Ginger Baker, the legendary rock drummer known for his work with bands such as Cream and Blind Faith, passed away early this morning in a British hospital. His family had announced that he was "critically ill" less than two weeks earlier. He had undergone open heart surgery in 2016.
Peter Edward Baker was born in the Lewisham area of South London, to a father who was a bricklayer before he died in World War II and a mother who worked in a tobacco shop. Given the nickname "Ginger" because of his hair color, he started playing drums during his teenage years. He became the drummer of Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated and then the Graham Bond Organization, where he first met bassist Jack Bruce. Baker and Bruce would go on to form Cream with former Yardbirds and Bluesbreakers guitarist Eric Clapton. After Cream broke up, Baker and Clapton formed Blind Faith with keyboardist Steve Winwood and bassist Rick Grech. Later, Baker created Ginger Baker's Air Force, a jazz-rock band that would include members such as Grech, Winwood, Bond, and former Moody Blues and future Wings guitarist Denny Laine. While regarded as one of the greatest rock drummers, Baker was schooled in jazz drumming and influenced by African rhythms.
Baker was married four times and had three children. He is survived by his wife Kudzai Machokoto, his son Kofi (named after a Ghanaian drummer), and his daughters Ginette and Leda.
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Baker rarely sang any lead vocals, but with Cream, he sang, or maybe spoke the lead vocals on Pressed Rat And Warthog. The song appears on Cream's album Wheels Of Fire, and was written by Baker and British jazz pianist Mike Taylor. Besides his normal bass duties, Bruce plays the recorder, and guest musician Felix Pappalardi plays trumpet and tonette, which basically a recorder made of plastic.
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