Gloria Shayne Baker (September 4, 1923 – March 6, 2008) was an American composer and songwriter best known for composing the "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Christmas carol in 1962 with her then husband, Noël Regney.[1]
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Baker was born as Gloria Adele Shain in Brookline, Massachusetts, on September 4, 1923.[1] She changed the spelling of her last name from Shain to Shayne early on in her career for professional reasons.[1] She earned her bachelor's degree from the Boston University School of Music.[1] She moved to New York City during the 1940s, where she worked as a pianist performing on demos and in front of live audiences.[2] She also arranged music for composers such as Stephen Sondheim and Irving Berlin.[2]
Baker met her first husband, French born Noël Regney, while playing piano at a New York City hotel in 1951.[2] Regney and Baker would later write "Do You Hear What I Hear?" together as collaborators. They were married the same year that they met.[1] The couple divorced in 1973.[2] Regney died in 2002.[1]
Shayne Baker married her second husband, William Baker, in 1973.[2] He died in 2001.[2]
Shayne Baker and Regney collaborated on a number of famous songs. Shayne Baker usually composed the lyrics for their songs, while Regney composed the music.[2] Among the most well known songs written by the couple was "Rain Rain Go Away", which was first performed by singer Bobby Vinton.[2] Shayne Baker and Regney also wrote "Sweet Little Darlin'" which was performed by Jo Stafford.[2]
Shayne Baker also enjoyed a successful career when not collaborating with Regney. She composed the lyrics and music for "Goodbye Cruel World", which was recorded by James Darren in 1961.[1][2]Shayne Baker also worked with Mary Candy and Eddie Deane to write "The Men in My Little Girl’s Life", which was performed by Mike Douglas.[1]Shayne Baker also co-wrote "Almost There", which was recorded by Andy Williams, with writer Jerry Keller.[1][2]
Shayne Baker accompanied tenor, Jan Peerce, during her later life.[1]
The Christmas carol, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" was written in October 1962 by Shayne Baker and Regney during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis.[2] During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States and the Soviet Union confronted each other over the placement of Soviet missiles in newly Communist Cuba. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" was written by Shayne Baker and Regney as a plea for peace.[1]
Unusually in this instance, Regney wrote the lyrics and Shayne Baker composed the music for "Do You Hear What I Hear?".[1] Usually it was Shayne Baker who wrote the lyrics for their songs while Regney composed the music.[1][2]
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" was released shortly after Thanksgiving in 1962.[2] It was first recorded by Harry Simeone Chorale and sold more than a quarter-million copies during the 1962 holiday season.[2] Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1963, which made it a worldwide hit.[2] The song has since been recorded and performed by hundreds of artists including Pat Boone, Kenny G, Mahalia Jackson, Glen Campbell, Perry Como and Johnny Mathis.[1]
Gloria Shayne Baker died at her home in Stamford, Connecticut, of lung cancer on March 6, 2008, at the age of 84.[1][2][3]