Stephen Bates(1953-2003)
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Stephen Baltes was born in Madison, Wisconsin to David Norbert Baltes, a salesman for wholesale merchandise, and Dorothy Schultz, a dental assistant. Baltes started playing piano at the age of four, and when he was 12, he learned how to play the organ at his father's Evangelical Lutheran church, which was how he learned to create musical underscores. As he grew older, Baltes dropped the "L" in his last name, and used "Stephen Bates" as his stage name.
Baltes found work as a pianist, conductor and arranger at several regional theatres, such as the Red Barn Theater in Rockton, Illinois, then the Chateau Louise in Dundee, Illinois, and the Melody Top in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Baltes eventually became the music director for several theatres in Chicago, including the Drury Lane Oakbrook, the Drury Lane Water Tower, the Goodman Theatre, and the Weston O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont.
While still in Chicago in the early 1980s, Baltes became a rehearsal pianist for the first national tour of the Broadway musical "42nd Street". The touring producer David Merrick called on Baltes to become the permanent conductor for the show, and from there, he conducted several international performances in Tokyo, Moscow, Vienna, and Paris, before returning to Chicago. In 1986, while working on "A Split Decision" (a musical stage show about divorce), Baltes met Larry Baker, who would become his romantic partner for the rest of his life.
In 1988, Baltes and Baker moved to Dallas, Texas, where they were both hired by Richard C. Leach to work on "Barney and the Backyard Gang" videos, which was produced by his daughter-in-law Sheryl Leach: Baltes served as the series' music director, while Baker served as an assistant director. When the video series became televised as Barney & Friends (1992), Baltes was hired as a lyricist for Season 3, working alongside Lory Lazarus.
While he was still working on "Barney", Baltes also wrote songs for the 1999 musical comedy "Naked Boys Singing", for which he also served as the music director and arranger. Baltes and Baker moved back to Chicago in 2003, and Baltes found success conducting the Chicago Company's production of "The Lion King". He was awarded the Trailblazer Award by the Bailiwick Theater for his outspoken support for the LGBTQ+ community.
On November 5, 2003, Baltes died at Rush University Medical Center from lymphoma caused by AIDS, which he had contracted back in 1987. He was 50 years old.
Baltes found work as a pianist, conductor and arranger at several regional theatres, such as the Red Barn Theater in Rockton, Illinois, then the Chateau Louise in Dundee, Illinois, and the Melody Top in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Baltes eventually became the music director for several theatres in Chicago, including the Drury Lane Oakbrook, the Drury Lane Water Tower, the Goodman Theatre, and the Weston O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont.
While still in Chicago in the early 1980s, Baltes became a rehearsal pianist for the first national tour of the Broadway musical "42nd Street". The touring producer David Merrick called on Baltes to become the permanent conductor for the show, and from there, he conducted several international performances in Tokyo, Moscow, Vienna, and Paris, before returning to Chicago. In 1986, while working on "A Split Decision" (a musical stage show about divorce), Baltes met Larry Baker, who would become his romantic partner for the rest of his life.
In 1988, Baltes and Baker moved to Dallas, Texas, where they were both hired by Richard C. Leach to work on "Barney and the Backyard Gang" videos, which was produced by his daughter-in-law Sheryl Leach: Baltes served as the series' music director, while Baker served as an assistant director. When the video series became televised as Barney & Friends (1992), Baltes was hired as a lyricist for Season 3, working alongside Lory Lazarus.
While he was still working on "Barney", Baltes also wrote songs for the 1999 musical comedy "Naked Boys Singing", for which he also served as the music director and arranger. Baltes and Baker moved back to Chicago in 2003, and Baltes found success conducting the Chicago Company's production of "The Lion King". He was awarded the Trailblazer Award by the Bailiwick Theater for his outspoken support for the LGBTQ+ community.
On November 5, 2003, Baltes died at Rush University Medical Center from lymphoma caused by AIDS, which he had contracted back in 1987. He was 50 years old.
