Drummer Peter Baker, founder of Cream, dies. | EFE
Peter "Ginger" Baker's drummer stopped playing. The co-founder, among others, of the Cream band with Eric Clapton, lost his life at 80 years of age, his daughter Nettie reported Sunday.
Baker is recognized for both his innovative talent and his difficult character, he also played in the Blind Faith, Hawkwind groups and collaborated with Nigerian musician Fela Kuti during his long and controversial career.
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The drummer's family reported on September 25 that Baker had been hospitalized in serious condition and that he was "struggling," but unfortunately his daughter confirmed today in a statement that he "has died in peace."
Drummer Peter Baker, founder of Cream, dies. EFE
Peter "Ginger", nicknamed for his striking red-haired hair, began to meet in the London music scene of the sixties in clubs in the British capital, playing with jazz groups such as Terry Lightfoot and Acker Bilk.
However, it was his peculiar style with drums, too aggressive at times for the subtlety of conventional jazz, which led him to experiment with blues and rock, genres that joined him for posterity with bassist Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton.
Together they formed Cream in 1966 and also added a psychedelic touch to the band, creating a unique sound in classic themes such as "Strange Brew", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Badge" and "I Feel Free".
Cream sold more than 35 million copies and was awarded the first platinum record in history for the double album "Wheels of Fire."
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The band separated in 1968, among other reasons, because of the bad relationship between Peter and Jack, who even got to the hands in one of their legendary and volcanic live performances.
Despite his strong temper, Clapton once again had the drummer to form in 1968 the Blind Faith group, which also entered Steve Winwood and Rick Grech.
The quartet only lasted another year and after publishing a highly successful album of critics and commercials, entitled "Blind Faith", Baker founded Air Force, a ten-member super band with which he gave free rein to his interest in jazz and music. African rhythms
That new style took him in 1971 in the capital of Nigeria, Lagos, where he installed a recording studio to collaborate with singer-songwriter Fela Kuti in the creation of two albums.
In the book "Hellraiser: The Autobiography Of The World's Greatest Drummer", the legendary drummer speaks openly of his difficult life.
Also, the documentary "Beware Of Mr. Baker" ("Beware of Mr. Baker"), shows the violent personality of the legendary drummer, with moments in which he fights with the director of the film, Jay Bulger, while documenting the difficult relationship he had with his four wives and three children.
"Ginger" Baker entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of Cream, the name adopted by the band to reflect the virtuosity of "Ginger" and Clapton: "La crème de la crème".
