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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 7 october 2019

Ginger Baker, Cream’s action to this was, ‘You
cheeky little bastard!’”
volatile drummer, dies at 80 Born in 1939, Peter Ed-
ward Baker was the son of
a bricklayer killed during
Continued from Page 29 some 100,000 at a concert World War II when Ginger
in London’s Hyde Park. It was just 4. His father left
Cream split up at the end split up after completing behind a letter that Ginger
of the year, departing with just one, self-titled album, as Baker would quote from:
two sold-out shows at Lon- notable for its cover photo “Use your fists; they’re your
don’s Albert Hall. When of a topless young girl as for best pals so often.”
told by Bulger that he was its music. A highlight from Baker was a drummer from
a founding father of heavy the record: Baker’s cymbal early on, even rapping out
metal, Baker snarled that splashes on Winwood’s lyri- rhythms on his school desk
the genre “should have cal ballad “Can’t Find My In this Aug. 20, 1967 file photo, members of the rock group Cream as he mimicked the big
been aborted.” Way Home.” depart from Heathrow Airport in London, for their American tour. band music he loved and
To the surprise of many, es- “Beneath his somewhat The trio, walking with unidentified female companions, from left didn’t let the occasional
pecially Clapton, he and abrasive exterior, there was are, base guitarist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and lead caning from a teacher de-
Baker were soon part of a very sensitive human be- guitarist Eric Clapton. Associated Press ter him. As a teenager, he
another super group, Blind ing with a heart of gold,” was playing in local groups
Faith, which also featured Winwood said in a state- and played with John Ly- spite arthritis, heart trouble, and was mentored by per-
singer-keyboardist Stevie ment Sunday. don’s Public Image Ltd. He hearing loss dating from his cussionist Phil Seamen.
Winwood and bassist Ric From the 1970s on, Baker founded Ginger Baker’s Air years with Cream and lung “At this party, there was a
Grech. was ever more unpredict- Force, which cost a fortune disease from smoking. A little band and all the kids
As Clapton would recall, he able. He moved to Nigeria, and imploded after two stranger to no vice, immod- chanted at me, ‘Play the
and Winwood had been took up polo, drove a Land albums. He endured his esty included, he called his drums!’’’, Baker told The
playing informally when Rover across the Sahara, old enemy, Bruce, when memoir “Hellraiser: The Au- Independent in 2009. “I’d
Baker turned up (Baker lived on a ranch in South Cream was inducted into tobiography of the World’s never sat behind a kit be-
would allege that Clap- Africa, divorced his first wife the Rock and Roll Hall Greatest Drummer.” fore, but I sat down — and I
ton invited him). Named and married three more of Fame in 1993 and for “John Bonham once made could play! One of the mu-
Blind Faith by a rueful Clap- times. Cream reunion concerts a a statement that there sicians turned round and
ton, the band was over- He recorded with Kuti and decade later. Bruce died were only two drummers in said, ‘Bloody hell, we’ve
whelmed by expectations other Nigerians, jammed in 2014. British rock ‘n’ roll; himself got a drummer’, and I
from the moment it de- with Art Blakey, Elvin Jones Baker continued to per- and Ginger Baker,” Baker thought, ‘Bloody hell, I’m a
buted in June 1969 before and other jazz drummers form regularly in his 70s de- wrote in his book. “My re- drummer.’”q