The much-admired British drummer Ginger Baker, best known for playing in the band Cream, has died, his family has said. He was noted not just for his musical prowess but also for his temperament.
Image: Getty Images/K. Winter
Advertisement
Ginger Baker, whom Rolling Stone magazine once classed as the third-greatest rock drummer of all time, died in hospital on Sunday morning, his family said.
Baker, who started playing jazz as a teenager, joined Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce in the mid-1960s to form the trio Cream, which went on to become one of the most successful bands of its time and sold more than 10 million records. The band split up in 1968 amid mutual dislike between Baker and Bruce.
One of his best-known contributions to Cream's performances was the long and influential drum solo in "Toad," one of the band's instrumental numbers.
His playing style was characterized by an unusually fierce energy, an energy that took a less musical form when he assaulted the documentary maker Jay Bulger on camera with a walking stick. The film, released in 2012, ended up being called "Beware of Mr. Baker."
Baker joined Clapton in another band, Blind Faith, which, however, broke up after making just one album.
Decadeslong career
Ginger Baker was born Peter Edward Baker in 1939. His father, a bricklayer, was killed during World War II. Among his musical mentors was Phil Seamen, a leading British jazz drummer of the time.
As one of the first rock musicians to recognize the potential of African music, he set up a recording studio in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1973, which operated successfully through the seventies.
Baker wrote an autobiography, Hellraiser, which was published in 2009.
Hit and miss: Famous music memorabilia under the hammer
Sotheby's in London auctioned off a swathe of souvenirs from rock and pop stars. The contract with the first manager of the Beatles sold for half a million euros. But not all of it met expectations.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/P. Toscano
Management contract with The Beatles
An impressive collection of rock and pop memorabilia came under the hammer at Sotheby's in London on Tuesday (29.09.15). One of the more notable was the contract between The Beatles and their first manager Brian Epstein, which went for half a million euros. Epstein was running a record store in Liverpool when he became aware of the young band - eventually taking over the management reigns in 1961.
Image: picture-alliance/empics
Album cover for 'Please Please Me'
Paul McCartney referred to their manager Brian Epstein as the "fifth Beatle." The band's love for their manager is evident here on this signed copy of "Please Please Me" - the band's debut LP, released in 1963. However, the love wasn't shared: Bidding failed to reach the reserve price of around 20,000 euros ($23,000).
Image: Sotheby's
Disappointing note
Expectations at Sotheby's pop and rock auction were high - sometimes too high. The studio grand piano used by Swedish pop sensation ABBA was expected to draw bids upwards of 800,000 euros ($1.3 million), but went unsold. The band used the instrument on hits such as "Waterloo." It was originally built by piano manufacturer Bolin for jazz pianist Bill Evans.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/P. Toscano
Eric Clapton's axe
Eric Clapton's fifth studio album "Slowhand" took its name from a nickname given to the British guitarist early in his career. In 2011 Clapton ranked second in "Rolling Stone" magazine's "100 greatest guitarists of all time," but nonetheless his blue 2009 Fender Stratocaster changed hands for the bargain price of around 60,000 euros ($70,000).
Image: Sotheby's
History in the making
This scrap of paper was expected to fetch up to 288,000 euros ($320,000) at auction. The document is the original lyrics to Bob Dylan's apocalyptic song "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall." It's believed he typed it quickly in 1962 at New York's legendary Gaslight Club, reworking it later on. The item found no new owner.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Augstein
Songs by rap icon 2Pac
Tupac Shakur, aka 2Pac, has sold an estimated 75 million albums to date. It's said that the rapper spent as much time in prison as in the recording studio. His lyrics were often confrontational and provoked many of his hip hop adversaries. He was shot twice and died in 1996. His handwritten lyrics also found no buyer.
Image: Sotheby's
The Warhol factor
Pop Art protagonist,Andy Warhol had already made a name for himself during the 1950s as an illustrator for fashion and lifestyle magazines. On the side he was also creating record covers for numerous artists. However, a collection of his record covers from 1949-1990 - valued at around 70,000 euros ($75,000) - attracted no buyer.
Image: Sotheby's
7 images1 | 7
In his last few years, Baker, who overcame a heroin addiction in the early 80s, began to suffer from serious heart problems that prevented him from performing.
