The American Idol season 20 contestant Cadence Baker, who is a fantastic singer, comes from a musical family, and it’s time to talk about her father and grandfather. Her dad Shane Baker and her grandpa Gary Baker have been in the music industry for many years. Cadence, an 18-year-old from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, auditioned for the show with an acoustic, slowed-down version of Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight.” Shane accompanied her on the guitar.
At the end of her song, she received a standing ovation from all three of the American Idol judges: Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. Lionel was impressed by Cadence’s singing and by Shane’s guitar playing. Katy said that many people try to sing Whitney Houston and are not successful, but stated that Cadence’s performance was “amazing.” Luke even told Cadence that hers was one of the best auditions that he has seen, and that he wrote “potentially Top 10” on his paper. She earned her golden ticket to Hollywood.
Cadence said that she hoped that the judges could see that she is her own artist and that she has what it takes. On the show, she shared that her father and grandfather have been big inspirations. She also said that she wants “to go beyond” what the two men did. During American Idol’s Hollywood Week, she sang Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” in the Showstopper round, and the judges chose her to advance to the Top 24 of the competition. Now, Shane and Gary will cheer for her, and their influence will be heard in her performances each week. Their musical backgrounds will help pave the way for Cadence’s future in the music industry.
Shane Baker
Cadence is now following in her father Shane’s footsteps. Before her audition, Shane told her, “It’s just really cool knowing that you’re doing this because I did it. And I did it because your grandfather was doing it.” Shane was once the lead singer for the Christian Modern Rock band, Cadence, and his self-titled band, Shane Baker. Shane also plays the guitar professionally, and he was especially excited during Cadence’s audition because Lionel praised his guitar performance. He said that he was going to cry, and joked that he had just won American Idol.
Shane wrote music for Brentwood Benson Music, a Christian music publishing company in Nashville that closed in 2021, and Noiseblock Recording and Music Group, a recording studio, production facility, and music publishing company in Florence, Alabama, owned by his father, Gary. He can also be heard playing guitar on many Noiseblock recordings. In 2009, Shane released a self-titled full length album via Noiseblock which he wrote, recorded, and produced.
Gary Baker
Cadence’s grandfather Gary is a country music singer and songwriter. He also plays the bass. In the late 1970s, Gary was a musician with the LeBlanc and Carr Band, and also sang and played music with the country-pop band, The Shooters. As a songwriter, he has written hit songs with his songwriting partner, Frank J. Myers, with whom AI dad Gary has been working since 1988, when they were both musicians in Marie Osmond’s band. Their most successful song is the ballad “I Swear,” a hit single for country singer John Michael Montgomery in 1993. The song became a breakout hit when the R&B group All-4-One released their version of it in 1994. The song won the 1995 Grammy for Best Country Song.
In 1995, Gary and Frank recorded an album together as the duo, Baker & Myers. Gary co-wrote Lonestar’s 2001 hit song, “I’m Already There,” with Frank and Lonestar’s lead singer, Richie McDonald. The song was Lonestar’s seventh number one song. In January 2020, Gary was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame by Backstreet Boys members Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell. Before Cadence’s audition, Gary told her, “You go in there and you show ’em what you got. You have a gift . . . You’ve worked so hard. You deserve this.”
American Idol airs Sundays & Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
