Two Ton Baker

Richard Evans Baker was born in Chicago on May 2, 1916.[1][2]^[a] He began playing piano at two-and-a-half years of age[3] By age four he was playing piano for his mother at musical engagements.[3] He attended high school at Morton and Fenger in Chicago, where he was known to cut classes for musical opportunities.[3] He joined a local 12-piece band, and had occasional gigs as a pianist, master of ceremonies, and singer.[3] He met his wife when he was 20 years old, and married her shortly afterwards.[4]

Baker's full-time professional entertaining career began in 1938, playing for night clubs with notable dates at the Chicago Theatre and the Riverside in Milwaukee.[1][5] In 1939 he began a job as a disc jockey at radio station WJJD with a two-hour show entitled Sunday Morning Party, while also performing at the 1111 Club.[1][4] It was early in his radio career that he was given the entertainment name "Two Ton" by a fellow radio-station employee.[4] He quit WJJD in 1943 and concentrated on his nightclub work, but he was given his own radio show, One Man Show, on station WGN in 1944.[1][4] For the next several years Baker was closely associated with that station, and vice versa.[4] Baker could not pass a physical to enter the armed forces during World War II, but as he gained fame he began entertaining troops at Soldier Field.[6] He was particularly active at Gardiner General Hospital, where he spent more than 200 hours with the wounded.[6] Baker began recording for Mercury Records in 1946.[7] Mercury Records and had a double-sided hit in 1947 when "Near You" reached #12, and "I'm a Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)" peaked at #21.[8] In total Baker had twenty-five recording sessions with Mercury between 1946 and 1951.[7][9]

"Two Ton" Baker performing with Bubbles the porpoise from the Chicago children's television show The Happy Pirates

Baker was part of WGN-TV's grand opening show on April 5, 1948.[10] The next day was WGN's first full day of programming which included Baker's show Wonder House, a puppet program hosted in conjunction with Art Nelson.[11] Wonder House was aired five days a week at 7:30PM.[12] The program featured a marionette made to look like Baker, named "Half-Ton".[13] The show was one of the most popular early television shows in Chicago, and it was stated that Baker was "made for TV".[14] The show was praised for Baker's performances and a well-placed set, but it suffered from poor script writing and microphone placement.[14] Although drawing an adult audience as well as the children it was aimed at, Wonder House was cancelled after five months because of the excessive production costs.[12] Baker gained national radio exposure when The Two Ton Baker Show, originating from WGN, was carried across the Mutual network.[15] Baker was featured on cover of Billboard magazine in February 1949, noting his release "Roll the Patrol Closer to the Curb".[5] That year he was appearing in fifteen 15-minute radio shows each week.[3] Baker left Mercury, and signed to Coral Records in 1952.[16]

From 1952 to 1956 he was host of a children's television show for WBKB entitled The Happy Pirates.[17] Pirates featured Baker's entertainment, "Squawky the Parrot",^[b] and old theatrical cartoons.[18] From 1957 to 1962 he was the spokesperson for Riverview Amusement Park. Television commercials for Riverview had Two Ton riding one of the Park Rides and him saying;"Laugh your troubles away at Riverview!". These commercials lasted until the Park closed. After that he managed to get a part in a movie Mickey One starring Warren Beatty. This is the only movie he ever acted in. In 1964 he hosted Corral 26 on WCIU-TV, a Western movie presentation featuring Baker's introductions, guest interviews, singing, and promoting chocolate milk made from Bosco Chocolate Syrup.[13][19] This show ended in 1966.[19]

Later in life he returned to entertaining at Chicago night clubs.[1] He was a mainstay at the Ivanhoe from 1965 until 1970.[20] In 1972 Baker was selected by Duke Ellington to play piano at a symposium honoring Ellington and the history of jazz, as Ellington no longer felt he could play effectively.[21] His recordings on Heartbeat were released as late as 1973.[22] Baker's final employment was at Mangam’s Chateau where he was engaged for five nights each week.[20]

Baker collapsed at his Hazel Crest, Illinois home on May 4, 1975. He was taken to Ingalls Memorial Hospital and was pronounced dead upon arrival.[1]

The only thing I've ever wanted to do in this world is play piano and sing on the radio. This isn't work, it's play – and I'm getting paid for it!

— Two Ton Baker[3]

Having never received formal music training, Baker could not read music well but instead played by ear.[1] He considered his biggest influence to be Duke Ellington.[3] He was well-regarded for his improvisational ability.[1] Baker was a very large man, and his outgoing personality fit his size.[17] Billboard reviewed one of his radio shows as "zany" but humorless. However, they stated that the only reason to listen to Baker's Spotlight was Baker's piano playing and singing.[23] Regarding his recordings, Billboard on more than one occasion noted his infectious ebullience while performing less-than-serious material.[24][25]

Baker held the top two spots for in the children's category in Billboard's 1948 poll of disk-jockey's favorite records.[26] Baker loved performing for children. In addition to his kiddie records, and children's television shows, he made numerous personal appearances at orphanages, beginning in 1945.[6] For several years he played both piano and Santa Claus at The Blue Note (Chicago).[27] Although known for his children's and novelty work, he also shared billing with Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Gene Krupa, and George Shearing in a non-Christmas concert at the Blue Note.[6]

Baker was called most commonly "Two Ton Baker, the Music Maker". Other monikers included "The One Man Show" and "Behemoth of the Keyboards".[3]

Baker's first commercial record was a collaboration with the Hoosier Hot Shots on Decca Records.[28] In 1946 Baker began recording for Mercury Records.[7] The bulk of this work was novelty or children's material.,[28] but it also included "straight" material and some instrumentals.[25][28] In addition to his hits, some of his better-known songs include "I Like Stinky Cheese", and "The Soup Song".[28] At Mercury he was paired with Big Tiny Little ("I'm a Bigger Man than You") and, in his last recording for Mercury, Jerry Murad's Harmonicats.[7] He made no further recordings for Mercury after 1951.[7] When he switched to Coral Records in 1952 he continued issuing novelty recordings aimed at the pop market.[16] His next recordings were for Seymour Schwartz, a Chicago record store owner whose Heartbeat label was primarily for the juke box trade.[28] He recorded for Heartbeat and successor Sunny until late in his life.[22][28] The late material was more pop-oriented, although some of Baker's novelty recordings were re-recorded.[28]

Baker and his wife, Ruth Fisher,[4] had one son and one daughter.[1]

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