Rodney Bakerr, a Chicago house music legend, has passed away.
Baker, who had an added “r” on his surname and produced and DJ’d, died of a heart attack last week. He was best known as the founder of Rockin’ House Records, a highly selective imprint that released one album per year on average for the next three decades.
5Mag published a long read memoir penned by Terry Matthew, which includes an interview with Tyree Cooper, which hit the news yesterday. ‘Video Crash’ and ‘The Dreams,’ two of his singles, are regarded as Rockin’ House masterpieces.
Baker was a teacher at the Chicago Vocational School (CVS) and the Art Institute, as well as a highly recognised artist, boss, and performer, according to the article, which goes into great depth regarding his influence in Chicago and beyond.
He is credited as being the first producer to include live guitar and other instruments into house and acid house music, and he was chosen by Roland to create the first unique house music patterns for the company’s famed TR 808, 909, and TR series drum machines. Strange Circuits, a live industrial project he created with Diane Kleidon and Virginia S. Cram in 1980, toured the world recently.
At the time of writing, no funeral or memorial service plans had been confirmed.
