Bluegrass Monday on Sept. 23 to Feature The Baker Family
JONESBORO – The Baker Family will perform traditional bluegrass, classic country, and gospel music at the next KASU-FM Bluegrass Monday concert. The show will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23, at Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street in Paragould.
From Birch Tree, Mo., the Baker Family has become one of the most talked-about family musical ensembles in the country. The band consists of a mom and her three adult children who tour nationwide, performing hundreds of concerts each year.
The Baker Family is a past winner of the Entertainer of the Year award given by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America-Midwest (SPBGMA). They have also received the SPBGMA Album of the Year honor.
In 2016, the Baker Family won the Youth in Bluegrass band competition at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. This competition is the top showcase in the world for bluegrass musicians under the age of 21 and their parents. That same year, the group was named Bluegrass Band of the Year by the International Country Gospel Music Association.
The family appeared on season 12 of the NBC television program “America’s Got Talent.” They have been featured on the RFD-TV program “The Bluegrass Trail,” the PBS-TV program “Great American Bluegrass,” and at the Station Inn, the premier venue for bluegrass music in Nashville.
The band includes Carrie Baker who plays guitar and upright bass in the band. Three of her four children are also in the musical group.
Trustin Baker plays fiddle and banjo and sings lead and harmony vocals. He is a two-time winner of the Grand Master Fiddle Championship at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Due to this prestigious honor, he has performed multiple times on the Grand Ole Opry. He has also won over a dozen other fiddle competitions in five states.
Carina Baker plays mandolin and sings lead and harmony vocals. She is a past winner of the Mandolin Player of the Year award and the Female Vocalist of the Year award from SPBGMA-Midwest.
Elijah Baker plays bass and lead guitar and sings both lead and harmony vocals. He is a past winner of the Oklahoma State Junior Fiddle Championship.
Admission is $10 per person, payable by cash at the door the night of the concert. Tickets can be purchased at www.kasu.org/tickets. Proceeds go to the musicians, compensating them for their performance. Those 18 and under can enter for free.
Groups of eight or more may request reserved seating by contacting KASU’s Marty Scarbrough. Otherwise, the theatre doors open at 6 p.m., and seating is first-come, first-served.
The Bluegrass Monday concert series is a non-profit presentation of KASU-FM, providing music fans with an affordable and outstanding evening of family-friendly entertainment. These concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month.
Concerts are presented with support from sponsors: Paragould Advertising and Promotion Commission, Affordable Medical, Bibb Chiropractic Center, Gardner-Milner Law Firm, the Posey Peddler, Hyde Park Café, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould, and KASU.
KASU is the public media service of Arkansas State University, broadcasting at 91.9 FM and streaming on a variety of online platforms. For more information, contact Marty Scarbrough, KASU program director, at mscarbro@AState.edu or 870-972-2367. Additional information is also available on the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.
In photo, left to right, Carina Baker, Elijah Baker, Carrie Baker, Trustin Baker
