Mickey Baker

Singer / songwriter / producer Mickey Baker was born McHouston Baker in Louisville, KY, in 1925. At about 15 years of age he traveled to New York City to break into the music business, and played in both blues and jazz clubs and bands. To make ends meet he gave guitar lessons, and in 1953 a young girl named Sylvia Robinson (born Sylvia Vanderpool) became his student, and later his wife. They worked well together and decided to work professionally as a duo. They recorded a few songs for Cat Records and Rainbow Records, but they went nowhere. They billed themselves as Mickey & Sylvia and in 1957 finally hit it big with their song "Love Is Strange". The record made it to #1 on the R&B charts, #11 on the pop charts, sold a million copies and earned the couple a gold record. Their follow-up record, "There Oughta Be a Law", got to #8 on the R&B charts. Unfortunately, a combination of marital and musical problems resulted in the pair divorcing. Baker moved to Paris, France, where he worked as a sideman and session guitar player with such American jazz and blues figures as Memphis Slim who came to Europe to tour and record. He died in France on Nov. 27, 2012, of heart and kidney failure.