Lead by Ryan Calloway and Jessica King The Hot Baked Goods were founded in October 2012 on a concrete staircase on the west side of Dolores Park by a small group of swing dancer friends. They worked up their chops playing for passing MUNI trains and rehearsing in the living room of Bay Area traditional jazz guru Clint Baker. Over time, the band moved their practice to a more central location in the park where friends came to dance, eat, and enjoy San Francisco culture. They played near the playground almost every Saturday for a year and a half. Children clapped, wiggled, and giggled, neighborhood parents asked them to play for their kid’s birthday parties; it was a joyous time.
Ryan Calloway has been in the arts his entire life. He is guided by a passion to create jazz music and dance and share it with the world around him. As a musician, Ryan is a co-creator of The Hot Baked Goods and the founder of the Silver Bell Jazz Band. As an internationally renowned dancer, Ryan has travelled the world teaching Lindy Hop and African-American vernacular jazz dances as well as leading bands and teaching music. Ryan also creates portraits of many of his musical inspirations—they can be found on his Etsy store.
Bay Area vocalist and instrumentalist Jessica King discovered her passion for jazz through an introduction to Lindy Hop swing dancing in 2010 in Philadelphia. Dance has taken her to places she never dreamed, but always hoped, including the stage. Co-creator of The Hot Baked Goods, she sings and plays rhythm—washboard, guitar, and banjo—with multiple bands in the Bay and beyond. Since she was a girl, blues, jazz, and R&B have been ever-present in her musical tastes. Growing up, she found vocal inspiration listening to Nat Cole, Patsy Cline, Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, and Robert Plant, and in more recent years, Una Mae Carlisle, Peggy Lee, Bessie Smith, Anita O'Day, and local great Barbara Dane. Experienced as a lead vocalist, Jessica also loves to collaborate on harmonies with other singers and as a backup vocalist.
The Hot Baked Goods travel nationally and internationally, spreading their love of jazz everywhere they go. Excitement, passion, and respect for the music continue to ignite them, like in their early days, so you can be sure they will bring hot energy to the stage whenever they perform.
