Learning From Etta Baker - Morganton, NC
In April of '93 I had the good fortune to interview Etta Baker at her home in Morganton, NC. Etta, being a warm and gracious hostess, provided me with an enjoyable time filled with stories, music and laughter. I was given a tour of her beautiful garden which, like her music, she takes exceptional pride in.
"Now this here is a lemon herb plant. I use this to make up a tea which really works wonders if you got a cold. Course if you add a little whiskey that helps too. My daddy taught me all I know about these plants and what they're good for."
I first learned of Etta after seeing her featured in a guitar instruction book entitled 'Finger Picking Songs For Guitar, put out by Happy Traum. I was 15 and just learning to fingerpick. It featured 2 of Etta's songs and a picture of her posing in front of her home holding a Gibson Les Paul guitar.
Then in 1991 I came across a CD which was Etta's first full length album called One Dime Blues (available on Rounder Records). Wow, she was out and about playing and recording. I had to find her!
After doing a little detective work I located the town she lived in. I called up information and asked if for Etta Baker, that's spelled E-T-T-A B-A-K-E-R is what I told the operator. Now I was expecting the usual computerized robot like voice to provide me with a phone number. Instead, this is what I heard on the other end of the phone:
"Oh Etta, sure, I know her," said a friendly woman's voice. "Of course about this time of day she's probably visiting with her sister, so I'll give you both Etta's number and her sisters. OK?
It wasn't long before I was making plans to visit Etta at her house for a 2 day stay. During this stay I was fortunate enough to sit down with Etta in her living room and learn some of her incredible instrumentals firsthand. That sure beats learning out of a book!
I first learned of Etta after seeing her featured in a guitar instruction book entitled 'Finger Picking Songs For Guitar, put out by Happy Traum. I was 15 and just learning to fingerpick. It featured 2 of Etta's songs and a picture of her posing in front of her home holding a Gibson Les Paul guitar.
Then in 1991 I came across a CD which was Etta's first full length album called One Dime Blues (available on Rounder Records). Wow, she was out and about playing and recording. I had to find her!
After doing a little detective work I located the town she lived in. I called up information and asked if for Etta Baker, that's spelled E-T-T-A B-A-K-E-R is what I told the operator. Now I was expecting the usual computerized robot like voice to provide me with a phone number. Instead, this is what I heard on the other end of the phone:
"Oh Etta, sure, I know her," said a friendly woman's voice. "Of course about this time of day she's probably visiting with her sister, so I'll give you both Etta's number and her sisters. OK?
It wasn't long before I was making plans to visit Etta at her house for a 2 day stay. During this stay I was fortunate enough to sit down with Etta in her living room and learn some of her incredible instrumentals firsthand. That sure beats learning out of a book!
In addition to being a fine musician, Etta also maintains one of the loveliest gardens around. She kept me well fed with corn, carrots, salads and other goodies while I was there. Etta generally likes to tend to her garden early in the day, well before breakfast. Her garden extends all the way around her house, filled with vegetables, flowers and herbs of every variety. Check out the hollowed out toaster/birdfeeder hanging from the tree!
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When I asked her where she got all of her energy from (at the time she was 80 years young), she replied: "Oh, it's nothing really. I just love tending to my home and garden. You see that part of my roof?, she asked me. "I had to replace the shingles the other day. I didn't have a ladder to climb up there so I had to gather up some wood from my yard and build one. After that I just climbed up with those shingles, a few at a time 'cause they weigh a bit, and shingled my roof.
