She was born Etta Lucille Reid in North Carolina in 1913. Though she didn’t release her first full proper album until she was 60 years old, Etta was a lifelong guitarist who traded in the Piedmont blues, a style of fingerpicking that was common in areas in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and more. Baker is one of the quiet giants, a little-known figure whose work inspired artists like B.B. King. It’s widely thought that Bob Dylan wrote “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” after being inspired by Baker’s style. After quitting her job at a textile mill to focus on music full-time, Baker finally became a devoted guitarist and toured well into her 80s.
