Mike Baker (Singer)
Encyclopedia
Mike Baker was the lead vocalist
for the American progressive metal
band Shadow Gallery
.
, Ronnie James Dio
of Black Sabbath
, Rob Halford
of Judas Priest
and Bruce Dickinson
of Iron Maiden
, he integrated the musical attributes of these bands and vocalists into his style of singing.
Baker was primarily a self-taught vocalist, originally starting out as bass player during high school. Finding it difficult to sing and play bass simultaneously, he dropped the bass and switched over to lead vocal duties. Before forming Sorcerer, in the early 1980s he performed vocals on demos with local bands, including Nasty Nasty and Axxis.
Baker also performed guest vocals on the second single Day Sixteen: Loser
from Ayreon
's 2004 album The Human Equation
and on the Original Cast of Leonardo: The Absolute Man amongst others.
According to an email sent to the Shadow Gallery News email list on October 31, 2008, Baker died after suffering a heart attack
on October 29, 2008 at the age of 45.
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
for the American progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band Shadow Gallery
Shadow Gallery
Shadow Gallery is an American progressive metal band formed in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, United States, during the early 1980s, originally under the name Sorcerer. After changing their name to Shadow Gallery and recording a short 8-track demo, the band was signed to Magna Carta Records in 1991...
.
Biography
Baker was an integral part in the formation of Shadow Gallery in 1985 when the band was known as Sorcerer at the time of their inception. Heavily influenced by singers Alice CooperAlice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
of Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Rob Halford
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
of Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
and Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
of Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, he integrated the musical attributes of these bands and vocalists into his style of singing.
Baker was primarily a self-taught vocalist, originally starting out as bass player during high school. Finding it difficult to sing and play bass simultaneously, he dropped the bass and switched over to lead vocal duties. Before forming Sorcerer, in the early 1980s he performed vocals on demos with local bands, including Nasty Nasty and Axxis.
Baker also performed guest vocals on the second single Day Sixteen: Loser
Loser (Ayreon song)
"Loser" is the fifth single by Ayreon, released on July 26, 2004, from their album The Human Equation. Although it is released under Ayreon's name, the version of the song was made by Star One. This version of “Day Sixteen: Loser” is very different from the album version. On this version, Peter...
from Ayreon
Ayreon
Ayreon is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen.Ayreon's musical style derives mostly from heavy metal and progressive rock, but combines them with genres like folk, classical and electronica...
's 2004 album The Human Equation
The Human Equation
The Human Equation is the sixth album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released under the name Ayreon. It was released on May 25, 2004. As with other Ayreon albums, it features guest appearances from several musicians previously unrelated to the project, including James LaBrie of Dream Theater, Mikael...
and on the Original Cast of Leonardo: The Absolute Man amongst others.
According to an email sent to the Shadow Gallery News email list on October 31, 2008, Baker died after suffering a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on October 29, 2008 at the age of 45.