Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer.
His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
African rhythms and pioneered both
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...
and
world music
"World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
.
Baker gained early fame as a member of
Blues Incorporated
Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, or simply Blues Incorporated, were an English British blues, blues band formed in London in 1961, led by Alexis Korner and including at various times Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts, Terry Cox, Ginger Baker, Art W ...
and the
Graham Bond Organisation, both times alongside bassist
Jack Bruce, with whom Baker would often clash. In 1966, Baker and Bruce joined guitarist
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
to form
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
, which achieved worldwide success but lasted only until 1968, in part due to Baker's and Bruce's volatile relationship. After working with Clapton in the short-lived band
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English rock supergroup that consisted of Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They followed the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton and Baker's former group Cream and ...
and leading
Ginger Baker's Air Force, Baker spent several years in the 1970s living and recording in Africa, often with
Fela Kuti
Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...
, in pursuit of his long-time interest in
African music
The continent of Africa is vast and its music is diverse, with different regions and nations having many distinct musical traditions. African music includes the genres like makwaya, highlife, mbube, township music, jùjú, fuji, jaiva ...
.
Among Baker's other collaborations are his work with
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...
,
Masters of Reality,
Public Image Ltd
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band formed by lead vocalist John Lydon (previously, as Johnny Rotten, lead vocalist of the Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene (a founding member of the Clash), bassi ...
,
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
,
Atomic Rooster,
Bill Laswell
William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...
, jazz bassist
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than fifty years. Haden helped to revolutionize the harmonic concept of bass playin ...
, 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 single one, after the manner of the jazz drummer
Louie Bellson. In his early days, he performed lengthy
drum solos, most notably in the Cream song "
Toad
Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...
", one of the earliest recorded examples in rock music. Baker was an
inductee of the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
as a member of Cream in 1993, 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 decades. He was married four times and fathered three children.
Early life
Peter Baker was born in
Lewisham
Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...
,
South London
South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...
; he was nicknamed "Ginger" for his shock of flaming red hair.
His mother, Ruby May (née Bayldon), worked in a tobacco shop. His father, Frederick Louvain Formidable Baker, was a
bricklayer
A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsperson and tradesperson who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of maso ...
employed by his own father, who owned a building business,
and was a
lance corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal.
Etymology
The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...
in the
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
; he died in the 1943
Dodecanese campaign. Baker went to Pope Street School, where he was considered "one of the better players" in the football team, and then to
Shooter's Hill Grammar School. While at school he joined Squadron 56 of the
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, volunteer youth organisation; aligned to, and fostering the knowledge and learning of military values, primarily focusing on military aviation. Part of the ...
, based at
Woolwich and stayed with them for two or three years.
Career
Baker began playing drums at around 15 years of age. In the early 1960s he took lessons from
Phil Seamen, one of the leading British
jazz drummers of the
post-war
A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...
era.
Early bands
In the 1960s he joined
Blues Incorporated
Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, or simply Blues Incorporated, were an English British blues, blues band formed in London in 1961, led by Alexis Korner and including at various times Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts, Terry Cox, Ginger Baker, Art W ...
, where he met bassist
Jack Bruce. The two clashed often, but would be rhythm section partners again in
the Graham Bond Organisation, a
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
group with strong jazz leanings. Their relationship was so volatile that Baker once attacked Bruce with a knife during a concert.
In March 1963, Baker played in the
Johnny Burch Octet with Burch, Jack Bruce,
Mike Falana,
Stan Robinson, John Mumford and others.
Cream

Despite this volatile relationship, Baker and Bruce reunited in 1966 when they formed
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
with guitarist
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
. A fusion of blues,
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
and hard rock, the band released four albums in a little over two years before breaking up in 1968.
Blind Faith
Baker then joined the short-lived "supergroup"
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English rock supergroup that consisted of Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They followed the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton and Baker's former group Cream and ...
, comprising Eric Clapton, bassist
Ric Grech from
Family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
, and
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his dis ...
from
Traffic
Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes.
Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...
on keyboards and vocals. They released only one album, ''
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English rock supergroup that consisted of Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They followed the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton and Baker's former group Cream and ...
'', before breaking up.
Ginger Baker's Air Force
In 1970 Baker formed, toured and recorded two albums with
fusion rock group
Ginger Baker's Air Force.
1970s
Following Air Force, Baker created the short-lived "Ginger Baker Drum Choir", which released a sole single on
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the com ...
(and
Polydor
Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
in Germany) in 1971. The 45 RPM record featured a three-piece drum ensemble and "
call and response" vocals, with the song "Atunde! (We are here)" and "Atunde! (part 2)" on its
A and B sides.
In November 1971, Baker decided to set up a recording studio in
Lagos
Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
, then the capital of
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. He decided that it would be an interesting experience to travel to Nigeria overland across the
Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
. Baker invited documentary filmmaker
Tony Palmer to join him and the film ''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 setbacks and technical hitches, Batakota (ARC) studios opened at the end of January 1973, and operated successfully through the seventies as a facility for both local and western musicians.
Paul McCartney and Wings
Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, was a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in 1971 in London by former The Beatles, Beatle Paul McCartney; his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards; session drummer Denny Seiwell; a ...
recorded the song "
Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" for ''
Band on the Run'' at the studio, with Baker playing a tin can full of gravel.
Baker sat in with
Fela Kuti
Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...
during recording sessions in 1971 released by
Regal Zonophone as ''
Live!'' Fela also appeared with Baker on ''
Stratavarious'' (1972) alongside Bobby Gass, a pseudonym for
Bobby Tench from
the Jeff Beck Group. ''Stratavarious'' was later re-issued as part of the compilation ''Do What You Like'' (1998). 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 of Fehilly in a plane crash.
1980s

After the failure of the recording studio in Lagos, Baker spent most of the early 1980s on an
olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
farm in a small town in
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
, Italy. During this period, he played little music.
In 1980, Baker joined
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
after initially playing as a session musician on the album
''Levitation''. He left in 1981, after a tour. Live material and studio demos from that period which Baker participated in were included on two Hawkwind albums, released later in the 1980s. In 1985, he worked with producer
Bill Laswell
William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...
on ''
Horses & Trees'' and then performed as a session musician on ''
Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
'' by
Public Image Ltd
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band formed by lead vocalist John Lydon (previously, as Johnny Rotten, lead vocalist of the Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene (a founding member of the Clash), bassi ...
.
Baker moved to Los Angeles in the late 1980s intending to become an actor. He unsuccessfully auditioned for the part of the Homeless Man in the 1989
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...
comedy film ''
UHF'' and appeared in the 1990 TV series ''
Nasty Boys'' as Ginger.
1990s
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''.
BBM (Bruce Baker Moore) formed in 1993. The short-lived power trio with the line-up of Baker, Jack Bruce and Irish
blues rock
Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...
guitarist
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...
recorded the album ''Around the Next Dream'', released 1994.
Baker lived in
Parker, Colorado between 1993 and 1999, in part due to his passion for
polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
. 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. His past drug history increasingly caused him problems with U.S. immigration, so in 1999 he sold his property in Parker and moved to South Africa. In 1994, he formed the Ginger Baker Trio with bassist
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than fifty years. Haden helped to revolutionize the harmonic concept of bass playin ...
and guitarist
Bill Frisell.
2000s and 2010s
On 3 May 2005, Baker reunited with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce for a series of Cream concerts at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
and
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. The London concerts were recorded and released as ''
Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005'' (2005).
In a ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' 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
ruce, who died in 2014, lived in Britain, while Baker lived in South Africanbsp; ... although I was thinking of asking him to move. He's still a bit too close".

In 2008 a bank clerk, Lindiwe Noko, was charged with defrauding Baker of almost
R500,000 ($60,000). Baker said he had hired Noko as a personal assistant, paying her £7 per day (about R100) for performing various errands, and alleged she used this position to uncover his private banking information and make unauthorised withdrawals.
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." 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".
His autobiography ''Hellraiser'' was published in 2009.
Throughout 2013 and 2014, he toured with the Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion, a quartet comprising Baker, saxophonist
Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis, bassist
Alec Dankworth, and percussionist Abass Dodoo. In 2014 Baker signed with
Motéma Music to release the album ''
Why?''
Documentaries
''Ginger Baker in Africa'' (1971) documents Baker's drive by
Range Rover, from
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
to
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, across the
Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
. At his destination, Lagos, he sets up a recording studio and jams with Fela Kuti.
In 2012, the
Jay Bulger documentary film ''
Beware of Mr. Baker'' about Baker's life had its world premiere at
South by Southwest
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, where it won the Grand Jury Award for best documentary feature. It received its UK premiere on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
on 7 July 2015.
Style and technique
Baker cited
Phil Seamen,
Art Blakey
Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s.
Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...
,
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...
,
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...
,
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American Jazz drumming, jazz drummer.
Biography Early career
As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio stat ...
and
Baby Dodds as main influences on his style. Although he was generally considered a pupil of Seamen, Baker stated that he was largely self-taught and he only played some exercises with Seamen.
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
Keith John Moon (23 August 1946 – 7 September 1978) was an English musician who was the drummer for the rock band the Who. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music, he was noted for his unique style of playing and ...
from
the Who
The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
, Baker 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 categorised as having been a "rock drummer", Baker himself preferred to be viewed as a jazz drummer, or as just "a drummer".
Along with Moon, Baker was credited as one of the early pioneers of
double bass drumming
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...
in rock.
He recollected 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
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life.
Born and raised in Washington, D ...
concert.
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.

Baker preferred light, thin, fast-rebounding
drum sticks (size 7A), usually held using a
matched grip. Baker's playing made use of
syncopation
In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat (music), off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of ...
and
ride cymbal patterns characteristic of
bebop
Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...
and other advanced forms of jazz, as well as the frequent application of
African rhythms.
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 instrumental "
Toad
Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...
" 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.
Somewhat atypically, Baker mounted 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.
Baker's most recent kit was made by
Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop, Inc. (also known as DW Drums or DW) is a drum kit and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Current products by DW include drum sets, snare drums, and hardware.
History
Drum Workshop was founded in 1972 ...
. He used
Ludwig Drums
Ludwig Drums is a United States musical instrument manufacturer, focused on percussion instruments, percussion. It is a subsidiary of Conn-Selmer.
Products manufactured by Ludwig include timpani, drum kits, and drum hardware. The company also ...
until the late 1990s. All of his
cymbal
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...
s were made by
Zildjian; the 22-inch rivet ride cymbal and the 14-inch
hi-hat
A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock music, rock, popular music, pop, jazz, an ...
s he used were the same ones he used during the last two
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
tours in 1968.
Legacy

Baker's style influenced many drummers, including
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...
,
Peter Criss,
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...
,
Stewart Copeland,
Ian Paice,
Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons, U.K., and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missi ...
,
Dave Lombardo,
Tommy Aldridge
Tommy Aldridge (born August 15, 1950) is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesn ...
,
Bill Bruford,
Alex Van Halen
Alexander Arthur Van Halen ( , ; born May 8, 1953) is an American musician who was the drummer and a co-founder of the rock band Van Halen, which was formed in 1972 by Van Halen and his younger brother Eddie Van Halen, Eddie under the name "Ma ...
,
Danny Seraphine and
Nick Mason.
''
Modern Drummer'' magazine described him as "one of classic rock's first influential drumming superstars of the 1960s" and "one of classic rock's true drum gods".
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
described him as "the most influential percussionist of the 1960s" and stated that "virtually every drummer of every
heavy metal band
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...
that has followed since that time has sought to emulate some aspect of Baker's playing".
Although he is widely considered a pioneer of heavy metal drumming, Baker expressed his repugnance for the genre.
''
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", stating also that "he forever changed the face of rock music". He was voted the third greatest drummer of all time in a ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' reader poll and has been considered the "drummer who practically invented the rock drum solo". In 2016, he was ranked 3rd on ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". 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". 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".
Personal life
Baker was infamous for his irascible personality and violent temper, as well as for confrontations with musicians and fans. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' reporter
David Fricke wrote in 2012 that even in old age, "you get close to Baker at your peril."
Baker was married four times and 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 Baker's friend, Ghanaian drummer
Kofi Ghanaba. Kofi himself is also a drummer, notably playing with
Uli Jon Roth and
Glenn Hughes.
Illness and death
Baker struggled with heroin addiction throughout his life, having begun using the drug in the 1960s while a jazz drummer in London clubs. Each time he travelled to Africa, he would get sober temporarily only to relapse. He estimated that he stopped using the drug around 29 times during his life, but was only able to quit permanently after moving to a small Italian village in 1981 where he took up olive farming.
In February 2013, Baker said he had
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...
from years of heavy smoking, and chronic back pain from degenerative
osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of articular cartilage, joint cartilage and underlying bone. A form of arthritis, it is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affect ...
.
In February 2016, Baker was diagnosed with "serious heart issues" and cancelled all future gigs. 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 ..." 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". In June 2016, it was reported he was recovering from open heart surgery, but had also suffered a bad fall, which had caused swollen legs and feet.
On 25 September 2019, Baker's family reported that he was critically ill in hospital, and asked fans to keep him in their prayers.
Baker died on 6 October 2019 at the age of 80, at a hospital in
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
from complications of
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...
.
On 23 October 2019, a private funeral service was held in Canterbury, Kent, with close family and friends.
Discography
Sources:
;Solo
* ''
Ginger Baker at His Best'' (1972)
* ''
Stratavarious'' (Polydor, 1972)
* ''Eleven Sides of Baker'' (Mountain/Sire, 1976/1977)
* ''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, 1996)
* ''Do What You Like'' (Polydor, 1998)
* ''Coward of the County'' (Atlantic, 1999)
* ''African Force'' (2001)
* ''African Force: Palanquin's Pole'' (2006)
* ''
Why?'' (2014)
;The Storyville Jazz Men and the Hugh Rainey Allstars
*''Storyville Re-Visited'' (1958) also featuring
Bob Wallis and Ginger Baker
;Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated
* ''Alexis Korner and Friends'' (1963)
;Graham Bond Organisation
* ''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
Blind Faith were an English rock supergroup that consisted of Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They followed the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton and Baker's former group Cream and ...
'' (Polydor, 1969)
;Ginger Baker's Air Force
* ''
Ginger Baker's Air Force'' (Atco, 1970)
* ''
Ginger Baker's Air Force II'' (Atco, 1970)
;Baker Gurvitz Army
* ''
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 Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...
* ''
Fela's London Scene'' (EMI, 1971) – uncredited
* ''
Why Black Man Dey Suffer'' (African Sounds, 1971)
* ''
Live!'' (Regal Zonophone, 1972)
;with
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
* ''
Levitation
Levitation, Levitate, or Levitating may refer to:
Concepts
*Levitation (illusion), an illusion where a magician appears to levitate a person or object
*Levitation (paranormal), the claimed paranormal phenomenon of levitation, occurring without an ...
'' (Bronze, 1980)
* ''
Zones'' (Flicknife, 1983)
* ''
This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic'' (Flicknife, 1984)
;with others
* ''
All Things Must Pass
''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after Break-up of the Beatles, the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes th ...
'' by
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
(Apple, 1970)
* ''
Band on the Run'' by
Paul McCartney and Wings
Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, was a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in 1971 in London by former The Beatles, Beatle Paul McCartney; his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards; session drummer Denny Seiwell; a ...
(Apple, 1973)
* ''
Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
'' by
Public Image Ltd
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band formed by lead vocalist John Lydon (previously, as Johnny Rotten, lead vocalist of the Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene (a founding member of the Clash), bassi ...
(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)
Citations
General references
*
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Ginger
Ginger Baker's Air Force members
1939 births
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Cream (band) members
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Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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