Etta Lucille Reid Baker was born in Caldwell County, NC in 1913. She was the product of a musical family and learned to play guitar at a young age from her father, Boone Reid. Her style of playing, often referred to as the “Piedmont Blues”, made her the foremost practitioner of acoustic finger picking on the guitar. Fame came to Etta later in her retirement years when she decided to pursue her musical career. Prior to her death in October of 2006 at the age of 93, Etta Baker had achieved international recognition for her artistry as a traditional blues picker.
Etta Lucille Reid Baker was born in Caldwell County, NC in 1913. She was the product of a musical family and learned to play guitar at a young age from her father, Boone Reid. Her style of playing, often referred to as the “Piedmont Blues”, made her the foremost practitioner of acoustic finger picking on the guitar. Fame came to Etta later in her retirement years when she decided to pursue her musical career. Prior to her death in October of 2006 at the age of 93, Etta Baker had achieved international recognition for her artistry as a traditional blues picker.