Prolific Producer Who Worked with Queen, The Cars, Journey, and Many More, Dead at 78

Roy Thomas Baker, the hugely successful producer who worked with some of rock and roll’s most influential and lauded acts, has died. According to a press release, Baker passed away on April 12 at the age of 78 in his Lake Havasu City, Arizona home. His family just shared the news with the world today (April 22). His cause of death remains unknown.

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Baker was an incredibly prolific producer with credits on some of the biggest songs of all time. He produced the Queen classic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” He also worked with the likes of Yes, Nazareth, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and countless others while working in Decca Studios in London.

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While employed with Elektra Records in the United States, Baker worked on albums for Lindsey Buckingham, Dokken, Motley Crue, and The Cars, among others. Later, the prolific producer worked on projects from Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N’ Roses, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice Cooper, and many more. There is a rumor that The Cars’ hit “Good Times Roll” was inspired by Baker’s life. He also oversaw the signing of some of the biggest rock and metal bands of the late 20^th century, including Metallica and 10,000 Maniacs. In short, it’s nearly impossible to overstate Baker’s importance to modern rock and roll.

Rock Stars Remember Roy Thomas Baker

Several of the musicians who worked with Roy Thomas Baker commented on the magic he worked for them in the studio.

“I think he brought a certain amount of discipline and a lot of cynicism and a passion for fattening desserts,” recalled Queen’s Roger Taylor. “He was very disciplined and very strict in the beginning. …He would always get it right. The take had to be right,” he added.

“We did Infinity with the infamous Roy Thomas Baker, and we did so many different things on that record that I’d never tried, or even thought about doing. I learned a lot from Roy,” recalled Journey’s Neal Schon.

“Roy was one of the pieces of the puzzle that made The Cars what they became,” said The Cars’ Elliot Easton. “He didn’t belabor anything or take things overly seriously. He was fun to work with, a mindful guy whose affect was kind of Monty Python-esque and, as it happens, a great cook,” he added.

“That guy heard things that nobody else heard. I learned more from Roy Thomas Baker in those four or five months than I have ever learned in my entire recording career,” Smashing Pumpkins’ Jimmy Chamberlain said of working on Zeitgeist with Baker.

Featured Image by Jimmy Steinfeldt