Dave Baker - biography

For nearly forty years, Dave Baker has been writing and singing songs about the westcoast of Canada . Raised in Nanaimo and Duncan on Vancouver Island, Dave is eminently qualified to write about the lifestyle, and the many historical personalities and icons that have contributed to the development of the area.

Over his lengthy career in music, Dave has produced three vinyl LPs and four CDs  Many tracks from these recordings have received radio airplay both nationally and internationally. His songs have appeared several times on national Canadian country music charts as well as featured on playlists in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

One of the keys to his success is never quitting his day job. Dave has a degree in mechanical engineering from U.B.C. He has had a rewarding career in the pulp and paper industry culminating in an executive position with a Vancouver-based consulting engineering firm. Along the way in his engineering career, Dave and his family have lived in the communities of Port Alberni, Ladner, Squamish, Sechelt, and North Vancouver. With his three children now grown, Dave resides in Maple Ridge. He was felled by a stroke in 1998 which weakened his singing voice and ended his working career. Dave no longer performs as a singer and concentrates solely on promoting his songs.

The most significant occurrence in Dave’s songwriting career has been the discovery of his works by noted westcoast composer/arranger Dr. Larry Nickel. In the last several years, Dr. Nickel has arranged Dave’s songs for some of the most accomplished choirs in Canada like Chor Leoni, Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir, Orpheus Male Choir, and the Calgary Boys Choir. Many choirs in the U.S. have also performed Dave’s work.

Besides being very interested in history, Dave is also a railway enthusiast His CD  Songs and Sounds of Canadian Steam which is a collection of uniquely Canadian railway songs, many written by Dave, has been his most successful album from a sales standpoint reaching markets across Canada and in the U.S. and overseas.

One of Dave’s railway songs, Royal Hudson, provides the background music for a video featuring B.C.’s famous steam locomotive. The song is performed by internationally recognized Vancouver men’ choir Chor Leoni. The video is now on You Tube (Royal Hudson Song)

Many of Dave’s songs will create folk legends on the Canadian traditional folk music scene. Indeed, his songs will last for generations to come.


back to Dave Baker's homepage