He ran away frequently, and had to be retrieved by the staff from St. Louis, New York City, Chicago, and Pittsburgh.

By 19, Baker, once again, decided to make a change in his life and went back to dishwashing, but remained determined to become a jazz musician.

[4] He enrolled at The New York School of Music, but found the learning pace too slow, so he dropped out and resolved to teach himself instead only to give up shortly afterwards.

Six months later, he met a street guitarist who inspired him to start playing again and he resumed taking private lessons from different teachers over the next few years.

Baker was stranded without work in California when he saw a show by blues guitarist Pee Wee Crayton.

[5] Baker said of the encounter: "I asked Pee Wee, 'You mean you can make money playing that stuff on guitar?'

[2] Around this time he moved to France, where he worked with Ronnie Bird and Chantal Goya and made a few solo records.

Because Baker revealed very few details about his private life, reasons for his move to France were never made completely clear.

Baker guarded his personal life as much as possible, giving few interviews and making only sporadic public appearances.