Australian rock music journalist Glenn A Baker dies

Popular Australian rock music journalist and broadcaster Glenn A Baker has died just three days after his 74th birthday.

Loved ones confirmed on social media that Baker had passed away on Friday morning and honoured his legacy.

‘Glenn’s contribution to the Australian rock ‘n’ roll music landscape was immense, but his family remembers him as a loving father of six and grandfather of thirteen,’ they said.

‘Glenn’s passion for music, travel, food and his family (still not entirely sure of the order) was, like his personality, larger than life.

‘While the family wishes for privacy, if you do wish to honour Glenn or continue his legacy in some way, have a passionate conversation today with somebody about your favourite Australian muso or band. Rock on Glenn! You will be missed.’

His son, Orson told ABC Sydney his father had been ‘declining for a while’ during a ‘period of illness’.

Orson said Baker was ‘somebody who absolutely grabbed life, throttled it, and did everything that he wanted to do’.

He lived a ‘somewhat nomadic life as a child’ and travelled a lot across regional New South Wales before leaving school at 15 years old to ‘help support his family’.

‘Subsequently I think music became something he could cling to, something that brought him joy,’ Orson said.

‘Growing up, the most exciting thing was going out to purchase a new record to bring that record home, to open it up and to read the inner sleeve, the comments, the notes by the band, the photos.

‘And then to sit there and play it… play the entire album start to finish, this was his world.

‘He visited over 150 countries, became an accomplished travel writer, and I guess music was his absolute passion.’

Baker’s friend and musician Stuart Coupe also confirmed the news on Friday morning in a heartbreaking statement on social media.

‘This is a post that I was hoping I wouldn’t be making for a considerable period of time,’ he said. 

‘But after an illness Glenn A Baker passed away earlier this morning. I’m beyond sad.’

Fellow music journalist Paul Cashmere also paid tribute to Baker, saying ‘Australian music has lost one of its greatest historians’.

Over 50 years on the Australian music scene, Baker was a pioneer in music radio during the 1970s. 

He was part of the formation of 2JJ which later became triple j, and he hosted a trivia program on the station before later moving to Triple M.

Baker managed the band Ol’ 55 in 1975, which had 55 hit singles including (I Want A) Rockin’ Christmas, which was co-written by Baker.

With a vast knowledge of music and particular passion for rock, he won the BBC’s Rock Brain of the Universe three times. He also wrote for over 200 magazines and authored 16 books.

The broadcaster was known for sporting colourful fezes – Ottoman-era Turkish headwear – which he discovered while being photographed for one of his books.

‘I first wore it for fun for the cover of one of my travel books, sitting upon the engine of a 747 – they had to get a ladder to get me up there,’ he told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2024.

‘Then when I went out to do interviews about it, people would say, ‘Oh, where’s the hat? You look great in the hat!’

‘As I was follicly challenged, I just started wearing it, and I was given a really hard time with people saying it was a terrible affectation.’

Baker is survived by his six children and 13 grandchildren.