ANDERSON - In 1974, bass guitarist Bo Baker was getting ready for a show with the Robert White Trio at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.

The trio was opening for the popular Jackson 5, known then for “ABC,” “I’ll Be There” and a string of pop hits starring young Michael Jackson.

Baker’s trio was a natural choice to open the show. Based in St. Louis, the trio typically performed Jackson 5 cover hits in their shows, recalled Baker, now living in Anderson.

Baker sang Michael Jackson’s parts.

Before the ‘74 show, Baker rode in an elevator with the young pop sensation. Though the two were just a year apart in age, Baker towered over Jackson.

“He seemed quiet. He was reserved,” Baker said. ”There were girls down in the lobby. I remember him kicking some of them away. He was really stand-offish. He didn’t want to be around people.”

A friend snapped a Polaroid of Baker and Jackson. The photo is long gone. But Baker’s respect for the recently departed Michael Jackson has not diminished.

On Thursday, June 25, Baker joined the rest of the world in a state of shock at the sudden passing of the King of Pop.

Baker, a local country musician, was unsure how to handle the news.

His manager, Frank R. Stapleton of the local Trump Card Productions, says he told Baker to write down his thoughts. Soon, those words turned into an original tribute to the fallen icon.

Baker’s song, “Michael’s Gone,” is an acoustic, country-western ode to the pop star he met when he was just a teenager.

The lyrics honor the star’s influence on American pop culture.

“Michael Jackson, he was a one, a man who cast a shadow upon the sun. He left us with a reason to hang on.”

Baker is accompanied by singer Stephanie Dittlinger who was called by Baker as she was headed to her job at IHOP in Anderson.

She called her boss and within 30 minutes was recording with Baker in Studio D in Summitville.

“We wanted to be sure to get a tribute song out there before anyone else did,” she said.

She seems thrilled to be singing on the tribute to Jackson.

“He was my icon. I’m 46 years old and he’s all in my childhood memories,” Dittlinger said.

Baker’s voice is reminiscent of country music legend George Jones.

Although he was singing rhythm and blues with the Robert White Trio when he met Jackson, Baker has since crossed over to country.

“My heroes were Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash,” he said.

Baker has recorded several single LP’s throughout his career and has hosted several radio programs with such pseudonyms as Harry O and Oliver Stone. After a stint in the Air Force, Baker was a disc jockey in Florida, perhaps one of the first black DJs in that state.

Baker made a cameo appearance in the 1973 hit movie, “Walking Tall,” as the bass player for The Jimmy Church Band. Now his songs reflect his Christian beliefs.

He prefers country music but Baker said he did listen to Jackson’s songs after the young singer left the Jackson 5 and struck out on his own. “I grew up listening to him. He was only one year younger than me.”

“He's moved on to another stage to play.”

“It really makes you think about your own mortality,” Baker said of Jackson’s passing.

“He left us, and now the king of pop is gone.”

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The tributes to Michael Jackson, who died June 25, are flowing across the Internet.

— The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines, known for their orange-suit dance routines, perform the full zombie dance from “Thriller” and a separate tribute mix at YouTube.com. Search for “CPDRC” or “dancing inmates.”

— Rapper The Game hopes it’s “Better On the Other Side” in his tribute featuring P. Diddy, Boyz II Men and Chris Brown. The video is on YouTube.com. “Let me take you back to ‘85 when I was in a zone/Dancing for my momma, Thriller jacket with all the zippers on/Now I’m doing 90 about to crash in this Aston.”

— A lesser known rapper, and you’ll hear why, known as Ice Is talks over Jackson’s “Human Nature” noting that Michael’s death “hurts like a cavity.”

— And - don’t bother with this one - German rapper JanAR tells Jackson, “Nobody else will say you didn’t try hard.”

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Want to hear Bo Baker’s tribute?

The Herald Bulletin has posted an audio clip of Bo Baker’s tribute to Michael Jackson on the Photos and Videos section of the Web site. Check it out at www.heraldbulletin.com.