Baird, Mike (18th May 1951-Present)

He is a drummer born in South Gate, California who started out on his successful career as a studio musician in the early 1970s.

He worked with the Italian group Vasco Rossi fairly early on and has been called up by them for more than three decades now. He was also a touring musician with Journey on their Raised on Radio tour in 1986/7.

He became so sought after by artists that the list of people he has worked with is so immense it would be impossible to mention them all here. A few of the many singers and groups he has accompanied include Air Supply, Alessi Brothers, Animotion, Burt Bacharach, Randy Bachman, George Benson, Stephen Bishop, Michael Bolton, Peabo Bryson, Irene Cara, Larry Carlton, Cher, Joe Cocker, Michael Crawford, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Randy Edelman, Yvonne Elliman, Lowell George, Bela Fleck, David Foster, Richie Havens, Al Green, Hall & Oates, Billy Idol, Julio Iglesias, Michael Jackson, Booker T. Jones, Kris Kristofferson, D.C. LaRue, Kenny Loggins, The Manhattan Transfer, Steve Marriott, Richard Marx, Michael McDonald, Bill Medley, Bette Midler, Eddie Money, The Moody Blues, Juice Newton, The Pointer Sisters, Kenny Rogers, Brenda Russell, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Timothy B.Schmit, Earl Scruggs, Dan Seals, Frank Sinatra, Rick Springfield, Rod Stewart, The Sutherland Brothers, Three Dog Night, Tina Turner, Wang Chung and Stevie Wonder.

As you can imagine, his recordings could just about fill a library, but some of them are Alibi by America, George Benson Collection by George Benson, In One Eye and Out the Other by The Cate Brothers, Casablanca Years by Cher, Everlasting by Natalie Cole, Anytime…Anywhere by Rita Coolidge, Now We May Begin by Randy Crawford, The Very Best Of… by Christopher Cross, Heartlight by Neil Diamond, Down in the Groove by Bob Dylan, My Cherie by Sheena Easton, It Takes Two by Rodney Franklin, Fate for Breakfast by Art Garfunkel, Daryl Hall & John Oates by Hall & Oates, High Crime by Al Jarreau, Time3 by Journey, Good Woman by Gladys Knight, Oh Julie! by Barry Manilow, A Medio Vivir by Ricky Martin, That’s What Friends are For by Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams, Curtis Stigers by Curtis Stigers, Back to Broadway by Barbra Streisand, She Works Hard for the Money by Donna Summer, Friends in Love by Dionne Warwick and the soundtracks of Black Dog, Coast to Coast and St. Elmo’s Fire..

He remains working today as one of the most successful drummers in the music industry.

Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams recordings
Emotion (Barry Gibb /Robin Gibb )
S CBS 6164B (UK 45)
Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (Nat Kipner /John Vallins )
S CBS 6164 (UK 45)

Sources:

Baird, Mike (18th May 1951-Present)

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