Episode #21 – James Lee Baker - a podcast by Bernie Drury, George Marinich

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James Lee Baker was born in Amarillo, Texas with music in his veins. His mother played guitar, his father played drums, his grandmother wrote Gospel music and his grandfather was a concert pianist.  James took the inspiration from his family and began working to play music and create his own musical identity.

                     

He began participating in open mics in his late teens and created a song catalogue that resulted in his first album being “Saturday” released when he was 18 years old.

 

His early sound was rock and pop driven but then he started hearing talents like John Gorka and became interested in the singer/songwriters genre.  The real spark came when he heard a song from the soundtrack of “Me, Myself & Irene” called “The World Ain’t Slowing Down” by Ellis Paul. 

 

James moved to Denver in 2009 and continued writing and developing his sound.  The ensuing years were filled with hard work, frequent gigging and continuing down the singer/songwriter path. 

 

Having met Ellis Paul and following his music more closely, James decided to study with him and was mentored by Ellis for roughly a year in 2017.

 

I met James in 2017 at Ellis Paul’s New England Songwriters Retreat and he immediately distinguished himself as one of the real special talents attending the event.  At last year’s retreat, James started off one of the mornings by playing an amazing song, “The Last Cowboy of Hutchinson County”.  He tells about his grandfather and father with such clear memories that you are drawn in and captivated.

 

Enjoy this episode as James closes it by playing “The Last Cowboy of Hutchinson County” and “Leave the Saving Souls for Later”.

 

Find James and his music at www.jamesleebaker.com

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