A Rising Artist in Our Midst: John Baker

As far as stories go this is an impressive one. The Bakery Studio, a small business located in the basement of our own John Baker’s house, is a recording studio striving for the dream of making it to Nashville, New York or California to sign on big artists one day. For now, however, John is content with the few local recording artists he works with while he finishes his business degree at LTU.

Baker started the business when he was twelve. He got the recording bug when he started recording his uncle’s guitar playing. Yes, it was as simple as that, he says. He went from the little portable recorder to a full studio, which is now recording full CDs for one popular local band, To Be Juliet’s Secret. “The band,” he says, “has quite a following, and it has been exciting doing a recording at this level.”

It has taken John four years to get the business going. “The business is very demanding.” He says “but, LTU classes have helped me a lot.” In particular, Accounting helped him keep records of money he spent along with money coming in from customers, and Marketing helped him establish his name and become known in the community.

The best part of his LTU classes is that he learns from people in the real world, from professors who also hold jobs in their own field. They bring in a real work experience to the classroom where ambitious young women and men like John can use it to advance their own passions.
The business is a self funded full time job, hence the delay in moving ahead fast. The equipment is handed down for the most part. John is a song and music writer and a guitar player himself. He records two to three days a week, and he spends the rest of the week finishing the recording and keeping a full time schedule at LTU. He would like to take some classes in video editing and film technology in order to expand his business.

“The Bakery Studio turns over a few CDs a month, and right now has two CDs baking in the oven.” Says John, “no pun intended.” Yes, as far as stories go this is a sweet one, best of Luck to John and hoping to see the Bakery Studio stamped on the back of many big selling CDs.

Article by Sylvia Sardy with help from Steve Strauss