Glenn A Baker Glenn A Baker

Glenn A. Baker AM, one of Australia's most respected music historians, journalists and broadcasters, has died aged 74 following a period of illness after suffering a stroke.

For more than five decades, Baker was a leading authority on rock music, combining encyclopaedic knowledge with a lifelong passion for documenting popular culture. He wrote 16 books, contributed to more than 200 magazines, penned hundreds of album liner notes and spent over 20 years as the Australian editor of *Billboard* magazine.

Born in Sydney on 28 July 1952, Baker spent part of his childhood in Canberra after his family relocated from Coogee. Leaving school at 15 to help support his family, he forged an extraordinary career that spanned journalism, radio, television, publishing and artist management.

During the 1970s he managed the retro rock band Ol' 55, helping launch one of Australia's most successful acts of the era. He also managed Cheek, co-founded Raven Records in 1979 and played a role in the establishment of youth radio station 2JJ, which later became Triple J.

Baker became a familiar voice and face on Australian radio and television through his work with Triple M, *The Today Show*, *Mornings with Kerri-Anne*, *20 to 1* and the Ovation Channel. He was also the in-flight music presenter for Qantas for more than two decades.

An accomplished travel writer as well as a music journalist, Baker visited more than 100 countries and twice won the Australian Society of Travel Writers' Travel Writer of the Year award, taking out the inaugural honour in 1995 and winning again in 2000.

His extraordinary knowledge of popular music earned international recognition when he won the BBC's **"Rock Brain of the Universe"** title three times during the 1980s. He also served on the advisory committee for the ARIA Hall of Fame, where he inducted artists including Max Merritt, Australian Crawl, Masters Apprentices and Billy Thorpe.

In 2018, Baker was appointed a **Member of the Order of Australia (AM)** for significant service to the entertainment industry through promoting, preserving and documenting popular music culture.

Glenn A. Baker died on 31 July 2026, just three days after celebrating his 74th birthday. He is remembered as one of Australia's foremost music historians and storytellers, whose enthusiasm, knowledge and dedication helped preserve the nation's rock and roll heritage for generations.




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