Howard Baker - The Paris Files (2017)

Singer, songwriter and entertainer Howard Baker hails from South Tyneside in the North East of England. ‘The Paris Files’ (2015) was recorded over two years with Eric Mutard in Paris, France. The single from the album, Raining in Paris, reached number 1 in the Reverb Nation blues chart in France and the UK, alongside receiving airplay in the US. The album itself charted in the 20s in Europe.

“I am very proud of ‘The Paris Files’”, he said, “I worked with some magnificent friends and musicians in the Grotto studio in Paris and the resulting record speaks to their talent. Part of what encourages me to continue to write songs is knowing I’ll be returning to Paris to work with them again.”

A natural performer, Howard learned his craft as a singer on shore leave from the Merchant Navy. By the age of 21 he was the youngest purser in the company with 30 men in his command, but on breaks from the sea he sang in bars around the world with his crew mates. “The crew would follow me and Tommy, a Liverpudlian from the ship, and we would sing around swimming pools when we were on leave in Japan or wherever. It got me thinking it was my thing. When I came back home in 1970 I decided to give singing a shot. Music has been my work ever since.”

Over his career in music, Howard fronted bands like Warbeck, BB Faith and Riff Raff. He toured Europe, Australia and the US, and supported some of the greatest rock bands in the world including Whitesnake, Free, The Small Faces and Black Sabbath. “In 1985 Warbeck was signed to the same record company as Whitesnake, so we got the gig supporting them when they had their first big hit,” he says. “It was a great gig, though the deal didn’t work out as well for us.”

In fact, Howard hasn’t had the best of experiences with the industry, “I’ve been offered nearly 20 indie deals over the years but they didn’t offer me anything I couldn’t do for myself. I’ve signed two major deals during my career, recorded albums and had the deals fall through, losing all the music and the hard work. I thought having a major label behind me would give me that extra edge in the business, but both times I was back to square one. Maybe ‘The Paris Files’ would have done better with a deal behind it, but I think I’ve done pretty well with it on my own, even if I do say so myself.”

TRACKLIST

01. Alleycat
02. Boys In The Grotto
03. Don't Wake Me Up
04. Eleanor Rigby
05. Ghost Dance
06. Hard Life
07. Immigrant
08. Man Of The Night
09. Raining In Paris
10. Rock & Roll Train
11. Way Back Home
12. When It All Comes Down