All tours begin at 11:30 in the morning and last 1.5 hours.
Saturday, September 18 at 11:30am Thursday, September 23 at 11:30am Saturday, November 6 at 11:30am Tuesday, November 9 at 11:30am Saturday, December 4 at 11:30am Tuesday, December 7 at 11:30am
ADMISSION:
$5 ~13 and up
$2 ~ children 2-12 years
Free for kids under 2 and all Tampa Theatre members.
Benefits Tampa Theatre's continuing restoration and operations.
Reservations are not required for individuals or small groups. However, for groups over 10, reservations are requested but not required.
Tampa Theatre organist Bob Baker passed away on Thursday, September 10. He was 61.
A public memorial service will be held at Tampa Theatre on Sunday, September 13 at 11:00 a.m.
Bob was perhaps our most popular volunteer organist who performed pre-show mini-concerts 3 to 4 days a week for our audiences for over 15 years. He was also a mainstay of our tour program, where he performed and educated thousands of visitors about the Mighty Wurlitzer and the Theatre. In fact, he had just completed another demonstration and mini-concert for a public tour at the Theatre Wednesday afternoon just a few hours before his death.
A quick calculation suggests that he performed about 2,500 times for the enjoyment of about 750,000 Tampa Theatre patrons – all for free. His passion was music, but his love was the Tampa Theatre Mighty Wurlitzer. He was quick to donate his time and talent to any of our fundraisers, including the 80th anniversary gala dinner.
“Bob’s passing reminds me that the contributions people make to their communities come in many forms and all are special and important,” said John Bell, Tampa Theatre president and C.E.O. “Some, like Bob’s, are priceless. We will miss him a great deal.”
A self-taught musician, he played without sheet music and could accommodate most any request. In fact, when interacting with fans and patrons, he almost always asked if there was a special tune he could play for them. He often said he felt most at home performing at Tampa Theatre.
Bob loved having fun with the audience. Before this summer’s screening of Gone With the Wind, he channeled his inner Carol Burnett and rose from the orchestra pit wearing a green curtain, rod still attached. “I saw it in a window and just had to have it,” he told the audience.
Bob also performed in a nun’s habit before The Sound of Music, a black cape before halloween movies, and a fruit bowl hat before a Carmen Miranda movie. Before Jaws he held a plastic blow up shark while playing the famous eerie theme. Above all, Bob was a masterful performer who loved to play for all audiences, large or small.
A native of Illinois, Bob reveled in telling Tampa Theatre tour guests about his unusual music background. He taught himself to play at this family’s funeral parlor. “The audience never complained,” he would quip. He was a music therapist both a women’s correctional facility and a state mental hospital. “Not as a patient,” he would joke. Later he travelled the country performing in lounges. Since moving to Florida, he worked at Nielsen Media Research, but his real passion was always organ. He was the church organist at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Tampa, and performed for weddings both in churches and at Tampa Theatre.
Bob was born January 25, 1948 in Streator, IL, the son of James R. and Helen Patrick Baker.
He was a 1966 graduate of Dwight Township High School and continued his education at Lincoln Christian College in Lincoln, IL. He was employed for many years with the Nielsen Media Research Company in Dunedin where he was an administrative assistant in operations. He was also the organist for St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Tampa. He was a talented and gifted musician, playing both the organ and piano. He was a very active volunteer at the Tampa Theater and played the Mighty Wurlitzer before many movies and at special events. He was also very active in the Central Florida Theater Organ Society and served on their Board of Directors.
Bob is survived by a brother, James P. Baker of Springfield, IL, a sister (twin) Barbara Baker Chapin of Quincy, IL, a nephew, John Andrew Baker of Springfield, IL, a niece, Kathryn Milliman of Springfield, IL., 5 great nephews and one great niece. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Bob was a friend to his co-workers and Tampa Theatre staff, a beloved brother and family member, a leader among his Central Florida Theatre Organ Society peers, and an entertainer to all. He will be missed.
Memorial donations may be sent to either Tampa Theatre or The Central Florida Theatre Organ Society in care of Tampa Theatre, P.O. Box 172188, Tampa, FL 33672-0188.
Here are YouTube video clips of some of Bob's performances:
August 12, 2009, Bob Baker rising from the orchestra pit during a tour:
Bob Baker playing Phantom of the Opera:
Bob Baker playing Life is a Cabaret:
Another snippet of Bob Baker at the Mighty Wurtlitzer:
Bob Baker performing before The Wizard of Oz, August 2009:
A short documentary about Tampa Theatre with Bob Baker performing the soundtrack throughout. Though he's not on screen, it's one of the better sound recordings of his performance:
IN MEMORY OF BOB BAKER 
