Bomb survivor’s songs of gratitude

In 1986, Sam Baker was on a train in Peru that was blown up by terrorists. The blast killed the people sitting with him and he had a cut artery, blown-in eardrums and brain damage. This prompted the Texan to write, and to become a singer-songwriter.

Baker releases his fourth album, Say Grace, this month. “Even with the tragedy and the terrible things that happened, the world is a pretty amazing place to be alive in,” he says. “Say Grace is a deep-south phrase for saying ‘thank you’ or being grateful. The overall concept is to be grateful.”

Growing up in the small prairie town of Itasca, Baker first heard music in church. A number of tracks on the new album, such as ‘Feast’ and ‘Sweet House of Prayer’, have a strong, old-time gospel influence.