Sam Baker at Gateshead

TEXAN troubadour Sam Baker returns to the UK in October with country/folk singer Carrie Elkin, and tours to Gateshead's Jumpin' Hot Club at the end of that month.

Say Grace, in 2013, established Baker as a songwriter, while the experimental musical arrangements of the album embraced his ability as a songwriter. A new release is set for at the end of the year in the form of a box-set, featuring all previously released albums, exclusive interviews, new tracks and a booklet of artwork.

Baker’s introduction to song-writing and live performance began as a method of coming to terms with a tragic, life-changing moment. Aged 32, taking a train ride through Peru, a bomb exploded in the carriage causing catastrophic damage and killing seven people, including a German boy and his parents who were sitting close by. Having survived, but left with both physical and psychological scars, Baker set out determined to relearn the guitar and rebuild his memory and speech.

BBC Radio’s Bob Harris featured his first album Mercy in 2004. Baker followed up with Pretty World in 2007 and completed the set with Cotton in 2009. The trilogy maps his path of recovery combined with the overwhelming theme that "Everyone is at the mercy of another a one’s dream".

UK TOUR DETAILS: Saturday, October 31: Gateshead, Jumpin' Hot Club 30th Anniversary weekend celebrations @ The Little Theatre (0191-433-6965 jumpinhot.com) £15 adv/door, 8pm.

Viv Hardwick