Ginger Baker has played his last drum beat, aged 80.

[Dave7]

Sadly I remember Cream forming with Eric Clapton.....in 1966.
TBH thier music didn't do much for me and I only ever bought one of thier LPs.
Apparently a very gifted musician with many other talents but not many people had nice things to say about him.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Great band, and I still love their music.

Claim to fame: I had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the car he was driving at Wembley arena in the late 60s. Great drummer, rubbish driver.

 

[Drago]

Cream were awesome, but Baker and Bruce used to argue and bicker, and occasionally even came to blows on stage, so it couldn't last. R.I.P. Ginger.

 

[swee'pea99]

I was amazed to discover, reading up around the GB demise, that Cream were only in existence for 18 months. They certainly put 'em to good use.

 

[swee'pea99]

A friend told me recently that Jack Bruce, in the advance stages of dying of cancer, took time out to ring GB for the first time in an age, solely to say "Ginger? Yes it's me. I'm going to die very soon, but I didn't want to go without telling you you're a DAFFODIL!"

 

[Smokin Joe]

I didn't like much of their stuff, but this hit the spot -

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16h6vLy6n4A

 

[Ian H]

There was a lot more to him than just Cream.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCUWusjBxQc

 

[Dave7]

I didn't like much of their stuff, but this hit the spot -

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16h6vLy6n4A

For some reason the one that sticks in my mind is....Your Baby Has Gone Down The Plughole.

 

[JuhaL]

What an drummer Ginger Baker was, i would say powerful. I think GB was the spine of Cream, anyway fantastic drummer. Drum solo in Toad track is awesome to listen and watch. My first touch to Cream happened in mid 70's through my aunts husbands vinyl collections where was 1 Cream's vinyl, Fresh Cream.

 

[slowmotion]

A friend from Kenya used to play polo with him. Anyway, here's Badge...….

[media]

]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSpW6MePb10[/media]

 

[ianrauk]

By all accounts he was a complete and utter arse.
Phenomenal drummer though.
One of my favourite musician quotes. When he was sacked from hawkwind he said '..they got the worst musician in the band to sack the best"

 

[Dave7]

A friend from Kenya used to play polo with him. Anyway, here's Badge...….

[media]

]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSpW6MePb10[/media]

Apparently he broke lots of bones playing polo. A multi talented guy.

 

[Venod]

Cream, a big part of my musical influences, a fantastic drummer.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR90gQ-SIaY

 

[Dirk]

I was 14 when Cream formed and they were the back track to my teenage years.
Hugely influential in so many ways.
I remember the Farewell concert at the Albert Hall being shown on the BBC - Ginger was around 30 at the time - and my Dad saying 'Gawd! Look at him, he'll be dead before he's 40'.
I'm glad to say my Dad was proved wrong.
Ginger was a one off. Lived life on his own terms and didn't give a flying f*** what anyone else thought. Curmudgeonly old b*****d maybe........ certainly....... but the world is a poorer place for his passing. RIP.

 

[slowmotion]

There was a TV documentary about him absolutely yonks ago which showed him with drummers in Mali (I think). At the time he was involved with some Trans-Saharan trucking operation. It's worth watching if you can find it.