The rock world lost legendary drummer Ginger Baker on October 6, 2019, at age 80.
Peter Edward Baker was born in Lewisham, South London. His flaming red hair earned him the nickname Ginger. He co-founded supergroup Cream in 1966 with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce.
Cream released four albums before their 1968 split.
Baker is one of the most innovative and influential drummers in rock. His early passion was to ride in the Tour de France, yet an accident at age 16 ruled that out. It was then he took up drumming. The muscular legs he developing biking added to his skill, playing the double bass drum set he favored.
Regarded as the world’s first ‘supergroup’ Cream fused blues and psychedelia to dazzling effect on songs like ‘Strange Brew’, ‘Tales of Brave Ulysses’, ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, ‘White Room’, ‘Badge’ and ‘I Feel Free’. The band sold over 35 million albums. The group’s third album, Wheels of Fire released in 1968 was the world’s first platinum-selling double album. They made the setup of studio recordings on one disc and the second recorded live at the Fillmore.
The 16-minute instrumental track ‘Toad’ written by Baker is one of the earliest recorded drum solos in rock history. ‘Toad’ first appeared on their 1966 album Fresh Cream.
Cream joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in defining the path of heavy rock. Their incendiary live shows showcased the three musicians stretching simple riffs into long, exploratory improvisations.
Tensions between Bruce and Baker led to their decision in May 1968 to break up. After the band’s demise in 1968, Baker teamed up with Clapton and Steve Winwood in 1969 to form Blind Faith. They split after one album and tour.
He then formed Ginger Baker’s Air Force, combining his interests in jazz and Afro-fusion. Under this bill, he released two 1970 albums.
Baker also played with Hawkwind, Fela Kuti, and John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd, in a long and varied career.
“It’s the drummer’s job to make the other guys sound good.”
Inspired by the drug-related death of his friend, Jimi Hendrix, Baker left the London music scene and got clean. He had used drugs heavily since the 1960s.
He moved to Nigeria and set up a recording studio in Lagos, the nation’s capital. During this time he worked with Paul McCartney on the Wings’ Band On The Run album, recording ‘Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)’, yet he claimed he parted ways with McCartney for non-payment for these contributions.
In 1974 he formed Baker Gurvitz Army hard rock band with Adrian Gurvitz on the guitar and Paul Gurvitz on the bass. This group disbanded within two years, yet produced three albums.
He moved to Colorado in 1993 to raise ponies, yet continued to record.
The same year the album Sunrise On The Sufferbus was released with Masters of Reality. The single ‘She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On’ came from this.
They inducted Cream to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. The band briefly reunited to play three songs, then teamed up again in 2005 for a series of concerts in London and New York.
In 1994, he formed The Ginger Baker Trio with bassist Charlie Haden and guitarist Bill Frisell. The same year he also joined BBM, a short-lived power trio with the line-up of Baker, Jack Bruce, and Irish blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore.
The 2012 documentary Beware of Mr. Baker showed how his jaw-dropping drumming was neither as wild nor as extraordinary as his personal life. In the opening scene, we saw Baker attacking director Jay Bulger with a metal cane, declaring: “I’m going to put you in hospital.”
He later settled down to reflect on his life and the musical journey of broken bands, ex-wives, and neglected children he’d left in his wake.
In February 2013, Baker said he had the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from years of heavy smoking, and chronic back pain from degenerative osteoarthritis.
Baker recorded his last album in 2014. Two years later, he underwent open-heart surgery and announced his retirement from touring.
In February 2016, Baker canceled all future gigs because of heart issues. Writing on his blog, he said, “Just seen doctor … big shock… no more gigs for this old drummer… everything is off… of all things I never thought it would be my heart…”
Image Credit By F. van Geelen
