Photo: Zoran Veselinovic / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ginger Baker is, in my book, the drummer who proved the kit could be the lead instrument. His work with Cream made him "rock's first superstar drummer," and the phrase isn't hype: he folded jazz phrasing and African rhythms into rock and effectively prefigured both jazz fusion and world music. He was famously volatile, and that combustibility seemed inseparable from his playing. I love that he never settled for keeping time when he could push the whole band somewhere stranger and wilder. He died in 2019, but those thunderous solos still feel like a dare to every drummer who followed.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ginger Baker
- Name (Japanese)
- ジンジャー・ベイカー
- Reading
- じんじゃー・べいかー
- Born
- August 19, 1939 – October 6, 2019
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Rabbit
- Origin
- Lewisham, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- rock drummer / jazz musician / songwriter / percussionist / singer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Ginger Baker born?
August 19, 1939 – October 6, 2019.
Where is Ginger Baker from?
Ginger Baker is from Lewisham, United Kingdom.
What does Ginger Baker do?
Ginger Baker works as rock drummer, jazz musician, songwriter, percussionist, singer.
Jazz musician — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.