We're especially pleased to be able to make this small contribution into cyberspace,Ĭontinuing to spread the knowledge we have accumulated regarding Blindįaith and their legacy. He drums in a cover band called Music of Cream with Jack Bruce’s son, Malcolm Bruce, and Eric Clapton’s nephew, Will Johns.Evolving is the word, since this site will be created before yourĮyes, when yours truly is able to gather additional information that can be incorporated into the presentation. It was jazz.”īaker’s son, Kofi Baker, issued a statement on his father’s passing. All that stuff I did on the drums in Cream didn’t come from drugs, either. Jack and I had been in jazz bands for years. We never played the same thing two nights running. They soon teamed with Eric Clapton, whose skill and idolatry spawned grafitti claiming “Clapton is God.”īaker told the blog JazzWax in 2013, “Cream was two jazz players and a blues guitarist playing improvised music. His first group was Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, where he met Scottish-born bassist Jack Bruce. He became a drummer that started playing in local groups as a teen. He called his memoir Hellraiser: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Drummer, a title that reflected his actions and beliefs.īaker was born in 1939 as Peter Edward Baker, the son of a bricklayer killed during World War II when he was 4-years old. Baker continued to perform regularly, although his health was fragile, owing to his rock lifestyle. He also played with Public Image Ltd., uniting with John Lydon in a marriage of two of rock’s most volatile characters.īaker was inducted with Crream into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. His musical resume includes time with African music legend Fela Kuti and forming Ginger Baker’s Air Force, which released two albums. He drove a Land Rover across the Sahara, played polo, and married four times. The roadmap after that saw Baker explore music in Africa and generally live a life as a wealthy rock star. The group’s heavy reputation saw them burn brightly but quickly, and they split after just one album. They were a worldwide sensation for their instrumental prowress on such songs as “Sunshine of Your Love,” “Crossroads,” “Spoonful,” ”I Feel Free” and “White Room.” They sold 10 million albums before parting in 1968 at their height.īaker went on to form the supergroup Blind Faith with Clapton, joining singer-keyboardist Stevie Winwood and bassist Ric Grech. Baker, which saw the star smash filmmaker Jay Bulger with a walking stick.Īs part of Cream, Baker helped forged the first supergroup, a power trio uniting three of London’s blues scene stars. His essence was captured in a 2012 documentary, Beware of Mr. Baker was a key component, wielding his jazz background into the mix to drive an intricate style.Īs powerful as his drumming was, the red-haired and edgy Baker also forged a fearsome reputation off-stage, involved in numerous scraps with musicians and media. The family had said late last month that he was critically ill in the hospital.īaker was an integral part of the power trio Cream, joining with guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce to forge a propulsive sound that became a standard for blues rock. Daughter Nettie confirmed that Baker died in Britain but gave no further details. “We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning,” said the tweet. His death was confirmed by his family via Twitter. Ginger Baker, the volatile musician widely acknowledged as one of the greatest drummers in rock ‘n roll history, died today at age 80.
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