He looked like a skeleton with a steel metal helmet.. circa 40's..eyes popping out.. screaming get the hell out of my way, charging right for me.
He was a mad man on four legs..fearless brutal who just loved the game of polo.
He may have been the toughest man I ever met but that was only a small part of who he was.
He was indestructible.
We went on to be mates with polo horses as our linchpin.
He was building a brick barn by himself in the heat of the valley summer.
He asked me to manage him.. I passed so we could remain friends.
I had Tone Loc at the time and Delicious Vinyl was home.
I called Mike Ross at Delicious Vinyl and Chris Goss of Masters.
Masters just lost their drummer.. I suggested Ginger.
Game on for a minute.. every Masters performance the audience was in awe of what Ginger could do... and how good that much overlooked band was.
Ginger is unforgettable a true original and a great guy if he liked you.
If not you'll know it in a second.
Martin Schwartz
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When the JAMES GANG played a number of shows with CREAM in the early years (like 1967-1969 or so), I wanted badly to hang with him, talk a little "shop", etc. It was easier said than done. Other than a cursory nod, that was about all I ever got. I realized later that if I had only remembered to use the "password" ("Art Blakey"), maybe I could have broken the ice. The part of the drummer/gunslinger in the movie "ZACHARIAH" was written for him, but he bailed just before shooting began. Having done that movie, I was crushed at the prospect of missing yet another chance to get to know him a bit, but when Elvin agreed to take the part at the last minute, well…that worked out pretty well for me and Elvin remained a friend for the rest of his life. When the Gang first toured Britain with THE WHO, instead of seeking out Ginger to try again, I decided it would be a great experience to seek out Baker's teacher, Phil Seamen. It took a while, but I found him, all right…too sick from his addiction to greet me personally. Instead, he arranged to speak with me on the phone, apologizing for his condition, and lamenting that we would not have time to "talk drums" for a while. You see, there IS a dark side to music that can offset all the glory…
Of course, Ginger Baker was not just a "rock drummer", though he was clearly among the greatest! He was so, so much more. But most of all, he was a MUSICIAN. What set him apart from so many of the others was the fact that, with all the training, talent and finesse he possessed, damned near no one in the world of rock and roll could kick total ass the way he could, playing "all out" nearly all the time, yet managing not to just "bang", but to play musically from top to bottom.
The likes of Mister Baker (and Moonie) will never be seen again.
Jimmy Fox
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He proceeded John Bonham. Got to play with him on a rock n roll cooking show pilot we did in the early 90s. We did Funk #49 by the James Gang. He played all those folks great and still had it even then. Brought an English pancake recipe with him and really enjoyed cooking. I think he even smiled. Crusty fellow and what a character. In the late 60s everyone wanted to copy the drum solo on Toad he played with Cream. Now only Eric is left. RIP Ginger
Kenny Lee Lewis
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Right up there with Bonzo and Keith Moon. I Walked in the Atlantic studio when they were recording. The were the real deal. Jerry Wexlers daughter told him to release Sunshine Of Your Love. Always listen to your kids. Jerry g
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RIP Ginger Baker. I went to see Cream at the Forum for their LA "Farewell" gig in 1968. They were indeed MIGHTY.
What I remember quite clearly, besides their powerful, improvised and really loud set that night, was the rumor going round right before the gig... that Ginger was dead.
Before the mutant healing powers of Keith were well established, before Brian, Janis, Jimi and Morrison died, before that other maniac drummer of singular skill and tenacious outrageous personality, Keith Moon departed this Earthly plane... Ginger Baker was the one we all expected to go first. As was his way, he proved everyone wrong.
Eighty is sounding younger and younger to me... Time is a bizarre river. Take Ginger's advice and do what you like.
Mumy
Laurel Canyon
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Bob… Our WMMR Morning Zoo interview with Ginger Baker back in the 90s was fairly uneventful, considering his legendary crankiness. We met him, shook his hand, were told not to bring up Clapton, we brought up Clapton, he left, then he came back, talked about his new project, and left.
Years later, In 2005, I saw the Cream reunion at The Royal Albert Hall in London and before the song "Toad" Ginger Baker commandeered the microphone and promoted his merch in the lobby (t-shirts, posters, etc… ). It was a cheesy moment and Eric Clapton shot Mr. Baker a piercing look that the legendary drummer ignored and then when on a bit more about t-shirts and stuff before he started the song. R.I.P. Ginger Baker
Pat Godwin
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When Cream reunited for their Madison Square Garden shows I knew—not only did I need to be there—but I needed a kick-ass seat. I ended up scoring a seat on the floor 4th Row Center. The show was magical and I personally felt like I was in a time machine transported back to my childhood bedroom, doors closed and "Disraeli Gears" blasting away. When the show ended, Ginger threw out his drum sticks. One headed right in my direction. As the folks in the row in front of me were jockeying to grab it, I instead deflected the stick in the air backwards towards me. Everyone scrambled for the stick as it hit the floor, but I knew exactly where it was as I felt something bounce off my foot. I bent down and bam there it was: A Zildjian 7a stick with the words "Ginger Baker" printed on the side. Over 19,000 fans in that arena that evening. I didn't need to buy any souvenir merch as I walked away with the best. It was destiny, I tell you, destiny. RIP GB.
Stuart K. Marvin
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Ginger, along with his band mates in Cream truly was a game changer. They raised the bar in rock n' roll musicianship along with Jimi Henderix and Mike Bloomfield who were all appearing in 1967 and beginning to make a name for themselves. Beware of Mr. Baker is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen and its great that he survived long enough, and the right people came along to capture who he really was in such a fine way. I remember in 1968, at the age of 13, discovering this new music newspaper at our local candy store called Rolling Stone. Taking it home that evening and seeing an ad for a New York radio station, WNEW-FM. I didn't know what FM radio was but we had this console in our den from the 1950's that had a B&W television, a turntable and tuners for AM and FM radio. I went in and turned on the FM tuner for the first time, found this radio station and like Alice I went down the rabbit hole and my life was never the same again. The music I heard that night was truly mind blowing and I discovered a whole new world of what was going to be. 1967-71 was an amazing moment for music with true artistic freedom and creativity that unfortunately wouldn't last long though the music is timeless and kids learning to play guitar in 2019 are still studying the music from that era.
Irv Berner
Assistant Curator
Songbirds Guitar Museum
Chattanooga, TN
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Clapton certainly made his blues playing name with John Mayall, but his work in the Yardbirds is what first got him on my radar screen.
I didn't seen Cream back in those days — only saw them during their New York "reunion" a decade or so ago — and even then Clapton and Bruce pretty much just stood there. Ginger Baker was incredible, playing like a maniac, including an extended solo that was out of this world. We were all amazed the guy still had that crazy energy.
I watched that documentary a while ago. It reinforced that Ginger Baker was a true original, one-of-a-kind, an artist of the highest order.
Bob Bourque
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I saw Ginger playing many times over the past 50 years, from Blind Faith to the Cream reunion, BBM, his Army & Jazz Confusion and many others in between. Last time was back in April this year when he insisted on playing the 'Drum Legends' show in Brighton with Herman Rarebell (ex-Scorpions) & Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) despite his obvious ill health, which turned out to be his final UK show - he was such a trooper for doing it even though his strength was lacking. An incredible drummer & timekeeper, his musical legacy is immense with so many great recordings, live films & videos to enjoy. I only met him once, as a youngster at the Royal Albert Hall In 1969 when Hendrix played a memorable show (about to be released officially) where I spotted him at the bar. I went up to him, asked a totally inane question ("are you jamming in tonight Ginge?") to which I received his legendary standard answer of "Fuck off". I still relish the moment half a century later...
David Stark
SongLink, London
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Bob, many thanks for remembering the great Ginger Baker. In '67, I was tripled up in a freshman Stony Brook dorm with a guitar player and drummer and a huge stereo. Hendrix and Baker were gods. At night, completely wrecked, we listened to Allison Steele, the Nightbird, and her Music from the Hearts of Space on WNEW- FM. I never got any sleep. A miracle I survived that first year, yet here I am practicing law in Santa Monica with my daughter's EDM now ringing in my ears.
Bob Giolito
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I hate waking to the news of yet another passing a friend or hero. So with Ginger Baker goes a true original, a personal hero and piece of my own career. My first full time gig in music was being in charge of poster sales on Cream's farewell tour of North America. I dropped out of college to do the tour, and well, it was autumn 1968 and there was so much better stuff to do other than taking abnormal psychology classes.
I was a starstruck twenty year old who now I found myself touring with three mega-gods. Traveling with them and watching every single moment of each of those twenty final shows. I'd never seen anyone play drums like Ginger… I referred to him a wrist slap drummer… light wrist touch as he moved across his well tuned kit and hardware. I can still see his hands best when visualizing White Room. I cried the night of the last performance… and still get misty eyed thinking about it.
Ginger Baker wasn't a warm, and fuzzy kind of person, but rather a hard drinking and heavy smoking cockney (who I imagined as having been a pirate in a previous life). Yet, whenever we crossed paths on the road he'd flash a smile, say 'hi kid,.. ya all right' then wink and walk on. What a charge for a kid like me.
Thankfully, I have that collection of shows embedded in my memory to 'view' whenever I listen to my Cream albums, the ones that helped shape the rest of my life. Shit... am I that old?
Best— Bruce Garfield
PS: The opening act was Terry Reid, his road manager was a guy named Richard Cole who would become Led Zeppelin's tour manager two weeks later and kicked my career into hight gear by introducing me to the Robert, Jimmy, John Paul and Bonzo at their first LA gig at the Whiskey… I signed a poster deal with!
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Hey Bob, a lot of ya local guys in Denver were so lucky to play and hang out Ginger (and his son). He was complicated for sure, irascible, gruff, but could also be so charming. He yelled at his dogs as loud as he played. But really, for a guy like you, you should see my friend and former bandmate Bob Rupp's posts on his legacy. He spent amazing time with him in the 90s.
Here are a few for you to take a peek at when you get a chance. A lot of the pics themselves have some stories too.
https://www.facebook.com/584559421/posts/10156751493544422?sfns=mo
Rock on.
Michael St. James
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In between Blind Faith and Masters of Reality, Baker did form and record a few albums with the Baker-Gurvitz Army. Some pretty good mid-70's album rock on those releases.
BTW...
"She Got Me" by Masters of Reality still lingers on as a lean, sultry, and perfect maniacal mess.
Great drumming too...
Marty Bender
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I was at the Oakdale show in June of 68, I took my first photos there.
Life changing experience. All the power of electricity with a bunch of guys who could improvise. Nobody followed that act.
Nest, Jon Tiven
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My first ever rock concert was Cream in Atlanta on October 26, 1968 . I was too young to drive so my drum instructor schlepped me two plus hours each way from Chattanooga. We, of course, were both already mesmerized by Ginger Baker's amazing style. It was one of those 3:30PM added afternoon shows at Chastain Park Amphitheater. I remember sitting on the thirteenth row holding my GE reel to reel tape recorder. Recorded the show over my Bar Mitzvah lessons from a couple of years before. Agree with your observation that he was not shortchanged on longevity. Best, EE
Eron Epstein
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My friend Peter had sophisticated musical taste. He turned me onto artists like Paul Butterfield, Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles. He was into the blues. One day he turned me onto Cream. I bought Fresh Cream and played it incessantly. On June 5th, 1968 I saw my first show ever at Toronto's famed Massey Hall. I was in the first few rows, so close that the spittle from Bruce's mouth harp was spraying me. The PA conked out. Clapton kept playing, so did Baker but after a while Baker got so pissed off that he kicked his vocal mike clear across the stage. This was new for me. And a bit dangerous. A year later I saw Blind Faith at University of Toronto's Varsity Stadium. James Taylor, of all people, opened for them. There had to be close to 50,000 people in attendance. Those were the shows, the days, the music that shaped me, that I identify with, that are part of my journey. Yes, they are dropping like flies. But until we drop, they are all alive inside us, like our genetic code was altered by the sounds coming off the stage.
Regards,
Steven Ehrlick
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My friend Joel and I were avid music fans in the 60s, in grade school plus we had older brothers a couple years older. There were records coming out every week.
We had fresh cream right out of the box and loved it. N.s.u. And I feel free led the way. By the time WLS - am played Sunshine, Cream was already a big deal to us.
I learned how to play drums listening to Ginger as well as Dino Danielle, Danny Seraphine and John Bonham. These were the very best as far as I was and still am concerned.
My friend Paul Gurvitz lives here in Ohoenix. His brother Adrian and he had the Baker Gurvitz army. Some great stories there.
It is tragic the way Ginger and Jack lived out their final days and years. Pretty wild stuff.
I wish Ginger had been able to have been different than how he was, very difficult as I understand it.
But I will never forget that red hair and his incredible control behind the kit. He was in great form on the '05 dates Cream did. I was lucky enough to see a show in London and NYC. Incredible style and firm those 3 guys had. Ginger played as he always did, just impeccable timing. Both Jack and Eric were incredible too. Eric, by the way l, was still flawless in his show a couple weeks ago here in Phoenix. I am honored to be still working with his camp on a show every now and then.
The world won't see another like Ginger. And Cream was probably the best group of its time in equal parts because of all 3 members. Ginger held it all together.
God bless ya mate. Thanks for being so great behind the kit.
Danny Zelisko
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Rock and roll's greatest drummer… yes, Ginger Baker was quite a character. I went on the road with the Masters of Reality.. a greatly under-rated power trio that rocked like nobody's fuckin' business! They were opening for Alice in Chains and many night blowing them off the stage… night after night they'd suck all the air out of the venues..and would turn air into cottage cheese! They were signed by Fred Davis and the label was seriously committed to breaking them...
Ginger was titillated when there was properly prepared hot tea and a joint. He wasn't accustomed to American smoking laws so I had to inform him that smoking a self-rolled cigarette laced with pot inside the elevator would not work! He constantly was smoking… (another rock star that drops dead from smoking) While at interviews he'd be asked about Cream and he'd give a flippant answer and say, "we're here to talk about The Masers of Reality". He referred to himself as a "percussionist"… not just a drummer… His knowledge of "beats" was memorizing.. whether if was the march of the British army at Waterloo or the history of the Zulu's tribal beats…
Kindest Cheers,
Jeff Laufer
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Thanks for this history / tribute
to a legend.
seeing Cream at Albert Hall was transcendent. (even if Eric was giving the boys some retirement
gelt)
The real trip was working
The Masters of Reality lp.
Aints in the kitchen is what we worked at radio.
Most radio guys played it out of the box ... Baker was the draw. i'm so thankful that i got to work with Ginger B even if only briefly.
Neil Lasher
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My Ginger Baker story: it was July 1969, I was 18 and attending a fabulous rock fest on the racetrack at Wisconsin State Fair. Led Zep's first U.S. tour, Joe Cocker with Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Delaney & Bonnie with Clapton and Dave Mason, The Bob Seger System. But the finale was the new supergroup, Blind Faith.
Wandering around near the stage, I spotted a hammer on the ground. I picked it up, slung it under the belt of my bellbottoms and - voila - I was a stagehand for the rest of the day and night.
In those days, there were no badges; the hammer was my ticket to roam around the backstage area, even standing on the side of the stage while Led Zeppelin induced a fan frenzy that brought police to wedge themselves between the stage and the fans while the band broke into "Communication Breakdown."
I actually did stagehand work, helping to unload equipment from semis and hoist it onto the stage. A black stretch limo pulled up backstage and out came Winwood, Clapton and Ric Grech. Where was Ginger? No one seemed to know.
Then a semi backed in and someone opened the back doors. Inside was Ginger, sitting behind a full drum set, practicing. Behind him and the drums were stacks of speakers and amps with the rest of the equipment. Ginger's drug use already was legendary, and he appeared to be completely out of his mind, with a far, faraway look in his eye. Handlers helped him out of the truck and into a nearby trailer. It dawned on me that Ginger's band mates considered him to be so fucked up that they just sent him along with the equipment, likely and correctly deducing that he simply would not know the difference.
We unloaded the semi and awaited further instruction. I noticed a line of fans forming at the door of Ginger's trailer, and walked over to observe. People knocked on the door and Ginger stood in the doorway as each fan handed him a joint or a pill, which he promptly ingested. Acid? Uppers? Downers? He had no way of knowing, he popped them like M&Ms. I stood in wonderment at the spectacle.
Some police walked by. A fan had handed Ginger a slice of cantaloupe, which he devoured. With a delirious look in his eye, he tossed the rind in the general direction of the police. They stopped and turned and began moving toward him. A phalanx of fans came in between and someone hustled Ginger back in the trailer. Crisis averted, barely.
Their set was spectacular and, yes, I was onstage, dumbstruck at the sight of Ginger flailing away at his kit. I had a general idea of how high he must have been at that point, and to this day, I've never seen anything like it.
reuteman
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Bob... what about Crossroads?... every guitar player had to learn every lick and phrase on Crossroads... ask Eddy Van Halen... Ask Keith Scott ... Ask any guitar player... it is pretty much the most beautifully phrased,on the edge guitar solo of all time.... it took me 30 years to get every nuance of it... just the best!!! Cream Ruled... Aloha Bob Rock
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My first show ever, the Murray the K Easter show.
I went to the Easter Sunday 1967 2pm performance.
Opening acts
The Cream $5,000 total pay
The Who. $7,500 total pay
9 shows per day for 7 days. Each band played 2 songs or 4 songs for the headliners
Total for all bands: 63 performances
John French
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He was the last of the over-the-top drummers - Keith Moon, John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker. We still have drummers with outstanding technique, like Neal Peart, but madness is not a part of their playing. One summer we played the same basic circuit the Who were playing. Every security guard at every venue had a Keith Moon story.
My Dad was a fine jazz drummer. He had disdain for pretty much every rock drummer, but he thought Ginger Baker was awesome :)
Craig Anderton
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I worked at the Cafe Au Go Go summer of 1968. Cream played in the basement venue all week prepping for a first US tour. It was amazing in a summer of amazing acts performing in Village clubs or at the Fillmore East. Ginger Baker was insane on Toad and everyone wanted more. I'm still vibrating fifty-one years later
Larry Mollin
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I was the Day to Day manager for Carr Sharpe Entertainment, and one of our acts was a really great band on Chrysalis Records called "Master's of Reality", in which Ginger Baker was the drummer.
Ginger was not an easy guy to get along with and Budd Carr and Wil Sharpe had had it up to their ears dealing with him. Since I was the Day to Day Manager and next in line, I was tasked with keeping him out of their hair. Ginger was loud and arrogant and downright nasty at times and seriously scared the hell out of me. The day came when I had to accompany the band on their big Press Launch day and I was quite nervous to be trapped in a limo with Ginger and the two other band members, who were just as intimidated by him as I was. Ginger was exhausting and refused to cooperate pretty much on anything. By the end of the day, I was tearing my hair out and I had had it up to my eyeballs listening to him whine and complain over and over about anything and everything. Finally when he yelled at the limo driver for not driving correctly I just lost it and told him to Shut the Fuck Up and behave. The second that flew out of my mouth, I realized I was probably going to be to be fired, but when I looked up at Ginger I saw the faintest of smirks on his face and I realized I had just won him over. After that, he wouldn't deal with anyone but me. Not that it made him any nicer, mind you.
A few weeks later the band and I flew to London to do a video for their first single. The day we were to fly back to Los Angeles, we found out that Ginger's Visa had been denied and I was ordered to stay behind and figure out how to get him back into the US. We were staying at the famed Rock and Roll Portobello Hotel in Notting Hill. Ginger had requested a particular room which he knew well and was happy with -- until he found out I was in this very bizarre, huge room with a round bed and a claw foot tub in the middle of the room. It was rock and roll at it's finest. The hotel was fully booked and they moved me into a room the size of a postage stamp where I stayed for the 2 weeks we were stuck there. Every day, Ginger would hold court in the lobby, his friends and family coming by and sitting with him there. And every day I would head over to the US Consulate and beg, borrow, and plead for a visa. Most days, they would send me back and ask for more information. Ginger was always in the lobby, and I would sit with him and update him, fill out forms and ask him questions. One night we had dinner together and he started telling me stories about Cream, Blind Faith, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, The Stones, his Olive Farm in Santa Barbara…I was rapt and thrilled and the perfect audience for his stories. Once you got past his razor sharp edges, there was a really fascinating, funny, interesting man there. He didn't come out often but he was there. And I feel very lucky to have had that honor. Rest in Peace, you old Geezer.
Shelley Wiseman
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In 1988, my band, Jack Mack and the Heart Attack was the house band on the Fox TV Late Show. We often backed up musical guests like Bobby Womack, The Young Rascals etc . One day I went in to Fox studios to tape the show and was informed that the musical quest that night was going to be the one and only Ginger Baker. We rehearsed and performed with him and it was a really cool rendition of the Cream song, "Outside Woman Blues". https://tinyurl.com/y5we5xev
After the show Gingers manager came into the green room and said he had two tickets to a concert. One for Ginger and one for himself. but he said something came up and he couldn't go so would any of us like to take Ginger. I volunteered and next thing you know I was driving through Hollywood with Ginger Baker in my car. We had a few hours before the concert began so I asked him what he wanted to do. He told me he was hungry so I took him to Canters Delicatessen. He ordered a tuna fish sandwhich (he pronounced it Samich) and an egg salad sandwich, and then proceeded to give the waitress lessons on how to make English tea correctly. You. pour the water over the tea bag etc. I don't remember our conversation. I think I was a bit intimidated. Here I am eating deli food with a guy that I saw when I was a kid growing up in Boston when he performed with Cream on their very first tour.
Flash back to 1967. I was 17 and I was fully entrenched in the Boston music scene – I fondly remember hanging out at Unicorn Coffee house, a tiny venue at 825 Boylston Street that held maybe 75 people. I saw many great bands play there like, The J. Geils Band, Ultimate Spinach with Skunk Baxter, Jefferson Airplane and Spirit. It was there that I also met Unicorn owner George Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos ws kind of a mean SOB but he was building a new club outside of Kenmore Square, and I asked him if I could work there. He agreed, and my "payment" would be free access to shows. It sounded like a good deal to me. After school and on weekends, me and my brother Stanley, and some band mates from Newton would jump on the MTA and head to an underground parking garage at 590 Commonwealth Avenue to help the carpenter Papadopoulos hired build what would become The Psychedelic Supermarket. Complete with backlight rooms, a head shop, and all the typical hippie-clothing stores. The Supermarket as it was known, probably held 300-400 people and there were no seats.
One day in early September 1967 the club was opening and Papadopoulos grabbed me and said, "I want you to go to the top of the driveway and meet the band that is playing tonight" and guide them to the dressing room. A few minutes later two yellow cabs pulled up and out came three weird guys dressed in fringed suede jackets and moccasins. They all had curly unkempt hairdos, almost literally straight off the plane from the hip London scene. From my conservative Boston perspective, they looked quite strange to me. It turned out that these three were Cream: Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. They followed me to their dressing room and I became their gopher for an entire week. They played 7 night 2 shows a night. Yup 14 shows in a row. For some reason I can't remember why, Cream hated Papadopoulos, so to get back at him they turned their double Marshall stacks to 10 or maybe it was 11 and played as loud as they could in a venue not known for its acoustics. I think I can attribute some of my hearing loss to that week. They were very uncomfortable in Boston, sticking out of the crowd; rather than explore the city, they just stayed in their hotel rooms when they weren't at the club. The three band members were going stir crazy and on one occasion took spray paint and sprayed the dressing room walls with crazy graffiti: Things like "Black Jews" for Jack Bruce and "Berry Craptown" for Eric Clapton.
I remember for some reason the stage wasn't built quite right so when Ginger Baker played the stage shook and so it became my job to stand on stage and hold up Jack Bruce's amplifier from behind to keep it from fall over. One night Clapton asked me if I could get him some uppers and I had no idea what he was talking about. On another night, he handed me his Painted SG and showed me how to play "Sunshine of Your Love."" That week was something I would never forget. For 14 shows, I was backstage or on stage listening and hanging out these guys. I'll Never forget Ginger. His bright orange hair, the speed induced crazed look in his eyes. The thundering long drum solos. He looked like a mad man. I don't think I spoke to him too much. He scared me.
Forward ahead to 1988, Canters Deli. When it came time to pay Ginger checked all his pockets and announced that he didn't have any money. Well, I didn't have enough cash. I ended up leaving Ginger in the restaurant and began walking along Fairfax Ave looking for an ATM. When I finally found one, I got the cash and for a moment I thought, "maybe I'll just leave him back there and go home. But I couldn't do that to anyone let alone Ginger. It was an amusing thought though. So I went back and paid the bill. When we got back in my car I was thinking I really didn't want to go to this concert and luckily he said he was too tired and didn't feel like going. So I dropped him off at his hotel and said goodbye. And that's my encounter with the great Ginger Baker story.
Andrew Kastner
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My then partner, Walter Winnick and I managed Jack Bruce starting in 1989 and when planning the tour to support the release of his woefully under appreciated Epic Records album "A Question Of Time" (thank you Michael Caplan who signed Jack to Epic), we were stunned, to say the least, when, going over the list of musicians with Jack who he wanted to back him on the tour (thank you Phil Ernst of ICM who booked that tour and joined Walter and I on the roller coaster ride), he matter of factly said "call Ginger (actually, "Ging", as Jack called him) and see if he'd like to play drums"!!!!!
We did and he did and it was like riding a horse with nitro glycerin in your pocket but to say it also was an amazing experience is putting it lightly.
There are too many stories to tell about that tour and about getting to work with Jack AND Ginger but the bottom line re Ginger was that he was a total professional - once all the details were ironed out and some slightly unusual touring arrangement were put into action.
Despite his reputation for being difficult, he was on time for every sound check and every show, he played each set to the fullest of his enormous abilities and anyone who saw any of those shows saw rock and roll history in the making since those shows were the first time Jack and Ginger has played on stage together since Cream's farewell show almost twenty one years to the day earlier at the Royal Albert Hall on 11/26/68.
His drumming style was so iconic and instantly recognisable that any drummer (or rock musician for that matter) who hears the words "play it like Ginger" knew exactly what that meant.
In fact, one of the ultimate testaments to Ginger's iconic and unique sound was, somewhat now famously, when Bruce Springsteen was auditioning new keyboard players (after David Sancious left the band) and new drummers (after the departure or Vinny "Mad Dog" Lopez and Ernest "Boom" Carter, the Village Voice classified that was taken out by Bruce or Mike Appel specifically said "No Ginger Baker types"!!!
George Gilbert
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A postscript to my earlier email.
Jack clued me to the fact that Fresh Cream was a completely different album in mono. THAT was the mix they focused on since there was no music on stereo FM (that they were aware of) when that album was released in December of 1966 and the mono version EXPLODES out of the speakers of a great stereo (yea, I get the irony of that statement). All of the songs were mixed for mono radio airplay and on the US Atco release, 6 of the 10 songs clock in at less than 3:30 - the prime AM radio single length.
BOTH Jack and Ginger strongly felt that Fresh Cream (in mono) fully captured the band at that time. Before the jamming (which Jack said was inspired by seeing the Dead stretch out when Cream got to San Francisco). The few early live recordings from early 1967 floating around bear that out. They were a tight blues trio. Clapton would stretch out a little but there were no guitar solos longer that 3-4 minutes at the most and the songs come in at no longer than 5 to 6 minutes.
The sound of and songs on Disraeli Gears, recorded at Atlantic's 1841 Broadway studio (next to Columbus Circle) in mid '67, reflected all of the Acid the three took during their first year together as a band. Jack said that it helped bond them and that they became a "band of brothers" and created their own language to exclude the outside world.
Jack was the most literate musician I have ever met. He often carried a large compendium of William Butler Yeats poetry - and not for show! So quoting Shakespeare to describe the bond the three band members shared during that pre "Sunshine" period was not him acting pretentiously.
J and G also both agreed that it was the AM radio success of Sunshine and the White Room that signalled the beginning of the end of the band. From that point to the Albert Hall Farewell concert they "forced" to toured constantly which completely burned them out.
This was all aided and abetted by too many drugs, loud volume [the Marshall stacks were necessary for arena shows in this pre-"theatrical sound" era and Ginger would complain constantly about the extreme decibel level he was being exposed to placed between Jack and Eric's amps], the revival of old (pre-Cream) unresolved issues between Jack and Ginger and other factors including Landau's Rolling Stone pan of Wheels of Fire and Eric's desire, after hearing a test pressing of "Big Pink", to want to join The Band!
On their brief Farewell Tour (16 shows - most of the guarantees were $20k plus 60% over $40K but the LA Forum show was $40K AGAINST 60% which yielded a GP of $200K) which yes, presaged the arena rock era, they were the first band to play MSG and many other arenas but all of it took its toll and most of the people who ended up discovering the band as a result of their AM and nascent FM radio success never got to see them live - which helped seal their legendary status since those who did went on about the amazing, blistering performances they witnessed.
Jack HATED the fact that the performance most people used as a reference and indicator of the band's brilliance was the Albert Hall Farewell concert film. He thought it was a mediocre showing and bemoaned the fact that there wasn't a film of the band a year earlier when he believed they were at the peak because he felt THAT band blew the Albert Hall band off the stage.
Jack and Ginger were also of a like mind where Eric was concerned, On a bus ride to their Main Point gig, they both agreed that (they thought) the last truly transcendentally great album Eric had recorded was Layla. Ginger then started laughing and when he finally stopped and Jack asked him what was so funny, he said "Well Alexis (Korner) thinks the last great album Eric made was with (John Mayall and) The Bluesbreakers"!!!!!
George Gilbert
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