No strange to vices and not a fan of modesty, he called his memoir 'Hellraiser: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Drummer.'īaker was a drummer from early on, even rapping out rhythms on his school deskīaker was a drummer from early on, even rapping out rhythms on his school desk as he mimicked the big band music he loved and didn't let the occasional caning from a teacher deter him.Īs a teenager, he was playing in local groups and was mentored by percussionist Phil Seamen. It was very rewarding, very hard work but very good therapy.'īaker has been married four times and is survived by three children. I moved to a little village in the middle of nowhere, where nobody spoke English. He added: 'That's when I got clear of it all. It was called a 'jack', one sixth of a gram of heroin in one tiny white pill.'īaker said he tried to kick heroin some 29 times until he was finally successful after moving to Italy in 1981. I got involved in 1960 when people were getting more than they were using on prescription and selling it. To find you have to do something just to feel normal is not a good road. He said: 'I don't have fond memories of it at all. He said he started taking heroin in London in the late 1950s and early 1960s while performing as a drummer in jazz clubs. Members of Cream depart from Heathrow Airport in London for their American tour with two female companions In an interview in 2013 with The Guardian, Baker admitted he had spent more than 20 years battling a heroin addiction. Three years later, it was reported that he was recovering following open heart surgery and had also suffered a bad fall.
In 2013, he revealed he had been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from years of heavy smoking. 'God is punishing me for my past wickedness by keeping me alive and in as much pain as He can,' he told Rolling Stone in 2009 when he was diagnosed with the onset of emphysema.
Bruce died in 2014.īaker has suffered several health issues in recent years. He endured his old enemy, Bruce, when Cream was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and for Cream reunion concerts a decade later. He founded Ginger Baker's Air Force, which cost a fortune and imploded after two albums. He recorded with Kuti and other Nigerians, jammed with Art Blakey, Elvin Jones and other jazz drummers and played with John Lydon's Public Image Ltd. He moved to Nigeria, took up polo, drove a Land Rover across the Sahara, lived on a ranch in South Africa, divorced his first wife and married three more times. It split up after completing just one, self-titled album, as notable for its cover photo of a topless young girl as for its music.Ī highlight from the record: Baker's cymbal splashes on Winwood's lyrical ballad 'Can't Find My Way Home.'īaker has been married four times and has three childrenįrom the 1970s on, Baker was ever more unpredictable. Named Blind Faith by a rueful Clapton, the band was overwhelmed by expectations from the moment it debuted in June 1969 before some 100,000 at a concert in London's Hyde Park. To the surprise of many, especially Clapton, he and Baker were soon part of another super group, Blind Faith, which also featured singer-keyboardist Stevie Winwood and bassist Ric Grech.Īs Clapton would recall, he and Winwood had been playing informally when Baker turned up (Baker would allege that Clapton invited him).
When told by Bulger that he was a founding father of heavy metal, Baker snarled that the genre 'should have been aborted.' Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet was another musician offering tributes following the death of Ginger BakerĬream split up at the end of the year, departing with two sold-out shows at London's Albert Hall.
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