Ginger Baker
Encyclopedia
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", he prefers being called a jazz drummer.
Baker's influence has extended to drummers of both genres, including Billy Cobham
, Peter Criss
, Bill Ward, Ian Paice
, Nick Mason
, 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.
Baker gained fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organisation
and then as a member of the rock
band Cream
from 1966 until they disbanded in 1968. He later joined the group Blind Faith
. In 1970 Baker formed, toured and recorded with fusion
rock group Ginger Baker's Air Force
.
Baker formed and recorded with Ginger Baker's Energy and was involved in collaborations with Bill Laswell
, jazz bassist Charlie Haden
, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell
, and pioneering afro beat musician Fela Kuti
. He was also member of Hawkwind
, Atomic Rooster
and Public Image Ltd.. In 1994 he formed The Ginger Baker Trio and joined the bassist known as Googe in Masters of Reality
formed by producer
, singer and guitarist Chris Goss
.
Baker sat in for Fela Ransome-Kuti, during recording sessions in 1971 and these were released by Regal Zonophone
as Live! (Fela Kuti album) (1971)' Fela also appeared with Ginger 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. Baker formed Baker Gurvitz Army
in 1974 and recorded three albums with them before the band broke up in 1976.
In 1992 Baker played with the hard-rock group Masters of Reality
on the album Sunrise on the Sufferbus
, yielding the top-ten hit "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)".
In 1994 Baker joined BBM, a short-lived power trio with the lineup of Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce
and Irish blues rock guitarist Gary Moore
. On 3 May 2005, Baker was reunited with Eric Clapton
and Jack Bruce
, for a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall
and Madison Square Garden
New York. The London concerts were recorded and released as Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005 (2005), In a Rolling Stone 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 [Bruce lives in Britain, Baker in South Africa]...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 him of almost half a million Rand
($60,000). The bank clerk claims that it was a gift after she and Baker became lovers. Not so, insisted Baker, who explained, "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."
Baker's biography Hellraiser was published in 2009.
. 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.
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
1960s
Percussion
Lewisham
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
) is an English drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, best known for his work with Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
and Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, mainly the use of African
Music of Africa
Africa is a vast continent and its regions and nations have distinct musical traditions. The music of North Africa for the most part has a different history from sub-Saharan African music traditions....
influences. He has also had other collaborations such as with Gary Moore
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
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
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
kick drum (following a similar set-up used by Louie Bellson
Louie Bellson
Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni , better known by the stage name Louie Bellson , was an Italian-American jazz drummer...
during his days with Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
). Although a firmly established rock drummer and praised as "Rock's first superstar drummer", he prefers being called a jazz drummer.
Baker's influence has extended to drummers of both genres, including Billy Cobham
Billy Cobham
William C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....
, Peter Criss
Peter Criss
George Peter John Criscuola , better known as Peter Criss, is an American drummer and singer, best known as the original drummer for the rock band Kiss...
, Bill Ward, Ian Paice
Ian Paice
Ian Anderson Paice is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the English rock band Deep Purple. As of Jon Lord's departure in 2002, he is the only founding member of the band who never stopped performing with the group, and the only member to appear on every album the band has...
, Nick Mason
Nick Mason
Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
, and John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
. 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
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
from The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Baker also employs a more restrained style influenced by the British jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
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
Toad (song)
"Toad" is an instrumental by British rock band Cream and was released on their 1966 debut album, Fresh Cream. The "song", composed by drummer Ginger Baker, is a five minute drum solo , and is notable because it features one of the earliest recorded drum solos in rock history...
" from Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
's debut album Fresh Cream
Fresh Cream
Fresh Cream is the debut studio album by British supergroup Cream. It was the first LP release of producer Robert Stigwood's new "Independent" Reaction Records label, released in the United Kingdom as both a mono and stereo version on 9 December 1966, the same time as the single release of "I Feel...
(1966). He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
instruments and for his application of African rhythms. He would often emphasize the flam
Flåm
Flåm is a village at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord. The village is located in the municipality of Aurland in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway...
, a drum rudiment
Rudiment
In percussion music, a rudiment is one of the basic patterns used in rudimental drumming. These patterns of drum strokes can be combined in many ways to create music.- History :...
in which both sticks attack the drumhead at almost the same time, giving a heavy thunderous sound.
Biography
Graham Bond
Graham John Clifton Bond was an English musician, considered a founding father of the English rhythm and blues boom of the 1960s....
and then as a member of the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
from 1966 until they disbanded in 1968. He later joined the group Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
. In 1970 Baker formed, toured and recorded with fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
rock group Ginger Baker's Air Force
Ginger Baker's Air Force
Ginger Baker's Air Force was a jazz-rock fusion band comprising Ginger Baker on drums, Steve Winwood on organ and vocals, Ric Grech on violin and bass, Jeanette Jacobs on vocals, Denny Laine on guitar and vocals, Phil Seamen on drums, Alan White on drums, Chris Wood on tenor sax and flute, Graham...
.
Baker formed and recorded with Ginger Baker's Energy and was involved in collaborations with Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
, jazz bassist Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, and pioneering afro beat musician Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
. He was also member of Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster were an English progressive rock band, composed of former members of the The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Throughout their history, keyboardist Vincent Crane was the only constant member, and wrote the majority of their material. Their history is defined by two periods, in the early...
and Public Image Ltd.. In 1994 he formed The Ginger Baker Trio and joined the bassist known as Googe in Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality is a hard rock group formed in 1981 by guitarist and singer Chris Goss and Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York. The band is sometimes associated with the "Palm Desert Scene", which includes bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and many other stoner rock or "desert rock"...
formed by producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, singer and guitarist Chris Goss
Chris Goss
Christopher Ryan Goss, born August 17, 1958, is an American record producer and musician.-Selected discography:Throughout his career Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.* 1988 - Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality...
.
Baker sat in for Fela Ransome-Kuti, during recording sessions in 1971 and these were released by Regal Zonophone
Regal Zonophone Records
Regal Zonophone Records was a British record label formed in 1932, through a merger of the Regal Records and Zonophone Records labels. This followed the merger of those labels' respective parent companies - the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company - to form EMI.Originally Regal...
as Live! (Fela Kuti album) (1971)' Fela also appeared with Ginger Baker on Stratavarious
Stratavarious
Stratavarious is an album by Ginger Baker, the drummer from Cream, released by Polydor in 1972. Baker had many associations with an eclectic mix of musicians brought together under numerous band titles bearing his surname. Stratavarious is the only album which was released under the name of Ginger...
(1972) alongside Bobby Gass, a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
for Bobby Tench
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench , also known as Bob Tench, Bobby Tench and Bobby Gass is a British vocalist and guitarist. Originally a bass player he began singing with Gass influenced by artists such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles...
from The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group were an English rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy sounding blues and R&B was a major influence on popular music.- The first Jeff Beck Group :...
. Stratavarious was later re-issued as part of the compilation Do What You Like. Baker formed Baker Gurvitz Army
Baker Gurvitz Army
Baker Gurvitz Army was an English rock group. Their self-titled debut album featured a blend of hard rock laced with Ginger Baker's drumming. The lengthy "Mad Jack" was that album's outstanding track, and the album hit the US Billboard 200 chart, and peaked at #22 in the UK Albums Chart...
in 1974 and recorded three albums with them before the band broke up in 1976.
In 1992 Baker played with the hard-rock group Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality is a hard rock group formed in 1981 by guitarist and singer Chris Goss and Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York. The band is sometimes associated with the "Palm Desert Scene", which includes bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and many other stoner rock or "desert rock"...
on the album Sunrise on the Sufferbus
Sunrise on the Sufferbus
Sunrise on the Sufferbus is the second studio album of the American rock band Masters of Reality, released in 1992.On the album, the band were joined by British drummer Ginger Baker.- Track listing :All songs by Chris Goss, unless otherwise stated...
, yielding the top-ten hit "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)".
In 1994 Baker joined BBM, a short-lived power trio with the lineup of Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
and Irish blues rock guitarist Gary Moore
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
. On 3 May 2005, Baker was reunited with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
, for a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
New York. The London concerts were recorded and released as Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005 (2005), In a Rolling Stone 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 [Bruce lives in Britain, Baker in South Africa]...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 him of almost half a million Rand
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
($60,000). The bank clerk claims that it was a gift after she and Baker became lovers. Not so, insisted Baker, who explained, "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."
Baker's biography Hellraiser was published in 2009.
Discography
The Storyville Jazz Men and The Hugh Rainey Allstars
- Storyville Re-Visited (1958) also featuring Bob WallisBob WallisRobert 'Bob' Wallis was a British jazz musician, who had a handful of chart success in the early 1960s, during the UK traditional jazz boom.-Biography:...
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 CreamFresh CreamFresh Cream is the debut studio album by British supergroup Cream. It was the first LP release of producer Robert Stigwood's new "Independent" Reaction Records label, released in the United Kingdom as both a mono and stereo version on 9 December 1966, the same time as the single release of "I Feel...
Polydor (1966) - Disraeli GearsDisraeli GearsDisraeli Gears is the second album by British supergroup Cream. It was released in November 1967 and went on to reach #5 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also their American breakthrough, becoming a massive seller there in 1968, reaching #4 on the American charts...
Polydor (1967) - Wheels of FireWheels of FireWheels of Fire is the name of a double album recorded by Cream. The release was largely successful, scoring the band a #3 peak in the United Kingdom and a #1 in the United States, and became the world's first platinum-selling double album....
Polydor (1968) - Goodbye Polydor (1969)
- Live CreamLive CreamLive Cream is a live compilation album by Cream released in 1970. This album comprises four live tracks recorded in 1968 and one studio track "Lawdy Mama" from 1967...
Polydor (1970) - Live Cream Volume IILive Cream Volume IILive Cream Volume II is the second live compilation album British supergroup Cream released in March 1972 by Polydor Records. This album contains six tracks recorded at various performances from March 9 to October 4, 1968.-Reception:...
Polydor (1972) - BBC Sessions (2003)
- Royal Albert Hall London, May 2–3, 5-6 2005 Reprise (2005)
Ginger Baker's Air Force discography
- Ginger Baker's Air ForceGinger Baker's Air Force (album)Ginger Baker's Air Force is the eponymous début album by Ginger Baker's Air Force, released in 1970 .This album is a recording of a sold-out live show at the Royal Albert Hall, on January 15, 1970, with the original 11-piece line up....
Atco (1970) - Ginger Baker's Air Force IIGinger Baker's Air Force 2Ginger Baker's Air Force 2 was the second and final album by Ginger Baker's Air Force, released in 1970 . In Germany it was released with a different track listing, including previously unreleased songs....
Atco (1970)
Baker Gurvitz Army discography
- Baker Gurvitz ArmyBaker Gurvitz Army (album)Baker Gurvitz Army is Baker Gurvitz Army's first studio album.-Track listing:#"Help Me" 4:34#"Love Is" 2:47#"Memory Lane" 4:46#"Inside Of Me" 5:33#"I Wanna Live Again" 4:22...
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
- Ginger Baker at His BestGinger Baker at His BestGinger Baker at His Best was part of a set of double albums of the individual and collective output of the three members of Cream, released in 1972. The Cream album was entitled Heavy Cream, and featured illustrations of Eric Clapton, Baker and Jack Bruce. The three albums devoted each member had...
(1972) - StratavariousStratavariousStratavarious is an album by Ginger Baker, the drummer from Cream, released by Polydor in 1972. Baker had many associations with an eclectic mix of musicians brought together under numerous band titles bearing his surname. Stratavarious is the only album which was released under the name of Ginger...
Polydor (1972) - Ginger Baker & Friends Mountain (1976)
- Eleven Sides of Baker Sire (1977)
- From Humble Oranges CDG (1983)
- Horses & TreesHorses & TreesHorses & Trees is the fourth album by drummer Ginger Baker, released in 1986 . It's fully instrumental and it contains six dance-oriented songs.- Track listing :...
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-KutiFela KutiFela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
and The Africa'70 with Ginger Baker, Regal ZonophoneasRegal Zonophone RecordsRegal Zonophone Records was a British record label formed in 1932, through a merger of the Regal Records and Zonophone Records labels. This followed the merger of those labels' respective parent companies - the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company - to form EMI.Originally Regal...
/Pathe Philips (1971) / Polydor (1972) - Band on the RunBand on the RunBand on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
and WingsWings (band)Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
, Capitol/EMI (1973) - LevitationLevitation (album)Levitation is the tenth studio album by English rock group Hawkwind, released in 1980. It peaked at #21 on the UK Albums Chart.At the time of its release, band leader Dave Brock stated: "with Levitation we’ve come full circle back to the style of our debut album...
HawkwindHawkwindHawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, Bronze (1980) - ZonesZones (album)Zones is an album by Hawkwind released in 1983 consisting of studio demos from 1981 and live performances between 1980 and 1982.The tracks on side 1 have been included on the 2009 3CD re-issue of Levitation in expanded form.-Side 1:...
HawkwindHawkwindHawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, FlicknifeFlicknife RecordsFlicknife Records was an independent record label setup in the United Kingdom in 1979 by Marc "Frenchy" Gloder, and Gina 'Wild Thing' Nares. It specialised in psychedelic rock and Hawkwind and ex-members solo projects...
(1983) - This Is Hawkwind, Do Not PanicThis Is Hawkwind, Do Not PanicThis is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic is a 1984 live album by the English space rock group Hawkwind. The album consisted of two discs: an LP which was recorded during the group's 1980 Levitation tour; and a 12" EP recorded on at their June 1984 appearance at the Stonehenge Free Festival.The group's...
HawkwindHawkwindHawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, Flicknife (1984) - Album Public Image Ltd, Elektra/Virgin (1986)
- Unseen Rain with Jens JohanssonJens JohanssonJens Ola Johansson is a Swedish power metal keyboardist and pianist. He is notable for his high-speed neoclassical and fusion style.-Biography:...
and Jonas HellborgJonas HellborgJonas Hellborg is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Ustad Sultan Khan, Fazal Qureshi, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson, Michael Shrieve, V. Selvaganesh, Mattias IA Eklundh and Buckethead....
, Day Eight (1992) - Sunrise on the SufferbusSunrise on the SufferbusSunrise on the Sufferbus is the second studio album of the American rock band Masters of Reality, released in 1992.On the album, the band were joined by British drummer Ginger Baker.- Track listing :All songs by Chris Goss, unless otherwise stated...
by Masters of RealityMasters of RealityMasters of Reality is a hard rock group formed in 1981 by guitarist and singer Chris Goss and Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York. The band is sometimes associated with the "Palm Desert Scene", which includes bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and many other stoner rock or "desert rock"...
, Chrysalis (1992) - Around the Next Dreamby BBMBBMBBM is the name of the short-lived power trio formed in 1993, by long established artists, bassist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker and guitarist Gary Moore. They released just one album, entitled Around The Next Dream, which was released on the Virgin record label...
, Capitol (1994) - Synaesthesia by Andy SummersAndy SummersAndy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
, CMP Records (1996) - 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 WorkshopDrum Workshop
Drum Workshop is a drum and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Their slogan is "The Drummer's Choice".-History:...
. He used Ludwig
Ludwig-Musser
Ludwig-Musser is a drum and percussion instrument manufacturer that is part of the Conn-Selmer division of Steinway Musical Instruments.The first product made by the Ludwig brothers, William and Theobaldner , was a bass drum pedal capable of playing faster beats than was typical of products of the...
drums until the late 1990s. All of his cymbals are made by Zildjian; the 22" rivet ride cymbal
Ride cymbal
The ride cymbal is a standard cymbal in most drum kits. It maintains a steady rhythmic pattern, sometimes called a ride pattern, rather than the accent of a crash...
and the 14" hi-hats he currently uses are the same ones he used during the last two Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
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 drumsBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
- 13" Edge Snare drum SnareSnare drumThe snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
- 14" Leedy Snare (Spare)
- DWDrum WorkshopDrum Workshop is a drum and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Their slogan is "The Drummer's Choice".-History:...
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 Zildjian1960s
- 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
External links
- Official Site and Online Store
- Biography & Discography at Musicianguide.com
- Ginger Baker Article by Jay Bulger