25 Facts About Two Ton Baker

Dick "Two Ton" Baker was an American singer and entertainer who was a prominent Chicago radio and television personality for three decades; the 1940s to the 1960s.

Two Ton Baker gained some national exposure in the United States through his recordings for Mercury Records and his Mutual Broadcasting System radio show.

Richard Evans Baker was born in Chicago on May 2,1916.

Two Ton Baker began playing piano at two-and-a-half years of age By age four he was playing piano for his mother at musical engagements.

Two Ton Baker attended high school at Morton and Fenger in Chicago, where he was known to cut classes for musical opportunities.

Two Ton Baker joined a local 12-piece band, and had occasional gigs as a pianist, master of ceremonies, and singer.

Two Ton Baker met his wife when he was 20 years old, and married her shortly afterwards.

Two Ton Baker 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.

Two Ton Baker was particularly active at Gardiner General Hospital, where he spent more than 200 hours with the wounded.

In total Two Ton Baker had twenty-five recording sessions with Mercury between 1946 and 1951.

Two Ton Baker was part of WGN-TV's grand opening show on April 5,1948.

The next day was WGN's first full day of programming which included Two Ton Baker's show Wonder House, a puppet program hosted in conjunction with Art Nelson.

Baker gained national radio exposure when The Two Ton Baker Show, originating from WGN, was carried across the Mutual network.

Two Ton Baker was featured on cover of Billboard magazine in February 1949, noting his release "Roll the Patrol Closer to the Curb".

Two Ton Baker left Mercury, and signed to Coral Records in 1952.

Two Ton Baker was a mainstay at the Ivanhoe from 1965 until 1970.

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.

Two Ton Baker collapsed at his Hazel Crest, Illinois home on May 4,1975.

Two Ton Baker was taken to Ingalls Memorial Hospital and was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Two Ton Baker considered his biggest influence to be Duke Ellington.

Two Ton Baker was a very large man, and his outgoing personality fit his size.

However, they stated that the only reason to listen to Two Ton Baker's Spotlight was Two Ton Baker's piano playing and singing.

Two Ton Baker's first commercial record was a collaboration with the Hoosier Hot Shots on Decca Records.

Two Ton Baker made no further recordings for Mercury after 1951.

Two Ton Baker recorded for Heartbeat and successor Sunny until late in his life.