Chet Baker

Chet Baker, American jazz trumpet player, flugelhorn player, and singer (died 1988)

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Born: December 23, 1929
Died: May 13, 1988
Zodiac sign: Capricorn
Birth year: 1929

About Chet Baker

Chesney Henry Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals: Chet Baker Sings (1954) and It Could Happen to You (1958). Jazz historian Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one". His well-publicized drug habit also drove his notoriety and fame. Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Jazz historian Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled int.

The world when Chet Baker was born

Chet Baker was born in 1929. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1929

#1 song"Singin' in the Rain"
Top movieThe Broadway Melody (first Best Picture winner)
Best-selling bookA Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentFirst baseball All-Star Game proposed
Top headlineStock market crashes on Black Tuesday
Technology milestoneFirst Academy Awards ceremony held
Defining fadYo-yos
Notable inventionCar radio
World population2.10 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderHerbert Hoover
Sports championPhiladelphia Athletics (World Series)
U.S. population121.8M

1929 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Chet Baker's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1929	2026
Gas	$0.21	$3.45/gal
Average home	$6,300	$435,000
Average income	$3,850	$67,500
Movie ticket	$0.25	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.02	$0.73
Population	121.8M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.