[1] His father, Theogene V. Baquet, eminent New Orleans musician and educator, was also a clarinetist, as were his brothers, Achille and Harold.
He then joined the Georgia Minstrels, but returned to New Orleans in 1905, where he played with Buddy Bolden.
In the 1900s and early 1910s he played off and on with John Robichaux, Freddie Keppard, and the Onward Brass Band.
Later in the decade Baquet played in New York City at Coney Island.
He assembled several of his own groups, including the New Orleans Nighthawks and George Bakey's Swingsters (sic).