---
title: "A Father's Joy, a Songwriter's Mission: Inside Laurence Baer's Across Light"
description: Grammy-nominated songwriter Laurence Baer releases Baby's Baby Bump on September 11, co-written with Darren Holden of The High Kings, as part of Across Light.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-09-09T16:44:11.425Z
updated: 2026-09-29T20:26:38.971Z
canonical: https://richdadmagazine.com/article/laurence-baer-across-light-babys-baby-bump
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/laurence-baer-del-mccoury-band-2009-hero.webp
categories: Music, Fatherhood
content_type: Spotlight
region: Maryland
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
about:
  - type: Person
    name: Laurence Baer
    description: "Laurence Baer is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, composer and author from Ellicott City, Maryland, whose work moves between indie-pop crossover, acoustic soul ballads and traditional gospel choir anthems. His master catalog, Across Light, is a 21-song collection released one chapter every 21 days since August 2026. He is the founder of Peace Stars, a nonprofit music competition aimed at ending historical conflicts, and of the GodToU daily gratitude podcast. His song \"White Pass Railroad\" was covered by the Del McCoury Band on Family Circle, nominated for Best Bluegrass Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011."
    url: https://www.laurencebaer.com
    jobTitle: Songwriter
    worksFor: Laurence Baer Music
    sameAs:
      - https://www.youtube.com/@GODTOULLC/shorts
---

Grammy-nominated songwriter Laurence Baer is in the middle of releasing Across Light, a 21-song concept collection dropping one chapter every 21 days since August 2026. The project is built around five pillars: Faith, Family, Healing, Celebrating Life, and Mankind's Return to God. Across its full arc it moves between themes of national healing, family life, and international humanitarian causes. There is a groundswell of endorsement from music-industry voices, including JamSphere ("the scale and conviction of a genuine anthem"), Top Radio Hits ("heartfelt vocals and uplifting worship message"), and College Music ("beautiful... delivered with so much emotion and warmth").

## Baby's Baby Bump and the Darren Holden Co-Write

> "Darren is an incredible songwriter and a pleasure to write with. I can't help smiling when I listen to Baby's Baby Bump."
> — Laurence Baer

The collection's current single, "Baby's Baby Bump," releases September 11 and captures [a father's overwhelming joy](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/kelsie-kimberlin-s-infinite-possibilities-the-father-daughter-song-behind-her-next-chapter) watching his wife's pregnancy unfold, a perspective too rarely explored in popular music. The song is co-written with Darren Holden of Ireland's Multi-Platinum folk group The High Kings. "Darren is an incredible songwriter and a pleasure to write with," said Baer. "I can't help smiling when I listen to Baby's Baby Bump." The two are already working on a separate project of additional co-writes for later this year.

[Listen on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/43CE0AZrkBITcghTivphcn)

Fans who pre-save now receive the already-released "This Holy Ground" immediately, a thank-you preview of the collection's first four songs, and [each new chapter of Across Light](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/laurence-baer-effortlessly-across-light) automatically as it's released. Pre-save "Baby's Baby Bump" for free now at [ffm.to/acrosslightvip!nmh](https://ffm.to/acrosslightvip!nmh).

## The Global Economic Action Institute Years

Prior to his music, Baer was deeply involved in international economic policy. He helped found the Global Economic Action Institute in 1983 alongside Treasury Secretary Robert B. Anderson, whom Ike had begged to stand as the GOP candidate to replace him in 1960. Anderson had been key to the launch of both the IADB and the IDA in the 1950s, and after the Institute was founded, World Bank President Tom Clausen recruited GEAI to (successfully) shore up support for MIGA. In November 1989, Baer was in Budapest at a GEAI conference on Eastern Europe's transition to free markets the very moment the Berlin Wall fell.

![Laurence Baer with former US Treasury Secretary Robert B. Anderson in Cologne, 1986](https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/laurence-baer-robert-anderson-1986-inline.webp)

## Peace Stars and the Bluegrass Credits

Baer is also launching Peace Stars (peacestars.tv), a nonprofit music competition uniting musicians from opposing sides of global conflicts to create songs of reconciliation. Its advisory board includes 13x Grammy-nominated artist Dianne Meinke and Daryl Davis, the legendary blues pianist and race-relations advocate who also co-produced Baer's upcoming track "I've Been Blessed." Baer continues this same work in line with Across Light's five pillars through his free daily gratitude podcast at GodToU.com, highlighting the infinite gifts of love God is continually pouring out to mankind.

For two years, Baer managed the tour of Tommy Emmanuel protégés Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb, whose guitar work appears on both Across Time (2015) and Across Love (2018). His studio work has also brought him alongside acoustic music icons including Mike Auldridge, Rickie Simpkins, Rob Ickes, Mike Munford, Shelby and Isaac Eicher, and Richard Smith. Baer's own "White Pass Railroad" was covered by the Del McCoury Band on Family Circle, nominated for the 2009 Grammy Bluegrass Album of the Year.

Pre-save "Baby's Baby Bump" for free now at [ffm.to/acrosslightvip!nmh](https://ffm.to/acrosslightvip!nmh), and receive "This Holy Ground" and a preview of the first four songs of Across Light as a thank-you.

**About Laurence Baer**
Songwriter, Laurence Baer Music

Laurence Baer is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, composer and author from Ellicott City, Maryland, whose work moves between indie-pop crossover, acoustic soul ballads and traditional gospel choir anthems. His master catalog, Across Light, is a 21-song collection released one chapter every 21 days since August 2026. He is the founder of Peace Stars, a nonprofit music competition aimed at ending historical conflicts, and of the GodToU daily gratitude podcast. His song "White Pass Railroad" was covered by the Del McCoury Band on Family Circle, nominated for Best Bluegrass Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011.

[Website](https://www.laurencebaer.com)