Baker Knight Has Died

#206312

Just heard that singer / songwriter Baker Knight died this week. He wrote 'The Wonder Of You' and a bunch of hits for Ricky Nelson. Did you know that Perry Como rejected 'The Wonder Of You' befiore Ray Peterson did it. Knight also made records himself - check out his 'Bring My Cadillac Back' from '56, it's a gaseroonie! R.I.P.

#206318

R.I.P

#206323

Another one of the heroes from my youth is gone.He enriched our times in immessurable ways.

Rest in peace,Thomas!
Our Lord has taken you home to your eternal home.

#207499

Thanks for that, McGhee. I was startled to see the obit in Monday's
paper, as I had posted a thread on him and the feature in August's
BLUE SUEDE NEWS, a rockabilly/ blues magazine awhile ago. Sadly, no one responded
and I deleted it. He had some interesting comments regarding
Elvis.

RIP, Mr. Knight.

October 18, 2005
Baker Knight, 72, Songwriter of Pop Hits, Dies
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 17 (AP) - Baker Knight, a prolific songwriter whose hits included "Lonesome Town," which was recorded decades apart by Ricky Nelson and Paul McCartney, died on Wednesday at his home here. He was 72.

His daughter, Tuesday Knight, said he died of natural causes.

Born Thomas Baker Knight Jr., Mr. Knight went to Los Angeles in 1958 and met Nelson through a mutual friend. Within six months, Nelson's version of "Lonesome Town," a ballad about being lonely in Hollywood, was on Billboard's Top 10, as was its flip side, "I Got a Feeling," another Knight tune. In all, Nelson recorded 21 Knight originals.

Mr. Knight wrote almost 1,000 songs from the 1950's to the 1970's.

More than 40 singers recorded Mr. Knight's tunes, including Dean Martin, with "Somewhere There's a Someone" and "That Old Time Feelin'," and Elvis Presley with "The Wonder of You," which became a hit in 1970.

Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr. and Mickey Gilley also recorded them.

Mr. Knight learned to play guitar while in the Air Force. He formed a rock band, Baker Knight and the Knightmares, whose height of fame was opening for country stars Carl Perkins and Conway Twitty in a local auditorium in 1956.

After the band split up, Mr. Knight moved to Los Angeles for a movie role that never materialized. He returned to Birmingham in 1985 and began to suffer from agoraphobia, or fear of public places, and a condition similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, which put his songwriting career on hold.

Besides his daughter, who lives in Los Angeles, Mr. Knight is survived by a son, Thomas Baker Knight of Pensacola, Fla.; a brother, Robert; and a sister, Nonie.

#207517

I borrowed this from ColinB...he had a nice post on Baker Knight in the "Off Topic" section that I think really should be here in view of Mr. Knight's passing and his contribution to Elvis. Thanks, Colin.

The obit has a nice little Elvis anecdote:

One night in February, 1970, after performing iat the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Elvis Presley said to his pianist and arranger Glen Hardin, "Do you remember that old song The Wonder of You by Ray Peterson ? I want to do it at the first show tomorrow night."

Even though it was late, Hardin called the composer, Baker Knight, who played him his song and relayed the lyrics.

Hardin worked all night on an arrangement and then Presley performed the song for the first time.

A live recording was issued as a single and it became a major US hit and a UK No.1.
_________________
Colin B

#207525

That's very sad. He was fine writer. I love his tracks for Nelson in particular. "Lonesome Town" is one of the greatest records ever made. Bob Dylan picked it as one of his all-time great lost records.

Elvis' "Wonder of You" of course was also something special.