Etta Baker, 93; Blues Guitarist Influenced the Revival of American Folk Music in 1950s

Etta Baker, 93, an influential blues guitarist who was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts, died Saturday in Fairfax, Va., her family said.

The cause of death was not announced, but she had been in failing health for some time.

Baker was raised in a musical family in western North Carolina. In 1956, she appeared on a compilation album called “Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians.” The recording influenced the growing folk revival, especially her versions of “Railroad Bill” and “One-Dime Blues.”

She worked for 26 years at a textile mill in Morganton, N.C., before quitting at age 60 to pursue a career as a musician.

Baker became a hit on the international folk-festival circuit, playing Piedmont blues, a mix of the clattery rhythms of bluegrass and blues. She won a 1991 Folk Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Baker toured well into her 80s, but finally quit because of heart problems.

This year she no longer had the strength to play guitar, so she focused on the banjo. She could still play well a month ago, said Wayne Martin, who plays fiddle on her banjo collection coming out next year.