Chet Baker, whose full name is Chesney Henry Baker, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer who was born in Yale, Oklahoma, on December 23, 1929, and passed away in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on May 13, 1988.
He was a cult figure whose documented drug addiction battles severely restricted a promising career.
Baker, who was born in Oklahoma and raised in California, started playing trumpet in his school band when he was 10 years old. During his two tours of duty as a soldier (1946–48 and 1950–52), he participated in U.S. Army bands.
In the early 1950s, he sat in with jazz ensembles in the San Francisco region, frequently performing with Charlie Parker.
In 1952, Baker gained notoriety as a member of Gerry Mulligan’s renowned pianoless four because of his cool-toned, subtle performance on tunes like “Walkin’ Shoes,” “Bernie’s Tune,” and his signature piece, “My Funny Valentine.”
Baker started his own band in 1953 and was named the finest trumpeter of the year by Metronome magazine. Baker was heralded as a major new force in jazz at the time.
His singing may be heard on several of Baker’s 1950s records; his vibrato-free, slightly feminine-sounding tenor voice was a member of the “cool school” that included vocalists like Mel Tormé and June Christy.
Chet Baker children: Does Chet Baker have children?
Yes, Baker was married three times: once to Charlaine Souder, once to Halema Alli, and once to Carol Jackson. Chesney III, with Halema, and Dean, Paul, and Melissa, with Carol, were his four children. Baker’s common-law wife was Ruth Young from 1973 till his death in 1988.
