47 Uma

Michigan-based worldbeat band 47UMa are led by singer/guitarist Gail Baker, who began performing professionally in the Detroit area in 1980, working with a variety of groups. She earned local recognition for her appearance on the recording Live at Chaps-on-Main and in 1983 recorded as part of What If Thinking. In the 1990s, she combined with drummer Mike Friedman and bass player Steve Rouse to form 47UMa, which began making appearances in April 1997. (The name of the band derives from the discovery of the star 47 Ursae Majoris b in the Big Bear constellation about the time they formed.) The group made its first recording, a cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit," for a Detroit compilation released by the European Zambee-Karlt label released in November 1997. In 2000, 47UMa placed the track "African Dream" on the University of Michigan-Dearborn's Diversity CD. The band's self-titled debut album was released locally by Megawave Records in February 2002. On that album, guitarist Jake Reichbart was billed as a "very special guest"; he later became a group member. Megawave paired with the Innovative Distribution Network to achieve national distribution in 2007 and re-released 47UMa as one of its first albums on June 19, 2007.