Glenn A. Baker
| Glenn A. Baker | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
28 July 1952 Sydney, Australia |
| Occupation | Journalist, editor, author, broadcaster |
| Subject | Rock music, travel |
| Notable works | On The Road To Damascus and Other Fabulous Thoroughfares 2001 |
| Notable awards | 1995 Australian Travel Writer of the Year 2000 Australian Travel Writer of the Year Rock Brain of the Universe title (x3) |
Glenn A. Baker (born 28 July 1952) is an Australian journalist, commentator, and broadcaster well known in Australia for his vast knowledge of Rock music. He has written books and magazine articles on rock music and travel, interviewed celebrities, managed bands such as Ol' 55 and promoted tours of international stars. In the mid-1980s, Baker took the BBC's "Rock Brain of the Universe" crown three times. Baker was the Australian editor of Billboard for over 20 years. He won the inaugural Australian Travel Writer of the Year award in 1995 from the Australian Society of Travel Writers, he won the award again in 2000.
Glenn A. Baker was born in 1952, the eldest of four children to Joyce Baker and grew up in Coogee until he was nine; when the Bakers relocated to Canberra. His younger brother, Johnny, drowned in an accident in the following year and his parents separated not long after. He moved about NSW, attending 12 schools in 10 years.
While working for the Department of the Media, where he worked on the research project that led to the establishment of 2JJ, Baker met Geoff Plummer, who was a drummer for a 1950s retro band, Fanis. Baker saw them perform in 1975 and became their manager, changing their name to Ol' 55 after the Tom Waits song. Baker's management was astute and presented the group as a combination of retro kitsch, rock music and clever theatrics. Baker introduced chartered accountant Peter Brian to the band, and he became their versatile front man Frankie J. Holden; in October, Baker recruited saxophone player Nick Aitken, who performed as Wilbur Wilde. Ol' 55 had hit singles with On the Prowl, Looking for an Echo and the number one (I Want A) Rockin' Christmas (which Baker co-wrote, as he did C'mon Let's Do It) and a No. 2 triple platinum debut album, Take It Greasy. Both Holden and Wilde had careers in television after Ol' 55. During 1976–1978 Baker also managed Punkz, which he moulded into the pop group Cheek, who had national chart success with So Much in Love.
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