Roy Thomas Baker, Producer to the Rock Gods, Dead at 78

Roy Thomas Baker, one of the defining producers of rock music in the 1970s and ’80s, has died. He was 78. Baker died at home in Arizona on April 12, per a statement. Across five decades, Baker produced albums for bands including Queen, the Cars, Journey, Yes, Mötley Crüe, and Smashing Pumpkins. Baker started apprenticing as an engineer at Decca Studios, where he worked on music by David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, and the Who; he later lead-engineered albums including T. Rex’s Electric Warrior. Baker met Queen when he moved studios, and he began co-producing their debut album with John Anthony. He continued working with Queen on 1974’s Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack and 1975’s A Night at the Opera, and later returned to the band for their 1978 album, Jazz.

With Queen, Baker developed a reputation for crisply architected pop-rock hits that featured significant vocal layering — most notably on “Bohemian Rhapsody,” now the 20th century’s most-streamed song. Baker’s success with the band led him to move to the U.S., where he began working with new rock band the Cars on their debut album, which included the hits “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” and “Good Times Roll” (rumored to be inspired by Baker himself). Baker went on to produce three more albums for the Cars, along with Journey’s 1978 album, Infinity, and 1979 album, Evolution. At the same time, he worked in artists and repertoire at Elektra Records, signing acts including Metallica. Baker expanded his musical reach in the 1980s, producing for hard-rock acts like Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne, along with Mötley Crüe’s debut album.

Baker continued his output into the 21st century, producing the 2005 album One Way Ticket to Hell … and Back for the Darkness, along with Smashing Pumpkins’s 2007 album, Zeitgeist, and 2008 album, American Gothic. He produced the 2014 album Heaven & Earth for Yes decades after the prog-rock band scrapped an album he was producing in 1979.