In Memoriam
Ginger Baker
August 19, 1939 – October 6, 2019 · aged 80
Rock · Jazz Fusion · Afrobeat
Peter Edward 'Ginger' Baker was a fierce, volatile, and impossibly brilliant rhythm machine, widely considered one of the most innovative drummers in the history of rock. Born in London in 1939, Baker famously despised being called a rock drummer, considering himself a jazz musician at heart. In 1966, alongside Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, he formed Cream, the world's first true supergroup. Baker pioneered the use of double bass drums in rock music and introduced complex, polyrhythmic jazz and African influences into the heavy, blues-based psychedelia of the era. His monumental instrumental track 'Toad' featured one of the earliest and most famous drum solos in rock history. Later in his career, he traveled to Nigeria to study and collaborate with Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, further expanding his vast rhythmic vocabulary. Notorious for his confrontational, fiery temper and lifelong battles with heroin addiction, Baker lived exactly as he played—unpredictably and aggressively. He passed away on October 6, 2019, at the age of 80.
Milestones
Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, Toad
Also remembered in 2019
- Juice WRLD (1998–2019)
- Keith Flint (1969–2019)
- Marie Fredriksson (1958–2019)
- Nipsey Hussle (1985–2019)