Genre Rock
Country England
City London
district Lewisham
Years active 1954 - present
Type • Drums • Percussion • Vocals
Tags

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ginger Baker

Best Songs

Ginger Baker
Baker performing in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Peter Edward Baker
Born	(1939-08-19) 19 August 1939 (age ?79) Lewisham, South London, England
Genres	Rock blues jazz Afrobeat
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Drums percussion vocals
Years active	1954 - present
Labels	Polydor Warner Bros. Island
Associated acts	Blues Incorporated the Graham Bond Organisation Cream Ginger Baker`s Air Force Blind Faith Ginger Baker and Friends Baker Gurvitz Army Fela Kuti Hawkwind Public Image Ltd. Atomic Rooster Masters of Reality Bruce-Baker-Moore Ginger Baker Trio
Website	gingerbaker.com

"Peter E. Baker" redirects here. For the volcanologist, see Peter E. Baker (geologist).

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (born 19 August 1939) is an English drummer and a founder of the rock band Cream. 1 His work in the 1960s earned him the reputation of "rock`s first superstar drummer," while his individual style melds a jazz background with African rhythms. Baker is credited as a pioneer of drumming in genres like jazz fusion, heavy metal and world music. 2

Baker began playing drums at age 15, and later took lessons from Phil Seamen. In the 1960s, he joined Blues Incorporated, where he met bassist Jack Bruce. The two clashed often, but would be rhythm section partners again in the Graham Bond Organisation and Cream, the latter of which Baker co-founded with Eric Clapton in 1966. Cream achieved worldwide success but lasted only until 1968, in part due to Baker`s and Bruce`s volatile relationship. After briefly working with Clapton in Blind Faith and leading Ginger Baker`s Air Force, Baker spent several years in the 1970s living and recording in Africa, often with Fela Kuti, in pursuit of his long-time interest in African music. 3 Among Baker`s other collaborations are his work with Gary Moore, Masters of Reality, Public Image Ltd, Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster, Bill Laswell, jazz bassist Charlie Haden, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and Ginger Baker`s Energy.

Baker`s drumming is regarded for its style, showmanship, and use of two bass drums instead of the conventional one. In his early days, he performed lengthy drum solos, most notably in the Cream song "Toad", one of the earliest recorded examples in rock music. Baker is an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cream, of the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2008, 4 and of the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2016. 5

1 Biography

2 Documentaries

3 Style and technique

4 Legacy

5 Personal life

6 Discography

7 Instruments and sound
- 7.1 Drums
- 7.2 Cymbals

8 Notes

9 References

10 External links

Biography edit

Baker performing with Cream on the Dutch television program Fanclub in 1968

Early life and career edit

Ginger Baker was born in Lewisham, South London. His mother worked in a tobacco shop; his father, Frederick Louvain Formidable Baker, was a bricklayer employed by his own father, who owned a building business, 6 and a Lance Corporal in the Royal Corps of Signals in WWII; he died in the 1943 Dodecanese Campaign. 7

An athletic child, Baker began playing drums at about 15 years old as an outlet for his restless energy. In the early 1960s he took lessons from Phil Seamen, one of the leading British jazz drummers of the post-war era. He gained early fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organisation with future Cream bandmate Jack Bruce. The Graham Bond Organisation was an R&B/blues group with strong jazz leanings.

Cream edit

Main article: Cream (band)

Baker founded the rock band Cream in 1966 with Jack Bruce and guitarist Eric Clapton. A fusion of blues, psychedelic rock and hard rock, the band released four albums in a little over two years before breaking up in 1968. 8

Blind Faith edit

Main article: Blind Faith

Baker (second from right) with Blind Faith, 1969

Baker then joined the short-lived "supergroup" Blind Faith, composed of Clapton, bassist Ric Grech from Family, and Steve Winwood from Traffic on keyboards and vocals. They released only one album, Blind Faith, before breaking up.

Ginger Baker`s Air Force edit

Main article: Ginger Baker`s Air Force

In 1970 Baker formed, toured and recorded with fusion rock group Ginger Baker`s Air Force.

1970s edit

In November 1971, Baker decided to set up a recording studio in Lagos, then the capital of Nigeria. Baker was one of the first rock musicians to realize the potential of African music. He also decided that it would be an interesting experience to travel to Nigeria overland across the Sahara Desert. Baker invited documentary filmmaker Tony Palmer to join him and Ginger Baker in Africa follows his odyssey as he makes his journey and finally arrives in Nigeria to set up his studio. After many frustrating set-backs & technical hitches, Batakota (ARC) studios opened at the end of January 1973, and it would operate successfully through the seventies as a facility for both local and western musicians (Paul McCartney and Wings recorded for Band On The Run at this studio). 9

Baker sat in for Fela Kuti 10 11 during recording sessions in 1971 released by Regal Zonophone as Live! (1971)` 12 Fela also appeared with Ginger Baker on Stratavarious (1972) alongside Bobby Gass, 13 a pseudonym for Bobby Tench 1 from the Jeff Beck Group. Stratavarious was later re-issued as part of the compilation Do What You Like. 14 Baker formed Baker Gurvitz Army with brothers Paul and Adrian Gurvitz in 1974 (encouraged by manager Bill Fehilly). The band recorded three albums, Baker Gurvitz Army (1974), Elysian Encounter (1975) and Hearts on Fire (1976), and the band toured through England and Europe in 1975. The band broke up in 1976, not long after the death in a plane crash of Bill Fehilly. 15

Baker in 1980

1980s edit

After the failure of the recording studio in Lagos, Baker spent most of the early 1980s on an olive ranch in a small town in Italy. During this period, he played little music and managed to kick the heroin habit that contributed to the downfall of his career. Then producer Bill Laswell talked him into doing some session work on John Lydon`s Public Image Ltd. album, called Album, in 1985. 16

In the early 1980s, Baker joined Hawkwind for an album and tour, and he recorded two additional albums with the group.

Baker moved to Los Angeles in the late 80`s intending to become an actor. He appeared in the 1990 TV series Nasty Boys as Ginger. 17

Ginger Baker 1997

1990s edit

In 1992 Baker played with the hard-rock group Masters of Reality with bassist Googe and singer/guitarist Chris Goss on the album Sunrise on the Sufferbus. The album received critical acclaim but sold fewer than 10,000 copies.

Baker lived in Parker, Colorado, a rural commuter town at the southeastern corner of the Denver Metropolitan Area, between 1993 and 1999, in part due to his passion for polo. Baker not only participated in polo events at the Salisbury Equestrian Park, but he also sponsored an ongoing series of jam sessions and concerts at the equestrian centre on weekends. 18

In 1994, he formed The Ginger Baker Trio with bassist Charlie Haden and guitarist Bill Frisell. He also joined BBM, a short-lived power trio with the line-up of Baker, Jack Bruce and Irish blues rock guitarist Gary Moore.

2000s and 2010s edit

On 3 May 2005, Baker reunited with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce for a series of Cream concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden. The London concerts were recorded and released as Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005 (2005). 19 In a Rolling Stone article written in 2009, Bruce is quoted as saying, "It`s a knife-edge thing between me and Ginger. Nowadays, we`re happily co-existing in different continents Bruce, who died in 2014, lived in Britain, while Baker lived in South Africa ?... although I was thinking of asking him to move. He`s still a bit too close". 20

In 2008 a bank clerk, Lindiwe Noko, was charged with defrauding him of almost half a million Rand ($60,000). 21 Baker said he had hired Noko as a personal assistant, paying her ?7 per day (about 100 Rand) for performing various errands and alleged she used this position to uncover his private banking information and make unauthorized withdrawals. 22 Noko claimed that the money was a gift after she and Baker became lovers. Baker replied, "I`ve a scar that only a woman who had a thing with me would know. It`s there and she doesn`t know it`s there". 23 Noko pleaded not guilty but was convicted of fraud. In October 2010 she was sentenced to three years of "correctional supervision", a type of community service. Baker called the sentence "a travesty". 24

Baker`s autobiography Hellraiser was published in 2009. 1

Throughout 2013 and 2014, Baker toured with the Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion, a quartet comprising Baker, saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, bassist Alec Dankworth, and percussionist Abass Dodoo.

In 2014, Baker signed with Motéma Music to release Why?. 25

In February 2016, Baker announced he had been diagnosed with "serious heart issues" and cancelled all future gigs until further notice. 26 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..." 27 In late March 2016, it was revealed that Baker was set for pioneering treatment. "There are two options for surgery and, depending on how strong my old lungs are, they may do both." He added, "Cardiologist is brilliant. Yesterday he inserted a tube into the artery at my right wrist and fed it all the way to my heart – quite an experience. He was taking pictures of my heart from inside – amazing technology... He says he`s going to get me playing again! Thanks all for your support." 28 The heart operation was done in July 2016 with Baker reported to be on the road to recovery. 29

Documentaries edit

Ginger Baker in Africa (1971) documents Baker`s drive from Algeria to Nigeria (across the Sahara desert by Range Rover), where in Lagos, he sets up a recording studio and jams with Fela Kuti.

In 2012, the documentary film Beware of Mr. Baker of Ginger Baker`s life by Jay Bulger had its world premiere at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, where it won the grand jury award for best documentary feature. It received its UK premiere on BBC One on 7 July 2015 30 31 as part of the channel`s Imagine series.

Style and technique edit

Baker cited Phil Seamen, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones and Baby Dodds as main influences on his style. 32

Although he is generally considered a pupil of Phil Seamen, Baker stated that he is largely self-taught and he only played some exercises with Seamen. 33

Baker`s early performance attracted attention for both his musicality and showmanship. While he became famous during his time with Cream for his wild, unpredictable, and flamboyant performances that were often viewed in a vein similar to that of Keith Moon from the Who, Baker has also frequently employed a much more restrained and straightforward performance style influenced by the British jazz groups he heard during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Although he is usually categorized as a "rock drummer," Baker himself prefers to be viewed as a jazz drummer, or as just "a drummer." 34

Along with Moon, Baker has been credited as one of the early pioneers of double bass drumming in rock. 33 35 He recollects that in 1966 he began to adopt two bass drums in his setup after he and Moon watched drummer Sam Woodyard at a Duke Ellington concert. 33 36 According to Baker:

Every drummer that ever played for Duke Ellington played a double bass drum kit. I went to a Duke Ellington concert in 1966 and Sam Woodyard was playing with Duke and he played some incredible tom tom and two bass drum things, some of which I still use today and I just knew I had to get a two bass drum kit. Keith Moon was with me at that concert and we were discussing it and he went straight round to Premier and bought two kits which he stuck together. I had to wait for Ludwig to make a kit up for me, which they did – to my own specifications. So Moonie had the two bass drum kit some months before I did. 36

Baker prefers light, thin, fast-rebounding drum sticks (size 7A), usually held using a matched grip. Baker`s playing makes use of syncopation and ride cymbal patterns characteristic of bebop and other advanced forms of jazz, as well as the frequent application of African rhythms. 37 He frequently employs differing timbres and colours in his percussive work, using a variety of other percussion instruments in addition to the standard drum kit.

In his early days, he developed what would later become the archetypal rock drum solo, with the best known example being the five-minute-long "Toad" from Cream`s debut album Fresh Cream (1966). Baker was one of the first drummers to move his left foot between his left bass drum pedal and hi-hat pedal to create various combinations. 37 Somewhat atypically, Baker mounts all of the tom toms on his drum kit in a vertical fashion, with the shells of the drums perpendicular to the floor - as opposed to the more common practice of angling the rack toms toward the player. 37

Legacy edit

Baker`s style influenced many drummers, including John Bonham, 38 Peter Criss, 39 Neil Peart, 40 Stewart Copeland, 41 Ian Paice, 42 Terry Bozzio, 43 Dave Lombardo, 44 Tommy Aldridge, 45 Bill Bruford, 46 Alex Van Halen, 47 Danny Seraphine 48 and Nick Mason. 49

Modern Drummer magazine has described him as "one of classic rock`s first influential drumming superstars of the 1960s" and "one of classic rock`s true drum gods". 50 AllMusic has described him as "the most influential percussionist of the 1960s" and stated that "virtually every drummer of every heavy metal band that has followed since that time has sought to emulate some aspect of Baker`s playing". 51 Although he is widely considered a pioneer of heavy metal drumming, Baker has expressed his repugnance for the genre. 52

Drum! magazine listed Baker among the "50 Most Important Drummers of All Time" and has defined him as "one of the most imitated `60s drummers", 53 stating also that "he forever changed the face of rock music". 54 He was voted the ninth greatest drummer of all time in a Rolling Stone reader poll and has been considered the "drummer who practically invented the rock drum solo". 55 In 2016, he was ranked 3rd on Rolling Stone`s "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". 56

According to author and columnist Ken Micallef in his book Classic Rock Drummers: "the pantheon of contemporary drummers from metal, fusion, and rock owe their very existence to Baker`s trailblazing work with Cream". 57

Neil Peart has said: "His playing was revolutionary – extrovert, primal and inventive. He set the bar for what rock drumming could be. ... Every rock drummer since has been influenced in some way by Ginger – even if they don`t know it". 40

Personal life edit

He has been married four times and has fathered three children. Baker and his first wife, Liz Finch, had their first child, Ginette Karen, on 20 December 1960. Baker`s second daughter, Leda, was born 20 February 1968. Baker`s son, Kofi Streatfield Baker, was born in March 1969 and named after a friend of Baker`s, Ghanaian drummer Kofi Ghanaba. 58 In February 2013 Baker said he has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from years of heavy smoking, and chronic back pain from degenerative osteoarthritis. 33 In June 2016 it was reported he was recovering from open heart surgery, but had also suffered a bad fall which caused swollen legs and feet. 59

Discography edit

Ginger Baker`s handprints at the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame

Solo edit

Ginger Baker at His Best (1972)

Stratavarious (Polydor, 1972)

Ginger Baker & Friends (Mountain, 1976)

Eleven Sides of Baker (Sire, 1977)

From Humble Oranges (CDG, 1983)

Horses & Trees (Celluloid, 1986)

No Material (ITM, 1989)

Middle Passage (Axiom, 1990)

Unseen Rain (Day Eight, 1992)

Ginger Baker`s Energy (ITM, 1992)

Going Back Home (Atlantic, 1994)

Ginger Baker The Album (ITM, 1995)

Falling Off the Roof (Atlantic, 1995)

Do What You Like (Polydor, 1998)

Coward of the County (Atlantic, 1999)

African Force (2001)

African Force: Palanquin`s Pole (2006)

Why? (2014)

Blind Faith discography edit

Blind Faith (Polydor, 1969)

Cream discography edit

Fresh Cream (Polydor, 1966)

Disraeli Gears (Polydor, 1967)

Wheels of Fire (Polydor, 1968)

Goodbye (Polydor, 1969)

Live Cream (Polydor, 1970)

Live Cream Volume II (Polydor, 1972)

BBC Sessions (2003)

Royal Albert Hall London, 2–3 and 5–6 May 2005 (Reprise, 2005)

The Storyville Jazz Men and The Hugh Rainey Allstars edit

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

Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated edit

Alexis Korner and Friends (1963)

Graham Bond Organisation edit

Live at Klooks Kleek (1964)

The Sound of `65 (1965)

There`s a Bond Between Us (1965)

Ginger Baker`s Air Force discography edit

Ginger Baker`s Air Force (Atco, 1970)

Ginger Baker`s Air Force II (Atco, 1970)

Baker Gurvitz Army discography edit

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)

Instruments and sound edit

Baker`s DW drumset (2009)

Baker`s current kit is made by Drum Workshop. He used Ludwig drums until the late 1990s. All of his cymbals are made by Zildjian; the 22" rivet ride cymbal and the 14" hi-hats he currently uses are the same ones he used during the last two Cream tours in 1968. 60

Drums edit

1960s

20" × 14" Bass (right foot)

22" × 14" Bass (left foot)

12×8" & 13×9" top toms

14×14" & 16×14" floor toms

1940s 6.5" × 14" black finished Leedy Broadway wood Snare

Snare tuned high, toms and bass tuned low

In May 1968 Baker purchased a new Ludwig drum kit with 20" × 14" and 22" × 14" bass drums, a 14" × 5" metal Super-Sensitive snare and the same-sized toms for Cream`s farewell tour.

Current drums

10" × 8", 12" × 9", 13" × 10", 14" × 12", Toms on front rack stands

20" × 14" & 22" × 14" Bass Drums

13" × 5.5" DW Craviotto Snare

14" × 6.5" Leedy Snare (Spare)

DW 5000 Accelerator Bass Drum Pedals

4 DW cymbal stands

1 DW 5000 Hi-hat Stand

1 DW Snare Stand

Zildjian Ginger Baker 7A sticks

Cymbals edit

1963–present made by Zildjian 61