Ginger Baker
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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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 and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences. He has also had other collaborations such as with Gary Moore, Hawkwind and 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 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",
Baker's influence has extended to drummers of both genres, including Billy Cobham, Peter Criss, 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."
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" from Cream's debut album Fresh Cream (1966). 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 in which both sticks attack the drumhead at almost the same time, giving a heavy thunderous sound.
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Discography
The Storyville Jazz Men and The Hugh Rainey Allstars
- Storyville Re-Visited (1958) also featuring Bob Wallis and Ginger Baker
Graham Bond Organisation
- Roarin' with Don Rendell (Jazz) (1961)
- Live at Klooks Kleek (1964)
- The Sound of 65 (1965)
- There's a Bond Between Us (1965)
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, May 2–3, 5-6 2005 Reprise (2005)
Blind Faith Discography
- Blind Faith Polydor (1969)
Ginger Baker's Air Force Discography
- Ginger Baker's Air Force Atco (1970)
- Ginger Baker's Air Force II Atco (1970)
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)
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 Ransome-Kuti and The Africa'70 with Ginger Baker, Regal Zonophoneas/Pathe Philips (1971) / Polydor (1972)
- Band on the Run Paul McCartney and Wings, Capitol/EMI (1973)
- Levitation Hawkwind, Bronze (1980)
- Zones Hawkwind, Flicknife (1983)
- This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic Hawkwind, Flicknife (1984)
- 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 DreamBBM, 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 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.<
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.
- Current drums
- 10"x 8",12" x 9" ,13" x 10" ,14" x 12", Toms on front rack stands
- 20"x 14" & 22" x 14" Bass drums
- 13" Edge Snare drum Snare
- 14" Leedy Snare (Spare)
- DW 5000 Accelerator Bass Drum Pedals
- 4 DW cymbal stands
- 1 DW 5000 HiHat Stand
- 1 DW Snare Stand
- Zildjian Ginger Baker 7a sticks
Cymbals
1963–present made by Zildjian
- 1960s
- 16" crash left upper
- 13" crash left lower
- 14" hi-hats left
- 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
- 16" K Dark Thin Crash
- 15" A New Beat Hi Hats
- 8" A Splash
- 8" A Fast Splash
- 10" A Splash
- 8" A Splash
- 13" Top Hat
- 22" A Series Medium Ride Rivet Ride
- 18" China
- 18" A Medium Crash
- Cow bells front right
