any other in the world of bluegrass music. Mr. Baker picked up the 
fiddle at the young age of 5 years old and went on to write an 
astonishing 92 musical numbers throughout his lifetime.
  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was assigned to 
a destroyer escort ship in the Pacific theater. But once the Navy 
learned of his musical ability, he was quickly transferred from his 
station to entertain troops in the South Pacific. After honorable 
service to his country in the Armed Forces, Mr. Baker returned to 
Letcher County and found work in the coal industry of eastern Kentucky 
but his musical journey was far from over.
  Kenny Baker started playing the fiddle professionally in 1953 and 
played in the company of musical greats such as Don Gibson, Bobby 
Osborne, Josh Graves, and famous bluegrass innovator Bill Monroe. After 
taking a few years to get acquainted with the world of the music 
industry, he finally settled down and found a permanent home in the 
band Monroe's Blue Grass Boys.
  On Mr. Baker's extensive musical journey, he regularly played at the 
Grand Ole Opry, recorded hit albums, played numerous concerts, and even 
had the distinct honor to play the fiddle for President Jimmy Carter at 
the White House. However, his greatest achievement came when he was 
named to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1999.
  Mr. Baker spent his final years teaching children the value and 
importance of music in their lives. His generosity and love for music 
and music education will be greatly missed, not only by his wife Audrey 
Baker; his sons, Johnny Lee and Kenneth Junior; and many other beloved 
family members and friends, but also by generations of fans and fans to 
come of bluegrass music, as well as the residents of the great 
Commonwealth of Kentucky.
  So, Mr. President, I would like to ask that my Senate colleagues join 
me in honoring Mr. Kenny Baker not only for his service to our country 
but also for his great contributions to the creative field of music. 
The Lexington Herald-Leader recently published an article recognizing 
Mr. Baker's incredible life. I ask unanimous consent that the full 
article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           [From the Lexington Herald-Leader, July 12, 2011]

                              Kenny Baker

                         (By Jennifer Hewlett)

       When Kenny Baker played the fiddle, the notes flowed out 
     like honey pours from a jar--smooth, thick and wide, 
     according to his friends.
       ``All your great fiddle players in Nashville, when they 
     heard Kenny, they knew there was a lot more to be had with a 
     fiddle, a lot more to learn.'' said Ronnie Eldridge, a close 
     friend.
       ``He was the best at hoedowns. Nobody could touch him on 
     the waltz. He was a singer's dream.'' Eldridge said.
       Mr. Baker, 85, a Letcher County native who spent many years 
     performing with legendary bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, 
     penned 92 instrumentals and tutored many others in his ``long 
     bow'' fiddling style, died Friday, just a few days after his 
     last jam session. Mr. Baker, who lived near Gallatin, Tenn., 
     died of complications from a stroke.
       Mr. Baker first picked up a fiddle when he was 5, according 
     to his son, Kenneth Baker Jr. of Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Baker's 
     father had been an old-time fiddle player.
       Mr. Baker later turned to the guitar, but he eventually 
     went back to the fiddle. He grew up inspired by jazz, his son 
     said.
       After joining the Navy during World War II, Mr. Baker was 
     soon transferred off a destroyer escort ship to entertain 
     troops in the South Pacific. After military service, he 
     returned home to Letcher County, got married, worked in coal 
     mines and played at barn dances on weekends.
       He started playing the fiddle professionally with country 
     musician Don Gibson. In 1953, Mr. Baker went from playing 
     Western swing and dance-band tunes to bluegrass music, 
     performing with Monroe, who is known as the father of 
     bluegrass music, beginning in 1957. After a few years, he 
     went back to the coal mines in eastern Kentucky. He returned 
     to Monroe's Blue Grass Boys band in 1968 and left again in 
     1984, but he was reunited with the band in 1994 at Monroe's 
     Bean Blossom bluegrass festival.
       Monroe's well-known ``Uncle Pen'' album features Mr. Baker 
     on the fiddle.
       ``He was just absolutely the backbone of that band,'' 
     Eldridge said.
       ``They were at the White House one time. Bill Monroe's 
     group was invited by Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter,'' 
     Kenneth Baker Jr. said. ``He liked to say when Rosalynn had a 
     request, she came to Dad.''
       Many people went to bluegrass music festivals to hear Kenny 
     Baker play the fiddle as much as they went to hear Bill 
     Monroe sing, bluegrass music great Bobby Osborne said.
       Many great fiddlers, past and present, are indebted to 
     Baker, said Osborne, who performed with Mr. Baker and shared 
     a dressing room with him at the Grand Ole Opry.
       ``I couldn't single him out as the top player of all time, 
     but a lot of people would,'' Osborne said.
       Mr. Baker's son said technique and a great memory made his 
     father stand out.
       ``Dad would use the bow from tip to tip. That made his 
     fiddling so smooth, and that was something different in the 
     bluegrass world,'' Kenneth Baker Jr. said. ``It was all by 
     ear, and he had a tremendous ability to recall just about any 
     song that people asked for--hundreds of songs.''
       Mr. Baker was particularly proud of the songs he wrote and 
     recorded, his son said.
       ``At any of the major fiddle contests, probably a third of 
     the tunes played will be Bill Baker tunes,'' Eldridge said.
       Said Osborne: ``The tunes that he wrote, they were so down 
     to earth. The melodies that he put to his tunes were so easy 
     to learn.''
       After 1984, Mr. Baker performed in many shows with dobro 
     great Josh Graves.
       In 1993, Mr. Baker received a National Heritage Fellowship 
     from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1999, he was 
     named to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 
     Owensboro.
       In addition to his son, Mr. Baker is survived by his wife, 
     Audrey Baker; another son, Johnny Lee Baker of Nashville; two 
     sisters; a brother; four grandchildren; and several great- 
     and great-great-grandchildren.
       Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Burdine Freewill 
     Baptist Church in Letcher County. Carty Funeral Homes in 
     Jenkins is handling arrangements.

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