Kaitlyn Baker

Baker's debut single, "Burn", reached number fifty four on the MusicRow Breakout Chart in 2015, and inspired the creation of Kaitlyn Baker's BURN Sauce, a hot sauce produced by Pepper Palace in Sevierville, Tennessee.^[5] Baker has said that the song, which is about a woman who gets revenge on her cheating husband, was loosely based on something that happened to her grandmother.^[6]

In March 2015, her ballad, "Coal Train", was included on the 2015 ACM Awards ZinePak, a 2-CD album released by the Academy of Country Music and distributed exclusively through Walmart.^[7] The album debuted at number four on the Billboard Country Albums chart.^[8]

In November 2015, Baker released a cover of the classic Christmas song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" in association with The Mansion Entertainment, a Nashville-based record label.^[9]

In June 2016, she released "Heart of Appalachia," a song about her native Southwest Virginia. In a review, music critic Tom Netherland wrote, "Southwest Virginia glows in Baker's song."^[10] "Heart of Appalachia" was designated the official theme song of the Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority, a nonprofit organization that promotes tourism in the region. An accompanying music video included cameo appearances by prominent bluegrass artists Ralph Stanley II and Larry Cordle. Cordle co-produced and sang background vocals on the record. Songwriter and musician Scott Arnold, who wrote the song with Baker, produced the music tracks.^[11]

In September 2016, Baker released her single "To Pieces" to country radio.^[12] An accompanying music video premiered on The Heartland Network, a national cable and satellite television channel.^[13]

A member of Baker's band, guitarist Thomas Estep, was killed in a drunk-driving incident on January 1, 2017, when another vehicle crossed over the center line and collided with his vehicle on a Virginia highway.^[14] As a result of the crash, Baker partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to perform at the annual MADD Law Enforcement Recognition Banquet in Southwest Virginia.^[15] She also announced that she was working on a new EP titled "Blackbird," which she planned to dedicate in Estep's memory.^[16]

Baker released her EP "Blackbird" in April, 2018, with performances in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, and Gate City, Virginia. One song on the project, "Sassyfras Tea," was co-written by Baker and acclaimed country songwriters Tony Mullins and Larry Cordle.^[17] The pop culture website BuzzFeed listed her among eleven "Badass Alternatives to Bro Country."^[18]

Notable appearances by Baker include Country Jam Colorado,^[19][20] the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee,^[21] the Young Artist Awards in Los Angeles, California,^[22] the Findlay Market – Cincinnati Reds Opening Day parade,^[23] and "Song of the Mountains", a nationally syndicated public television concert series.^[24] In concert, she has opened for popular artists including Craig Morgan,^[25] Jim Lauderdale,^[26] Travis Tritt, Billy Currington, Chase Bryant, Rhonda Vincent, and others.^[specify]

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