Marla Ballard Columnist
Join Mentone Arts Center on Sunday, April 28 at 5:30 p.m. for a live music show. The father/son duo are Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Gary Baker and his multitalented, musician son Shane Baker.
In the 70s Gary was a musician with the LeBlanc and Carr Band. Lenny LeBlanc and Pete Carr enjoyed one chart album and a handful of singles, including "Falling" (1977), named one of Billboard's all-time favorite Top 40 Hits.
Baker was also a singer/bass player with The Shooters, a five-piece country pop music band founded in Muscle Shoals. They charted several times on the Billboard country charts between 1986 and 1989.
In 1992 "Once Upon a Lifetime," written by Baker and his songwriting partner Frank J. Meyers, was released, and performed by the group "Alabama." Baker has penned songs for Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees and Reba McIntire. His songs have been featured in numerous high-profile television show and movie soundtracks.
Baker and Meyers wrote John Michael Montgomery's 1994 hit single "I Swear," which won the Grammy Award for Best Country song a year later. The hit sold more than 20 million copies internationally. The song was also recorded by R&B/pop group All 4-One. Also, in 1995, Baker & Myers recorded one studio album which produced three minor singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs).
Baker wrote "I'm Already There," with Meyers and Lonestar's lead singer Richie McDonald. The song was released in March 2001 as Lonestar's lead-off single to their fourth studio album, it spent six weeks at the top of Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Baker was an Alabama Music Hall of Fame inductee in 2020.
Shane's roots also run deep having grown up in the legendary music hub Muscle Shoals, and son of a famous songwriter father. If providence was not enough his own passion for music took him the rest of the way.
Shane is a recording artist/songwriter for Noiseblock Music Group. Formerly the lead singer for Christian Modern Rock Band Cadence, he is signed to Brentwood Benson Music in Nashville.
He has played with artists Audio Adrenaline, Superchick, Skillet, NewSong, Day of Fire, The Wedding, and more. He is also a studio guitar player for Noiseblock Studio and can be heard on many recordings. Additionally, he leads worship for various camps and conventions. In 2009, Shane wrote, recorded, and produced a full-length album, touring the Southeast and opening for/headlining festivals.
Gary and Shane are American Idol's Cadence Baker's grandfather and father.
Cadence auditioned in Nashville and appeared on season 20 with her father accompanying her on acoustic guitar.
At the end of the song, she received a standing ovation from all three judges and earned the golden ticket to Hollywood, she made it to the top 20.
Duration of event is two-hours. Ticket $25/seating is limited. Call 256-674-3366 for reservations. Mentone Arts Center is located at 5951 Alabama Highway 117, Mentone.
