Journeyman musician Baatin (pronounced BAAH-teen, the name is an Arabic word for a latent aspect of God) grew up in the small town of Hawkinsville, GA, and first learned to sing harmony from his mother in church. He began teaching himself to play piano at age five. At eight, he started taking piano lessons, and by nine was self-taught on recorder and saxophone. At 13, he was playing saxophone and organ with a band called the Soul Groovers in clubs. He attended Boggs Academy near August, GA, where he directed the men's glee club and the men's quartet. Upon graduation, he entered Mercer University in Macon, GA, from which he received a B.A. in sociology. He also played in a local band called Black Snow, later reverting to a band from his hometown that evolved into Darkness of Evil, which recorded the single "Laid Back Funk" for Playboy Records. He went on to other bands, notably Bone, Holmes & Friends and Light Years, turning more to jazz with the trio Top Secret.
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