Artists – B

The Baker Trio were a gospel vocal group form Wise, Virginia. The trio consisted of Phyllis Mullins, Frank Baker, and Virginia Baker. They were members of Beckner's Chapel Freewill Baptist Church.

Cassette released by John D. Baker in 1996 in conjunction with Unchained Ministries.

John D. Baker is from Gosport, Indiana. According to the cassette insert, the cover photo was taken in 1953 in Stinesville, Indiana and shows himself, his father Walter, his mother Dot, and his brother Steve.

The album was recorded and mixed at Innerlight Studio in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was produced by John D. Baker and engineered by Phil Foley. As far as I can tell John D. Baker didn't release any other music beyond this cassette.

1974 LP from Missouri singer-songwriter and rodeo cowboy Johnny Baker.

Johnny Baker wrote and recorded at least four LPs over the years, with all of them focused on tunes about the rodeo. All of his songs were written between 1964 and 1974, and the other LPs are titled Songs Of The Rodeo, Rodeoin' With Johnny Baker, and The Rodeo In The Sky. The LPs were recorded at FF&S Sound Recordings in Columbia, Missouri.

I can't find much more information about Mr. Baker online. I don't know if he's still living.

Vincent Barlow's 1982 self-released LP Head And Heart.

Vincent Barlow is a musician based in Illinois, but there is little information online about his music career. The most significant bit of information I found is that his three daughters formed the successful Christian rock band BarlowGirl in the early 2000s, of which he was the manager. As far as I can tell this is the only LP Vincent Barlow released, but a biography of BarlowGirl stated that his daughter were his backing band in the late 90s, so he continued performing in come capacity after this LP was released in 1982.

The LP was recorded at Solid Sound Studios and was produced by Vincent Barlow and Judd Sager. All songs on the LP were written by Vincent Barlow.

Description coming soon!

Tracklist
A1 Night Trane
A2 I Saw Him Standing There
A3 Kiss Serious
A4 Close To The Edit
A5 Respect
A6 Prove Your Love
B1 Oasis
B2 Samba
B3 Schroder Meets Basie
B4 Bay Wolfe Blues
B5 Make Me Shake

1966 LP from Christian jazz collective The Bethlehem Progressive Ensemble, released on Fortress Records.

The Bethlehem Progressive Ensemble were a collective of musicians based around Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the 1960s and 1970s. Most of them were college students or young professionals in the area at the time this LP was recorded. The group was formed by Robin Miller in 1962 and he played piano in the group. Other members of the group included Nancy Desiderio as a vocalist (she later married Robin Miller), Barry Erb on vibraharp and marimba, George Jones (not that George Jones!) on bass and guitar, and David Pearson on drums. The LP also includes several spoken-word passages by 'pastor to the jazz community of New York City' The Reverend John Gensel.

The music on the LP is a blend of religious music and more straightforward jazz. As far as I can tell the group did not release any other LPs beyond this one. One of the tracks, "Call To Worship", was featured on Gilles Peterson's 2007 mixtape/compilation Gilles Peterson Digs America 2 (Searching At The End Of An Era). The inclusion on this release has made the original LP somewhat sought after. Some members of the group, included Nancy Desiderio, remained active in local groups and orchestras into the 1980s, but I can't find much evidence of further musical careers into the 1990s and beyond.

Richard D. Bingham's self-released LP Sermon In Song.

Rev. Richard D. Bingham was born in Gary, West Virginia in 1936. He spent some time in the Air Force before attending Emory University to study Theology. He was a minister at various churches in Florida for over 35 years. In 1991 he obtained a Doctorate in Ministry from Drew University.

Richard D. Bingham passed away in early 2023, and according to his obituary this is the only LP he ever released. The LP also features Phillip Hames on piano, and Monya Gilbery, Rose Martin, and William Martin on violins. The LP was recorded at National Guild Recording Studio in Florida. I would estimate that this LP was recorded sometime in the 1970s but I can't place it for sure.

1982 LP by Canadian folk singer Heather Bishop, released on Mother Of Pearl Records.

From Wikipedia.org:

"Heather Bishop, CM OM (born April 25, 1949) is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter primarily known for her work as a social justice advocate and in the field of folk music and children's music. For her dedication to social justice she has been awarded the Order of Canada, the Order of Manitoba and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws among many other awards.

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan on April 25, 1949, Bishop studied piano as a child, began playing the guitar in her teens, and later took voice lessons in Winnipeg with Alicja Seaborn. She earned a BA (Regina) in 1969. After performing in the early 1970s with the all-women dance band Walpurgis Night, first as a pianist and then as a singer, she began a solo career at the 1976 Regina Folk Festival.

A singer of considerable power and warmth, Bishop emerged in the 1980s as one of Canada's leading performers in both feminist and children's music. Bishop has been active in the folk community since the late 1960s. She has appeared at dozens of folk festivals including her inaugural appearance at the 1976 Winnipeg Folk Festival, London, Ontario's Home County Folk Festival, and has been a staple at numerous international children's festivals in both Canada and the United States. Heather was a regular guest performer on the internationally acclaimed Fred Penner Show.

In 1976 she founded Mother of Pearl Records. She recorded her first children's album, Belly Button: A Collection of Songs for Children in 1982, and has 15 albums to her credit, including Juno nominations for her 1987 A Taste of the Blues and her 1997 Chickee's on the Run. Bishop is also a prominent social activist, championing such causes as social justice, labor unions, environmentalism, LGBT rights, animal rights, and children's safety. She was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2005, the Order of Manitoba (2001), an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Brandon University (2011), and Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)."

1980 LP by Indiana country singer Jeff Blue, released on CVS Records.

Jeff Blue seems to have been involved in the Nashville, Indiana country music scene judging by the personnel on the LP. I can't find any evidence of a music career beyond this LP, however.

Credits on the LP include Jim Allen on guitar, Rick Ferguson on bass, Roger Fish on piano, Dave Rugenstein on percussion, Don Davis on pedal steel, Joe Edwards on bass/banjo/mandolin/fiddle/guitar, Marti Mae on keyboard strings, and Shirley Kreutjans and Marti Mae on background vocals. The LP was produced by Don Sheets and mixed by Marti Mae.

CVS Records was a country label based in Nashville, Indiana in the 1970s and 1980s.

1979 LP from Kansas bluegrass band Bluegrass Attack, released on Guinn Records.

Bluegrass Attack were from Kansas City, Kansas. The group was formed in 1971 by Dale McIntosh, and members included Dale McIntosh on guitar, Charlie Jones on fiddle, Jay Yost on banjo, Junior Quigley on bass, Jim McGreevy on bass vocals, and Donna Stephens on harmony vocals.

They recorded at least one other LP, Here & There, on BOC Records. Dale's son Duke McIntosh joined the band at some point, and now has his own band New Grass Attack based out of Missouri.

The LP was recorded at Big K Studio in Kansas City, Missouri.

Live LP from Kentucky folk/gospel band The Bordermen, featuring a young Chuck Woolery.

The Bradshaws, Don and Sharon, were a husband-wife musical due from Onarga, Illinois. As far as I can tell this is their second LP, with the first being LPS-1398 I've Been Changed. Credits include Sharon on piano/organ/accordion, Walter on electric guitar/bass, and studio musicians Bill Caolari and Art Baker.

Elton Britt's 1965 LP The Singing Hills, released on ABC-Paramount Records.

Elton Britt (1913-1972) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician.

From Wikipedia:

"Britt was born on a farm near Marshall, Arkansas. His father was James Baker, and he had two sisters, Gretta Sanders and Druse Baker, and a brother Arl Baker.

Britt recorded over 600 sides and 60 albums for RCA Victor and other labels in more than a 30-year span, and is best known for such hit songs (several of which he wrote or co-wrote) as "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)", "Detour", "Chime Bells", "Maybe I'll Cry Over You", "Pinto Pal", and the million-selling wartime hit "There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere". The recording had sold a million discs by 1944 and it was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. Britt became the first country artist to be awarded a gold disc.

A singer, bandleader, radio and television performer, songwriter and yodeler, he starred in at least two films in the late 1940s, and had hit records as late as 1968 with "The Jimmie Rodgers Blues". In 1960, as part of a publicity stunt, Britt briefly ran for the Democratic presidential nomination.

On June 22, 1972, five days before his 59th birthday, Britt suffered a heart attack while driving his car and died in a McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, hospital the next day. He was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Broad Top, Pennsylvania."

This LP consists of re-recordings of some of Walton Britt's most popular songs, as well as three songs that were written specifically for inclusion on this LP. The LP was produced by Vaughn and Roy Horton.

LP from Australian vibraphonist Jack Brokensha, released on Contrast Recordings.

Jack Brokensha (1926-2010) was born in Nailsworth, South Australia. He was a member of the Australian Symphony Orchestra in the 1940s and played all around Australian with various groups he had formed. He formed the Australian Jazz Quartet in 1954 with pianist Bryce Rohde. Other members of the Quartet included Errol Buddle and Dick Healey.

Brokensha eventually moved to Detroit Michigan and was hired by Berry Gordy to be a session percussionist at Motown Records. He was one of the few white members of the Motown house band The Funk Brothers. He played on many Motown recordings, often uncredited, but some of his credits include Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, The Temptations' Psychedelic Shack, and The Supremes' Floy Joy.

Many of the tracks on this LP was recorded live at a Detroit nightclub owned by Brokensha. It was located closed to Berry Gordy's Hitsville USA. The others were recorded in studio with the Baroque-Adelics.

The Ronnie Brown Trio's Live LP, recorded at The Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, California.

Ronnie Brown was from Warwick, Rhode Island but ended up in California later in life. He was a staff professor of music at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. According to the LP jacket he played alongside artists such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughn, and others.

Ronnie released a few LPs over the years, including one for Columbia Records in 1960, The Velvet Piano Of Ronnie Brown. This one was released as The Ronnie Brown Trio, consisting of Brown on piano, Al Maitland on drums, and Robert Ciccarelli on bass. This LP was recorded live at The Balboa Bay Club, of which Ronnie Brown was the entertainment director at the time.

Ronnie Brown passed away in 2000 at the age of 68.

Description coming soon!

Tracklist
A Side 1: Listening
B Side 2: Practicing

LP from Indiana gospel singing group The Butler Family released on Crusade Records.

The Butler Family consisted of parents Lahoma and Glenn Butler, daughters Shirley Flynn, Bnnie Arthur, Rita Anderson, Glenda Young, and Shirley's husband Leroy. The family was based in Springville, Indiana and the LP was recorded at Crusade Studios in Flora, Illinois by engineer Ray Harris. Additional session musicians on the LP include Bill Casolari and Art Baker.

I can't determine the exact date of this release but I would estimate it to be the very late 60s or early 70s. Shirley Flynn died in 2017 and her husband Leroy died in 1999. As of 2017 the other sisters were still alive.