Stuart Daniel Baker, known professionally as Unknown Hinson, was born on November 7, 1954, in Albemarle, North Carolina. He created the alter-ego Unknown Hinson for The Wild Wild South, a Charlotte-area public-access program featuring comedy sketches and concert footage. Baker and co-star Don Swan played Unknown Hinson and Rebel Helms, respectively. After Swan's death in 1995, Baker created The Unknown Hinson Show, a spin-off that won Creative Loafing Charlotte's "Best Of" poll for Best Public-Access Television Show four years in a row. Hinson released several albums, including 21 Chart-Toppers (1999), Rock 'n' Roll Is Straight from Hell (2002), and Reloaded (2012). He performed with notable acts such as The Reverend Horton Heat, Marty Stuart, Hank III, and Ed King. In late 2008, under the name Danny Baker, he joined Billy Bob Thornton's band The Boxmasters. Hinson also provided the voice of Early Cuyler in Cartoon Network’s Squidbillies from 2005 to 2019. He announced his retirement from touring on June 3, 2020, due to osteoarthritis and, in 2023, revealed he was recovering from two strokes.
