Ginger Baker
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| + | "When I started listening to [[Cream (band)|Cream]] and stuff, I started to read interviews with people like [[Ginger Baker|Ginger [Baker]]] about where they were getting their stuff from. Just like [[Eric Clapton|Clapton]] was getting ideas from blues guys, I realized that rhythm musicians were getting a lot of information from Africa. I immediately started looking for the records, especially [[Afrobeat]]. Just that [[syncopation]], the up feel." --[[Bill Laswell]] interviewed by Jay Babcock in [[Mean Magazine]] (October 1999) | ||
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| - | '''Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker''' (born 19 August 1939, [[Lewisham]], [[South London]]) is an English [[drummer]], best known for his work with [[Cream (band)|Cream]] and [[Blind Faith]]. He is also known for his numerous associations with [[World music]], mainly the use of [[Music of Africa|African]] influences. He has also had other collaborations such as with [[Gary Moore]], [[Hawkwind]] and [[Public Image Ltd|Public Image Ltd.]]. | ||
| - | Baker's drumming attracted attention for its flamboyance, showmanship and his use of two bass drums instead of the [[conventional]] single [[Bass drum|bass]] ''kick'' drum (following a similar set-up used by [[Louie Bellson]] during his days with [[Duke Ellington]]). Although a firmly established rock drummer and praised as "Rock's first superstar drummer", | + | '''Peter Edward''' "'''Ginger'''" '''Baker''' (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an [[English drummer]] and a co-founder of the rock band [[Cream (band)|Cream]]. His style melded [[jazz]] and [[Music of Africa|African rhythms]] and pioneered both [[jazz fusion]] and [[world music]]. |
| - | Baker's influence has extended to drummers of both genres, including [[Billy Cobham]], [[Peter Criss]], [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]], [[Ian Paice]], and [[John Bonham]]. [[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." | + | Baker cited [[Phil Seamen]], [[Art Blakey]], [[Max Roach]], [[Elvin Jones]], [[Philly Joe Jones]] and [[Baby Dodds]] as main influences on his 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 five minute drum solo "[[Toad (song)|Toad]]" from [[Cream (band)|Cream]]'s debut album ''[[Fresh Cream]]'' (1966). He is also noted for using a variety of other [[Percussion instrument|percussion]] instruments and for his application of African rhythms. He would often emphasize the [[flam]], a [[rudiment|drum rudiment]] in which both sticks attack the drumhead at almost the same time, giving a heavy thunderous sound. | + | Known for playing on compositions as "[[Sunshine of Your Love]]" (1967), he also played with [[Fela Kuti]] on ''[[Fela's London Scene]]'' ( 1971), ''[[Why Black Man Dey Suffer]]'' (1971), ''[[Live! (Fela Kuti album)|Live!]]'' (1972) and ''[[Stratavarious]]'' (1972) and recorded two album with [[Bill Laswell]]: ''[[Horses & Trees]]'' (1986) and ''[[Middle Passage]]'' (1990). |
| + | ==Overview== | ||
| + | Baker began playing drums at age 15, and later took lessons from English jazz drummer [[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. 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 (instrumental)|Toad]]", one of the earliest recorded examples in rock music. Baker was an [[List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees|inductee]] of the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as a member of Cream, of the ''[[Modern Drummer]]'' Hall of Fame in 2008, and of the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2016. Baker was noted for his eccentric, often self-destructive lifestyle, and he struggled with [[heroin]] addiction for many years. He was married four times and has fathered three children. | ||
| ==Discography== | ==Discography== | ||
| - | ===The Storyville Jazz Men and The Hugh Rainey Allstars=== | + | ===Solo=== |
| - | *''Storyville Re-Visited'' (1958) also featuring Bob Wallis and Ginger Baker | + | * ''[[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? (Ginger Baker album)|Why?]]'' (2014) | ||
| - | ===Graham Bond Organisation=== | + | ===Blind Faith discography=== |
| - | *''Roarin''' with Don Rendell (Jazz) (1961) | + | * ''[[Blind Faith (Blind Faith album)|Blind Faith]]'' (Polydor, 1969) |
| - | *''Live at Klooks Kleek'' (1964) | + | |
| - | *''The Sound of 65'' (1965) | + | |
| - | *''There's a Bond Between Us'' (1965) | + | |
| - | ===Cream Discography=== | + | ===Cream discography=== |
| - | *''[[Fresh Cream]]'' Polydor (1966) | + | * ''[[Fresh Cream]]'' (Polydor, 1966) |
| - | *''[[Disraeli Gears]]'' Polydor (1967) | + | * ''[[Disraeli Gears]]'' (Polydor, 1967) |
| - | *''[[Wheels of Fire]]'' Polydor (1968) | + | * ''[[Wheels of Fire]]'' (Polydor, 1968) |
| - | *''[[Goodbye (Cream album)|Goodbye]]'' Polydor (1969) | + | * ''[[Goodbye (Cream album)|Goodbye]]'' (Polydor, 1969) |
| - | *''[[Live Cream]]'' Polydor (1970) | + | * ''[[Live Cream]]'' (Polydor, 1970) |
| - | *''[[Live Cream Volume II]]'' Polydor (1972) | + | * ''[[Live Cream Volume II]]'' (Polydor, 1972) |
| - | *''[[BBC Sessions (Cream album)|BBC Sessions]]'' (2003) | + | * ''[[BBC Sessions (Cream album)|BBC Sessions]]'' (2003) |
| - | *''[[Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005|Royal Albert Hall London, May 2–3, 5-6 2005]]'' Reprise (2005) | + | * ''[[Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005|Royal Albert Hall London, 2–3 and 5–6 May 2005]]'' (Reprise, 2005) |
| - | ===Blind Faith Discography=== | + | ===The Storyville Jazz Men and the Hugh Rainey Allstars=== |
| - | *''[[Blind Faith (Blind Faith album)|Blind Faith]]'' Polydor (1969) | + | *''Storyville Re-Visited'' (1958) also featuring [[Bob Wallis]] and Ginger Baker |
| - | ===Ginger Baker's Air Force Discography=== | + | ===Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated=== |
| - | *''[[Ginger Baker's Air Force (album)|Ginger Baker's Air Force]]'' Atco (1970) | + | * ''Alexis Korner and Friends'' (1963) |
| - | *''[[Ginger Baker's Air Force 2|Ginger Baker's Air Force II]]'' Atco (1970) | + | |
| - | ===Baker Gurvitz Army Discography=== | + | ===Graham Bond Organisation=== |
| - | *''[[Baker Gurvitz Army (Album)|Baker Gurvitz Army]]'' Janus (1974) | + | * ''Live at Klooks Kleek'' (1964) |
| - | *''Elysian Encounter'' Atco (1975) | + | * ''[[The Sound of '65]]'' (1965) |
| - | *''Hearts on Fire'' Atco (1976) | + | * ''There's a Bond Between Us'' (1965) |
| - | *''Flying In and Out of Stardom'' Castle (2003) | + | |
| - | *''Greatest Hits'' GB Music (2003) | + | |
| - | *''Live in Derby'' Major league productions (2005) | + | |
| - | *''Live'' Revisited (2005) | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===Solo Discography=== | + | |
| - | *''[[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'' live album ITM (1987) | + | |
| - | *''Middle Passage'' Axiom (1990) | + | |
| - | *''Unseen Rain'' Day Eight (1992) | + | |
| - | *''Going Back Home'' Atlantic (1994) | + | |
| - | *''Ginger Baker's Energy'' ITM (1995) | + | |
| - | *''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'' ITM (2001) | + | |
| - | *''African Force: Palanquin's Pole'' Synergie (2006) | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===Other=== | + | |
| - | * ''[[Live! (Fela Kuti album)|Live!]]'' [[Fela Kuti|Fela Ransome-Kuti]] and The Africa'70 with Ginger Baker, [[Regal Zonophone Records|Regal Zonophoneas]]/Pathe Philips (1971) / Polydor (1972) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Band on the Run]]'' [[Paul McCartney]] and [[Wings (band)|Wings]], Capitol/EMI (1973) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Levitation (album)|Levitation]]'' [[Hawkwind]], Bronze (1980) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Zones (album)|Zones]]'' [[Hawkwind]], [[Flicknife Records|Flicknife]] (1983) | + | |
| - | * ''[[This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic]]'' [[Hawkwind]], Flicknife (1984) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Album (Public Image Limited album)|Album]]'' [[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) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Around the Next Dream]]''[[BBM]], Capitol (1994) | + | |
| - | * ''Coward of the County'' Ginger Baker and the Denver Jazz Quartet Atlantic (1999) | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ==Ginger Baker's Drum Kit== | + | |
| - | Baker's current kit is made by [[Drum Workshop]]. He used [[Ludwig-Musser|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 (band)|Cream]] tours in 1968.< | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===Drums=== | + | |
| - | ;1960s | + | |
| - | *20"x 14" Bass (right foot) | + | |
| - | *22"x 14" Bass (left foot) | + | |
| - | *12x8" & 13x9" top toms | + | |
| - | *14x14" & 16x14" floor toms | + | |
| - | *1940's 6.5" x 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"x14" & 22"x14" bass drums, a 14"x5" metal Super-Sensitive snare and the same-sized toms for Cream's farewell tour. | + | ===Ginger Baker's Air Force discography=== |
| + | * ''[[Ginger Baker's Air Force (album)|Ginger Baker's Air Force]]'' (Atco, 1970) | ||
| + | * ''[[Ginger Baker's Air Force 2|Ginger Baker's Air Force II]]'' (Atco, 1970) | ||
| - | ;Current drums | + | ===Baker Gurvitz Army discography=== |
| - | *10"x 8",12" x 9" ,13" x 10" ,14" x 12", [[Tom drum|Toms]] ''on front rack stands'' | + | * ''[[Baker Gurvitz Army (album)|Baker Gurvitz Army]]'' (Janus, 1974) |
| - | *20"x 14" & 22" x 14" [[Bass Drum|Bass drums]] | + | * ''[[Elysian Encounter]]'' (Atco, 1975) |
| - | *13" Edge Snare drum [[Snare drum|Snare]] | + | * ''[[Hearts on Fire (Baker Gurvitz Army album)|Hearts on Fire]]'' (Atco, 1976) |
| - | *14" Leedy Snare (Spare) | + | * ''Flying in and Out of Stardom'' (Castle, 2003) |
| - | *[[Drum Workshop|DW]] 5000 Accelerator Bass Drum Pedals | + | * ''Greatest Hits'' (GB Music, 2003) |
| - | *4 DW cymbal stands | + | * ''Live in Derby'' (Major League Productions, 2005) |
| - | *1 DW 5000 HiHat Stand | + | * ''Live'' (Revisited, 2005) |
| - | *1 DW Snare Stand | + | |
| - | *[[Zildjian]] Ginger Baker 7a sticks | + | |
| - | ===Cymbals=== | + | === With [[Fela Kuti]] === |
| - | 1963–present made by [[Zildjian]] | + | * ''[[Fela's London Scene]]'' (EMI, 1971) – uncredited |
| + | * ''[[Why Black Man Dey Suffer]]'' (African Sounds, 1971) | ||
| + | * ''[[Live! (Fela Kuti album)|Live!]]'' (Regal Zonophone, 1972) | ||
| + | * ''[[Stratavarious]]'' (Polydor, 1972) | ||
| - | ;1960s | + | === With [[Hawkwind]] === |
| - | *16" crash ''left upper | + | * ''[[Levitation (Hawkwind album)|Levitation]]'' (Bronze, 1980) |
| - | *13" crash ''left lower'' | + | * ''[[Zones (album)|Zones]]'' (Flicknife, 1983) |
| - | *14" hi-hats ''left'' | + | * ''[[This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic]]'' (Flicknife, 1984) |
| - | *20" ride ''right front lower'' | + | |
| - | *14" crash ''right front upper'' | + | |
| - | *22" rivet crash/ride ''right back upper'' | + | |
| - | *18" crash ''right back lower'' | + | |
| - | *8" which Ginger once called a "joke effect" splash ''right of middle'' | + | |
| - | ;Percussion | + | === With others === |
| - | *16" K Dark Thin Crash | + | * ''[[Stratavarious]]'' with [[Bobby Tench|Bobby Gass]] (Polydor, 1972) |
| - | *15" A New Beat Hi Hats | + | * ''[[Album (Public Image Limited album)|Album]]'' by [[Public Image Ltd]] (Elektra/Virgin, 1986) |
| - | *8" A Splash | + | * ''Unseen Rain'' with [[Jens Johansson]] and [[Jonas Hellborg]] (Day Eight, 1992) |
| - | *8" A Fast Splash | + | * ''[[Sunrise on the Sufferbus]]'' by [[Masters of Reality]] (Chrysalis, 1992) |
| - | *10" A Splash | + | * ''[[Cities of the Heart]]'' by [[Jack Bruce]] (CMP, 1993) |
| - | *8" A Splash | + | * ''Around the Next Dream'' by [[Bruce-Baker-Moore|BBM]] (Capitol, 1994) |
| - | *13" Top Hat | + | * ''Synaesthesia'' by [[Andy Summers]] (CMP, 1996) |
| - | *22" A Series Medium Ride Rivet Ride | + | * ''Coward of the County'' by Ginger Baker and the Denver Jazz Quintet-to-Octet (DJQ2O) (Atlantic, 1999) |
| - | *18" China | + | |
| - | *18" A Medium Crash | + | |
| - | *Cow bells ''front right'' | + | |
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Current revision
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"When I started listening to Cream and stuff, I started to read interviews with people like Ginger [Baker] about where they were getting their stuff from. Just like Clapton was getting ideas from blues guys, I realized that rhythm musicians were getting a lot of information from Africa. I immediately started looking for the records, especially Afrobeat. Just that syncopation, the up feel." --Bill Laswell interviewed by Jay Babcock in Mean Magazine (October 1999) |
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Related e |
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Featured: |
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer and a co-founder of the rock band Cream. His style melded jazz and African rhythms and pioneered both jazz fusion and world music.
Baker cited Phil Seamen, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones and Baby Dodds as main influences on his style.
Known for playing on compositions as "Sunshine of Your Love" (1967), he also played with Fela Kuti on Fela's London Scene ( 1971), Why Black Man Dey Suffer (1971), Live! (1972) and Stratavarious (1972) and recorded two album with Bill Laswell: Horses & Trees (1986) and Middle Passage (1990).
[edit]
Overview
Baker began playing drums at age 15, and later took lessons from English jazz drummer 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. 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 was an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cream, of the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2008, and of the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2016. Baker was noted for his eccentric, often self-destructive lifestyle, and he struggled with heroin addiction for many years. He was married four times and has fathered three children.
[edit]
Discography
[edit]
Solo
- 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)
[edit]
Blind Faith discography
- Blind Faith (Polydor, 1969)
[edit]
Cream discography
- 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)
[edit]
The Storyville Jazz Men and the Hugh Rainey Allstars
- Storyville Re-Visited (1958) also featuring Bob Wallis and Ginger Baker
[edit]
Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated
- Alexis Korner and Friends (1963)
[edit]
Graham Bond Organisation
- Live at Klooks Kleek (1964)
- The Sound of '65 (1965)
- There's a Bond Between Us (1965)
[edit]
Ginger Baker's Air Force discography
- Ginger Baker's Air Force (Atco, 1970)
- Ginger Baker's Air Force II (Atco, 1970)
[edit]
Baker Gurvitz Army discography
- 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)
[edit]
With Fela Kuti
- Fela's London Scene (EMI, 1971) – uncredited
- Why Black Man Dey Suffer (African Sounds, 1971)
- Live! (Regal Zonophone, 1972)
- Stratavarious (Polydor, 1972)
[edit]
With Hawkwind
- Levitation (Bronze, 1980)
- Zones (Flicknife, 1983)
- This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic (Flicknife, 1984)
[edit]
With others
- Stratavarious with Bobby Gass (Polydor, 1972)
- 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)
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Ginger Baker" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
