Ginger Baker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ginger Baker
Baker performing with Cream on the Dutch television programme Fanclub in 1968
Background information
Birth name	Peter Edward Baker
Born	(1939-08-19)19 August 1939 Lewisham, South London, England
Died	6 October 2019(2019-10-06) (aged 80) Canterbury, Kent, England
Genres	Rock blues jazz Afrobeat
Occupation(s)	Drummer
Years active	1950s–2015
Labels	Polydor Warner Bros. Island

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (born August 19, 1939 – died October 6, 2019) was a famous English drummer. He was known as "rock's first superstar drummer" in the 1960s and 1970s. His drumming style mixed jazz and African rhythms. He also helped create new music styles like jazz fusion and world music.

Baker first became well-known in bands like Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation. In both bands, he played with bassist Jack Bruce. In 1966, Baker and Bruce joined guitarist Eric Clapton to form Cream. This band became very successful around the world. After Cream, Baker played with Clapton again in the band Blind Faith. He also led his own group, Ginger Baker's Air Force. In the 1970s, Baker lived and recorded in Africa, working with musicians like Fela Kuti. He was very interested in African music.

People admired Baker's drumming for its unique style and exciting performances. He was one of the first drummers to use two bass drums instead of just one. He also performed long drum solos, like the famous one in the Cream song "Toad". Ginger Baker was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of Cream. He was also honored in the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2016.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Peter Baker was born in Lewisham, South London, England. He got the nickname "Ginger" because of his bright red hair. His father, Frederick Baker, was a bricklayer and a soldier in World War II. Sadly, his father died in 1943 during the war.

Ginger Baker started playing drums when he was about 15 years old. In the early 1960s, he took lessons from Phil Seamen. Seamen was one of the best British jazz drummers of that time.

A Career in Music

Early Bands and Collaborations

In the 1960s, Ginger Baker joined a band called Blues Incorporated. There, he met bassist Jack Bruce. They often had disagreements, but they played together again in the Graham Bond Organisation. This group played rhythm and blues music with strong jazz influences.

Forming Cream

Even with their disagreements, Baker and Bruce teamed up again in 1966. They formed the band Cream with guitarist Eric Clapton. Cream mixed blues, psychedelic rock, and hard rock music. The band released four albums in just over two years. They became very popular before breaking up in 1968.

Blind Faith and Air Force

After Cream, Baker joined a "supergroup" called Blind Faith. This band included Eric Clapton, bassist Ric Grech, and Steve Winwood on keyboards and vocals. They released one album, Blind Faith, before the band ended.

In 1970, Baker formed his own fusion rock group called Ginger Baker's Air Force. They toured and recorded music.

African Adventures

In November 1971, Baker decided to build a recording studio in Lagos, Nigeria. He wanted to travel there by driving across the Sahara Desert. A filmmaker named Tony Palmer joined him. The film Ginger Baker in Africa shows his journey and his efforts to set up the studio. After many challenges, his Batakota (ARC) studios opened in 1973. It became a successful place for both local and Western musicians to record. Even Paul McCartney and Wings recorded a song there for their album Band on the Run.

Baker also played with the famous Nigerian musician Fela Kuti during recording sessions. He also formed a band called Baker Gurvitz Army in 1974. They released three albums and toured before the band broke up in 1976.

Later Years and Projects

Baker in 1980

After his studio in Nigeria, Baker spent time on an olive farm in Tuscany, Italy. He didn't play much music during this period.

In the 1980s, Baker joined the band Hawkwind for a short time. He also played as a session musician for other artists. In the late 1980s, Baker moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to try acting and appeared in a TV series called Nasty Boys.

In the 1990s, Baker played with the hard rock group Masters of Reality. He also formed BBM in 1993 with Jack Bruce and guitarist Gary Moore. They released one album. Baker lived in Parker, Colorado for several years because he loved polo. He also sponsored music sessions there. In 1994, he formed The Ginger Baker Trio, a jazz group.

Reunions and Final Years

Baker in 2011

On May 3, 2005, Baker reunited with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce for a series of Cream concerts. They played at the Royal Albert Hall in London and Madison Square Garden in New York. These concerts were recorded and released as an album.

His autobiography, Hellraiser, was published in 2009. From 2013 to 2014, he toured with his jazz quartet, the Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion. In 2014, he released the album Why?.

Documentaries About Ginger Baker

• Ginger Baker in Africa (1971) is a film that shows Baker's journey across the Sahara Desert to Nigeria. It also shows him setting up his recording studio and playing with Fela Kuti.
• In 2012, the film Beware of Mr. Baker was released. This documentary tells the story of Baker's life. It won an award at the South by Southwest film festival.

Drumming Style and Technique

Baker said that drummers like Phil Seamen, Art Blakey, and Max Roach influenced his style. Even though he was known as a "rock drummer," Baker preferred to be seen as a jazz drummer.

Baker's early performances were known for his musical talent and exciting showmanship. He was one of the first drummers to use two bass drums in rock. He saw jazz drummer Sam Woodyard use two bass drums and decided to try it himself.

Baker's DW drumset in 2009

Baker used light, thin drum sticks. His playing often used syncopation and patterns from bebop jazz. He also used many African rhythms.

He helped create the typical rock drum solo. A famous example is the five-minute solo in the song "Toad" from Cream's first album, Fresh Cream (1966). Baker was also one of the first drummers to move his left foot between his left bass drum pedal and hi-hat pedal to create different sounds. He also mounted his tom-toms vertically on his drum kit, which was unusual.

Baker's drum kits were made by Drum Workshop later in his career. Before that, he used Ludwig Drums. All of his cymbals were made by Zildjian. He even used the same 22-inch rivet ride cymbal and 14-inch hi-hats that he used during Cream's last tours in 1968.

Legacy and Influence

Ginger Baker in 1997

Ginger Baker's drumming style influenced many other famous drummers. Some of these include John Bonham, Neil Peart, Phil Collins, Stewart Copeland, and Ian Paice.

Modern Drummer magazine called him "one of classic rock's first influential drumming superstars of the 1960s." AllMusic described him as "the most influential percussionist of the 1960s." They also said that "virtually every drummer of every heavy metal band that has followed since that time has sought to copy some part of Baker's playing." Even though he helped create heavy metal drumming, Baker himself did not like the genre.

Drum! magazine listed Baker among the "50 Most Important Drummers of All Time." They said he was "one of the most imitated '60s drummers" and that "he forever changed the face of rock music." Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 3rd on their list of "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time." Neil Peart, a famous drummer, said that Baker's playing was "revolutionary – extrovert, primal and inventive." He added, "Every rock drummer since has been influenced in some way by Ginger – even if they don't know it."

Personal Life

Ginger Baker was known for his strong personality. He had three children: Ginette Karen, Leda, and Kofi Streatfield Baker. His son, Kofi, is also a drummer.

Health and Passing

In February 2013, Baker shared that he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from smoking. He also had chronic back pain from osteoarthritis. In February 2016, he was diagnosed with serious heart problems and had to cancel all his future concerts. He later had open heart surgery and was recovering.

On September 25, 2019, Baker's family announced that he was very ill in the hospital. Ginger Baker passed away on October 6, 2019, at the age of 80. A private funeral service was held for him later that month.

Discography

Solo

Blind Faith discography

• Blind Faith (Polydor, 1969)

Cream discography

The Storyville Jazz Men and the Hugh Rainey Allstars

• Storyville Re-Visited (1958) also featuring Bob Wallis and Ginger Baker

Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated

• Alexis Korner and Friends (1963)

Graham Bond Organisation

• Live at Klooks Kleek (1964)
• The Sound of '65 (1965)
• There's a Bond Between Us (1965)

Ginger Baker's Air Force

• Ginger Baker's Air Force (Atco, 1970)
• Ginger Baker's Air Force II (Atco, 1970)

Baker Gurvitz Army

• Baker Gurvitz Army (Janus, 1974)
• Elysian Encounter (Atco, 1975)
• Hearts on Fire (Atco, 1976)
• Flying in and Out of Stardom (Castle, 2003)
• Greatest Hits (GB Music, 2003)
• Live in Derby (Major League Productions, 2005)
• Live (Revisited, 2005)

with Fela Kuti

• Fela's London Scene (EMI, 1971) – uncredited
• Why Black Man Dey Suffer (African Sounds, 1971)
• Live! (Regal Zonophone, 1972)

with Hawkwind

• Levitation (Bronze, 1980)
• Zones (Flicknife, 1983)
• This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic (Flicknife, 1984)

with others

• Album by Public Image Ltd (Elektra/Virgin, 1986)
• Unseen Rain with Jens Johansson and Jonas Hellborg (Day Eight, 1992)
• Sunrise on the Sufferbus by Masters of Reality (Chrysalis, 1992)
• Cities of the Heart by Jack Bruce (CMP, 1993)
• Around the Next Dream by BBM (Capitol, 1994)
• Synaesthesia by Andy Summers (CMP, 1996)
• Coward of the County by Ginger Baker and the Denver Jazz Quintet-to-Octet (DJQ2O) (Atlantic, 1999)

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids

See also

In Spanish: Ginger Baker para niños