Etta Baker performs on the Old Marble Stage – White Springs, Florida (1994)
Although she hailed from Caldwell County, North Carolina, we’d like to remember Piedmont blues guitarist Etta Baker, born March 31, 1913. She was first recorded in 1956 by folk singer Paul Clayton. These recordings of her gently plucked finger style influenced many artists, including Bob Dylan and Taj Mahal, but Etta never released an album of her own until her 1991 One Dime Blues.
Upon retiring from the textile mill where she worked most of her life, Etta Baker began touring extensively, including a stop at the 1994 Florida Folk Festival. Please enjoy this recording of the first song Etta learned at the age of 3, “Railroad Bill,” captured at the Old Marble Stage.
[audio:http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/memory/collections/folklife/blog/d94-28_railroad_bill.mp3|titles=Railroad Bill by Etta Baker|artists=State Archives of Florida]Download: MP3
Before her death at the age of 93, Etta Baker received prestigious recognitions for her talent, including the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, and recorded two more albums—one of which was a collaborative effort with Taj Mahal.
More recordings of Etta Baker can be found on the Florida Folklife Collection sampler CDs More Music From the Florida Folklife Collection and Where the Palm Trees Shake at Night.
