Irish blues veteran Don Baker has been signed to a 2-CD record deal by the German record company ZYX Music to coincide with him announcing details of an Irish tour.

As Baker told Hot Press, “I’m 75 years old this year, so this is a terrific boost ahead of my Irish tour which starts on March 12th at the Wexford Arts Centre and which I’m calling My Story.” The tour will take in dates in eight counties in all, a mark of the widespread respect in which Baker is held in Ireland.

The ZYX MUSIC roster of artists currently includes such hot acts as Laserdance, Baby’s Gang and Fancy, and previously issued recordings by Motörhead, Lita Ford and Bananarama. It was established in 1971 and became a major force in the eighties.

Dubliner Baker was attracted early to blues music, and by 1973 was playing regularly in Germany, Austria, Holland and France and scoring a hit when his own song 'Dublin's Inner City' recorded by The Jolly Beggarmen reached No. 2 in the Irish charts.

Harmonica maestro Mark Feltham (who played with Oasis and Rory Gallagher) rated him as the greatest acoustic harmonica player in the world, and similar acclaim came his way from Nashville session musician Charlie McCoy and U2's Bono. He has also been a regular adjudicator for the World Harmonica Championships (Blues Section).

Baker has recorded several acclaimed albums, including Almost Illegal, Born With the Blues, No Regrets Live in Concert, and Rain On The Wind. His 2013 album, My Songs, My Friends, features a selection of his own songs and a star-studded line-up including Liam O Maonlai, Brian Kennedy, Gemma Hayes, Finbar Furey, Sinead O’Connor, Eleanor McEvoy, John Spillane Paddy Casey and Declan O’Rourke.

In 1999 he published his autobiography The Winner In Me written alongside Hot Press contributor Jackie Hayden.

The full list of tour dates is as follows:

MARCH
Sat 22 Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford
Sat 29 Moat Theatre, Naas

APRIL
Sat 12 Nenagh Arts Centre, Tipperary

Sat 26 TF Theatre Royal, Castlebar

MAY
Fri 5 Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Fri 12 Ramor, Virginia
Sat 13 The Civic, Tallaght
Sat 20 An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk
Sat 27 Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny

JUNE
Fri 9 Moat Theatre, Naas
Sat 10 Theatre Royal, Waterford
Sat 17 Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray
Sat 24 DLR The Mill Theatre, Dundrum

SEPTEMBER

Wed 3rd Whelan’s, Dublin
Sat 6th Westport Town Hall Theatre, Mayo