Ginger Baker

Ginger Baker
Birth name Peter Edward Baker
Born 19 August 1939 (1939-08-19) (age 71)
London, England
Genres Blues-rock, hard rock, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion
Occupations Musician, songwriter
Instruments Drums, percussion
Years active 1958–present
Labels Polydor, Warner Bros, Island, Universal
Associated acts Blues Incorporated, Ginger Baker and Friends, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Baker Gurvitz Army, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Hawkwind, Public Image, Atomic Rooster, Masters of Reality, Ginger Baker Trio, BBM
Website www.gingerbaker.com

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (born 19 August 1939, Lewisham, South London) is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with New World music and the use of African influences. He has also had other collaborations such as with Gary Moore, Hawkwind and Public Image. Baker was ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the third greatest drummer of all time[1].

Baker's drumming attracted attention for its flamboyance, showmanship and his use of two bass drums instead of the conventional single bass kick drum (following a similar set-up used by Louie Bellson during his days with Duke Ellington). As a firmly established rock drummer, he prefers being referred to as a jazz drummer.[1]

Contents

Drumming style

While at times performing in a similar way to Keith Moon from The Who, Baker also employs a more restrained style influenced by the British jazz groups he heard during the late 1950s and early 1960s. In his early days as a drummer, he performed lengthy drum solos, the best known being the thirteen-minute drum solo "Toad" from Cream's double album Wheels of Fire (1968). He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion instruments and for his application of African rhythms. He would often emphasize the flam, a drum rudiment where both sticks would attack the drums at almost the same time to give a heavy thunderous sound.

Career

Baker gained fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organisation and then as a member of the rock band Cream from 1966 until they disbanded in 1968. He later joined the group Blind Faith. In 1970 Baker formed, toured and recorded with fusion rock group Ginger Baker's Air Force.

Baker formed and recorded with Ginger Baker's Energy and was involved in collaborations with Bill Laswell, jazz bassist Charlie Haden and jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. He was also member of Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster and Public Image Ltd.. In 1994 he formed The Ginger Baker Trio and joined the bassist known as Googe in Masters of Reality formed by producer, singer and guitarist Chris Goss.

Baker sat in for Fela Ransome-Kuti[2], during recording sessions in 1971 and these were released by Regal Zonophone as Live! (Fela Kuti album) (1971)'[3] Fela also appeared with Ginger Baker on Stratavarious (1972) alongside Bobby Gass,[4] a pseudonym for Bobby Tench[5] from The Jeff Beck Group. Stratavarious was later re-issued as part of the compilation Do What You Like[6]. Baker formed Baker Gurvitz Army in 1974 and recorded three albums with them before the band broke up in 1976.

In 1994 Baker joined BBM, a short-lived power trio with the lineup of Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Irish rock blues guitarist Gary Moore. On 3 May 2005, Baker was reunited with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, for a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden New York. The London concerts were recorded and released as Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005 (2005),[7] 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 lives in Britain, Baker in South Africa]...although I was thinking of asking him to move. He's still a bit too close." [8]

In 2008 a bank clerk, Lindiwe Noko, was charged with defrauding him of almost half a million Rand ($60,000).[9] The bank clerk claims that it was a gift after she and Baker became lovers. Not so, insisted Baker, who explained, "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."[10]

Baker's biography "Hellraiser" was published in 2009[5]

Discography

Ginger Baker's Handprints at the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame Photo Courtesy:Margaret Heath

The Storyville Jazz Men and The Hugh Rainey Allstars

Graham Bond Organisation

Cream Discography

Blind Faith Discography

Ginger Baker's Air Force Discography

Baker Gurvitz Army Discography

Solo Discography

Other

Ginger Baker's Drum Kit

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.[11]

Drums

1960s

Snare tuned high, toms and bass tuned low

In May 1968 Baker purchased a new Ludwig drum kit with 20"x14" & 22"x14" bass drums, a 14"x5" metal Super-Sensitive snare and the same-sized toms for Cream's farewell tour.

Current drums

Cymbals

1963–present made by Zildjian[12]

1960s
Percussion

Notes

  1. ↑ Baker, Ginger. (2006). Cream: Classic Artists. [DVD]. Image Entertainment, Inc.. 
  2. ↑ Dougan, John. "Fela Ransome-Kuti". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0cftxqq5ld6e~T1. Retrieved 2010-13-02. 
  3. ↑ "Ginger Baker. Live with Fela Kuti". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfyxq85ldde~T0. 
  4. ↑ "Stratavarious". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3ifpxql5ldje. Retrieved 2010-13-02. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Baker, Ginger and Ginette. Hellraiser The autobiography of the World's Most Famous Drummer. John Blake Publishing. 
  6. ↑ "Ginger Baker compilations". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:aifqxqw5ldse~T21. 
  7. ↑ "Cream, The Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005 album". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3jfpxqesldhe. Retrieved 2010-13-02-10. 
  8. ↑ "The Devil and Ginger Baker". www.rollingstone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/12/the-devil-and-ginger-baker-the-story-behind-our-new-feature/#. Retrieved 2009-290-08. 
  9. ↑ "Bank clerk defrauds drummer". news24.com. 2008-08-31. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2385534,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-31. 
  10. ↑ "Cream drummer may flash ginger nuts in court". The Register. 2008-06-11. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/06/ginger_nuts/. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  11. ↑ "Ginger Baker's drum kit". ginger-baker.com. http://www.ginger-baker.com/. Retrieved 2010-13-02. 
  12. ↑ "Ziljdian artist list". http://www.zildjian.com/en-US/artists/artist_results.ad2?letter=B&genreID=20. Retrieved 2010-13-02. 

References

External links

Cream
Ginger Baker · Jack Bruce · Eric Clapton
Studio albums
Fresh Cream · Disraeli Gears · Wheels of Fire · Goodbye
Live albums
Live Cream · Live Cream Volume II · BBC Sessions · Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005
Compilations
Best of Cream · Heavy Cream · Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream · The Very Best of Cream · Those Were the Days · 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Cream · I Feel Free - Ultimate Cream · Cream Gold
Singles
"Wrapping Paper" · "I Feel Free" · "Strange Brew"/"Tales of Brave Ulysses" · "Spoonful" · "Sunshine of Your Love"/"SWLABR" · "White Room" · "Crossroads" · "Badge"
Other songs
"Toad" · "Rollin' and Tumblin'" · "I'm So Glad" · "We're Going Wrong" · "Sitting on Top of the World" · "Born Under a Bad Sign" · "Outside Woman Blues"
Collaborators
Pete Brown · Felix Pappalardi · Martin Sharp · Gail Collins · Janet Godfrey · George Harrison · Mike Taylor
Related articles
Discography · John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers · Eric Clapton's Powerhouse · Blind Faith · Derek and the Dominos · The Yardbirds · BBM · Ginger Baker's Air Force · The Dirty Mac · Graham Bond
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