“Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side?” That opening line from one of Robert M. Baker’s favorite tunes will forever give pause to fans who loved to hear the karaoke host croon Kermit the Frog’s signature ballad, “Rainbow Connection.”
Sesame Street’s Kermit made the song famous, and Baker sang the tune, with a frog voice, to connect with weekend crowds at Brunswick Majestic Lanes in Lynnwood. Baker, 40, was a karaoke host with the most before his death Oct. 18 from a sudden illness.
Robert Baker loved karaoke, and Kermit the Frogs Rainbow Connection was one of his favorite tunes to sing at Brunswick Majestic Lanes in Lynnwood.
Singers became an extended family, said Don Mills, 47, of Everett, who also hosts karaoke shows. Baker had a way of making every night a party.
Singers could be great or lousy, said Evana Block, 47, of Bothell, a former bartender at the bowling alley. Baker heard her singing along behind the bar and coaxed her onstage one evening.
“He said everyone was going to do a suicide song,” Block said, laughing. “It was fun. I would have never gotten up to sing without Robert.”
One evening, Baker put down his Diet Pepsi and dragged Block outside the bar to show her a lunar eclipse, constellations and the stars. Besides astronomy, he loved playing video games.
His former wife, Christine Paulsen, 40, of Port Angeles met Baker when he delivered pizza to her college dorm room, she said. When Baker was a student at Shoreline Community College, he performed in plays such as “Guys and Dolls” and “Damn Yankees.”
Born in Okinawa, Japan, Baker graduated from high school in Seattle. As a vocal coach, he guided Jessica Robinson, 23, of Everett through karaoke contests.
“We would stay and practice until 4 in the morning,” Robinson said. “He’d walk me to my car and make sure the tires were filled with air.”
Singing minister Heath Brady, 32, of Mountlake Terrace sang karaoke at the bowling alley. He said Baker was goofy and always greeted him with a hug.
“Robert wanted everyone to find the positive,” Brady said. “He was so comfortable with who he was. He could be Kermit the Frog, a sweet transvestite or sing country western. He will be remembered holding a microphone.”
If Crystal Holm, 21, of Lynnwood, who worked at the bowling alley snack bar, didn’t have a ride, Baker would find someone to drive her home.
“He was the most amazing man in the world,” Holm said. “Robert was always there for you.”
Baker leaves his fiance, Sheri Brown; children Jeremiah Paulsen, Frances Tia Baker and Zachery Brown; father Robert Baker and his wife, Wendy Townsend; his mother, Sandra Arnold; and sisters Michelle Townsend and Lynn Baker.
Paulsen, his former wife, said their son, Jeremiah, 19, has a beautiful singing voice.
“His son has his father’s musical talent,” she said. “I got one of the best parts of Bob.”
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
