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Ginger Baker

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Ginger Baker

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (born August 19, 1939, Lewisham, South London) is an English drummer who gained fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organization (GBO) and Cream from 1966 until 1968. He later joined Cream bandmate Eric Clapton along with Ric Grech and Steve Winwood in the 1969 group Blind Faith. In the early 1970s, Baker toured and recorded with a fusion rock group, Ginger Baker's Air Force.

Baker's drumming attracted attention for its flamboyance, showmanship, and his pioneering use of two bass drums instead of the conventional single 'kick' drum. He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion instruments and for his application of African rhythms to much of his drumming. Evidence of this African influence can be appreciated in Ginger Baker's work in association with Fela Ransome-Kuti where he sat in for Fela's drummer Tony Allen in recording sessions published in 1971 by the Regal Zonophone / Pathe Marconi Label under the record title "Fela Ransome-Kuti and The Africa '70 with Ginger Baker Live!"

Cream backstage at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction

While at times performing in a grandiloquent manner similar to that of Keith Moon of The Who, Baker was also capable of the more restrained playing he had heard with British jazz groups during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Baker also performed lengthy improvisational drum solos, his most famous of all being the thirteen-minute drum solo from "Toad", heard on Cream's double album Wheels of Fire.

Since 1986, Baker has released several albums of ethnic fusion and jazz percussion, and has toured with various jazz, classical music, and rock ensembles, including a reunited Cream. He has collaborated often with Bill Laswell. As well as bands carrying his own name, such as Ginger Baker's Air Force, Baker Gurvitz Army (1974-1976), Ginger Baker's Energy (1976), and the Ginger Baker Trio, which included jazz bassist Charlie Haden and Bill Frisell on guitar (recordings released in 1994 and 1996), Baker has also at various times been a member of Hawkwind (1980), Atomic Rooster (1980), Public Image Ltd (1986) and Masters of Reality (1990). In 1994 Baker joined BBM (Bruce-Baker-Moore),a short-lived power trio formed along with Jack Bruce and guitarist Gary Moore.

Discography

Cream Discography

File:Cream2005.jpg
Cream in 2005

Solo Discography

Other

Gear

Baker's kit is DW but used to be Ludwig back in the 60's and 70's; all cymbals are Zildjian. The rivet Ride cymbal and the HiHats were used on the last Cream shows in '68.

Drums 10"x 8" 12" x 8" 13" x 10" 14" x 12" Toms (all on stands) 20"x 14" & 22" x 14" Bass Drums 13" Craviotto DW Snare 14" Leedy Snare (Spare) DW 5000 Bass Drum Pedals 4 DW cymbal stands 1 DW HiHat Stand 1 DW Snare Stand Zildjian Ginger Baker 7a sticks

Cymbals: 16" K Crash 14" Hi Hats 8" Splash 8" EFX #1 Splash 10" EFX #1 Splash 8" Splash 13" Hat 23" Rivet Ride 18" China 18" Medium Crash

2 Cowbells

DW heads were used for the Albert shows, but now Ginger will be using Remo heads.

Trivia

  • Baker always insisted on having his two bass drums nailed to the floor at the venue he was playing live.[citation needed]
  • As a firmly stated jazz drummer, he hates it when people refer to him as a "rock drummer."[1]
  • He is currently ranked #6 on DigitalDreamDoor's (digitaldreamdoor.com) "Greatest Rock Drummers" list.

References

  1. ^ Cream: Classic Artists
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