Walkin' Around Lucky

Robert and Janita Baker have been performing together for over 25 years, and are known for their excellence in performance and musicianship. Their collective taste in music runs from ragtime to blues to traditional to original compositions and they perform on a variety of instruments including guitar, mountain dulcimer and autoharp. Robert is an accomplished guitarist of both the fingerpicking and flatpicking style, and is known as an excellent vocalist as well. The Baker's latest recording, Walkin' Around Lucky, has received nationwide praise. 'Walkin' Around Lucky is one of the most enjoyable recordings I've heard in a long time. Good songs, great pickin' ' - Wayne Seymour, Piney Forks Music.' 'This is a great CD. While Robert's guitar and vocals predominate, Janita does a duet on dulcimer [with autoharpist Karen Mueller] of Spanish Fandango that would do Libba Cotten and John Hurt proud.' - Lance Frodsham, Wizmak Productions. The Bakers have performed at numerous venues throughout California including the Summer Solstice Folk Music festival and have opened for such notable musicians as Doc Watson and the New Grass Revival. Janita has appeared at numerous festivals and workshops as a featured performer and teacher including Augusta Heritage Center's Spring Dulcimer Week, Appalachian State University's Dulcimer Week, Kentucky Music Week, Great Plains Folk Music Festival, the Memphis Dulcimer Festival, and the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, NC. She is the author of several dulcimer books, the latest one being Fingerpicking Dulcimer, published by Mel Bay Publications. She has released two solo dulcimer recordings, Fingerpicking Dulcimer and Solace; her latest recording, Blues and Ragtime includes Robert on vocal and guitar accompaniment and has been recognized as a landmark work in the evolution of contemporary mountain dulcimer performance. The couple live east of Santa Margarita, CA, where they manufacture Blue Lion guitars and dulcimers. Their instruments are regarded as some of the finest hand-made acoustic instruments available today, and are played by such well-known musicians as Leo Kottke, Tracy Champman, Bruce Hornsby, Steve Martin, Sally Rogers and Jean Ritchie.