Chet Baker was born in Yale, Oklahoma and introduced to music at an early age by his father who was a professional guitar player. Chet sang in a church choir and first took up the trombone before moving onto the trumpet.
Baker began attending jazz clubs in San Francisco after being discharged from the army and soon began performing with the likes of Stan Getz and Charlie Parker. In 1952 he joined the Gerry Mulligan quartet enjoying great success and critical acclaim.
Like many jazz artists of his period Chet Baker used heroin and his addiction to the drug forced him to pawn instruments to feed the habit. Baker served short prison terms in Italy and America for drug offences and, in 1966, after allegedly trying to buy drugs, was beaten so badly that he lost his front teeth. Baker had to develop a new embouchure due to having dentures fitted to replace the lost teeth and upon returning to performing, began his most fruitful period of output returning to his straight jazz roots. During this period Baker played all over Europe though he did very few performances in the U.S.A.
In 1988 Chet Baker was found dead in the streets of Amsterdam, drugs were found in his hotel room and a verdict of accidental death was passed.
