Peter "Ginger" Baker is a legend. A pioneering drummer who has transcended genres, he did much to popularize world music with his fierce passion for the rhythms of Africa. He is that rare thing, a critically acclaimed musician who has enjoyed global success with not one but several supergroups to his name, including Cream and Blind Faith. Here, Ginger tells his story for the first time and without any self-censorship. It's an often harrowing, but honest journey from his humble beginnings in war-torn south London to his adopted home in South Africa's beautiful Western Cape. He tells of his life-long love of jazz, how he discovered the drums and African music, and life on the road. He also confesses to the heroin use that should have killed him in his colorful 1960s prime, working and playing with the biggest names of the time. In the 1970s, he came up with a trans-Saharan trucking scheme, was a successful rally driver, built an ill-fated recording studio, and discovered a consuming passion for playing polo. He talks candidly of the loss and recovery of his fortune, his three marriages, Cream's 1993 induction into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame, their subsequent successful reunion in 2005, and his hopes for the future.
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About the Author
Ginger Baker was born in Lewisham, London in 1939 and brought up along with his sister and cousin by his mother and aunt. After forging his reputation on the London jazz scene, he found phenomenal success by forming Cream with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton in 1966. Ginger lives in South Africa, where he is an avid correpsondent to the letters pages of various polo publications.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Title Says It All,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Ginger Baker: Hellraiser: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Drummer (Hardcover)
If you are reading this review, you probably already know that Ginger Baker is an extraordinary drummer, and was 1/3 of the rock group "Cream" in the 1960s.
If you are not of that generation, you may not realize how highly esteemed Ginger Baker is/was musically. Recently Charlie Watts, the drummer with the Rolling Stones, presented him with a lifetime achievement award. High praise, indeed. His music is very exciting, quite complex, powerful, athletic, often ecstatic, always passionate. He's an inspiring and wonderful musician. This book certainly tells the story of a young man from a modest London background, growing up as a competitive cyclist, and eventually getting into drumming. We learn about his early musical experiences and training from other great jazz drummers. So it's nice to get a feeling of his musical formation (as they say, "nobody comes from nothing" -- i.e., every musician has his influences). The musician later branches off into polo. Interesting progression of competitive, driving, physical, rhythmic activity: cycling - drumming - polo. Unusual, but one can see the connection, and that's very interesting. Throughout the book his native intelligence and wit shine through. What is much less interesting (indeed, I ultimately found it quite dreary and depressing) is the decades of drug abuse, the failed marriages, the endless confrontations, the promiscuous sex, the legal difficulties, and the general chaos that seems to have defined Baker's life. Don't get me wrong: I truly love his playing and I deeply admire him as a musician. But it has to be said that he has led a very hard life, largely because of his own bad choices. Which I actually found sad and bit depressing, because of the contrast between his musical greatness and his messy personal life. Still, he certainly doesn't sugar coat anything, and he is brutally honest about his many, many problems. Maybe it's the old thing about the line between genius and madness. I don't know. My bottom line is that I love Ginger Baker the musician. And I was interested to learn more about his background and professional development. But as the book wound on through all the downward spiral of drug abuse and misbehavior, it got me down after awhile. Saddest of all, perhaps, is his hostility (bordering on hatred) towards his former bandmate, Jack Bruce. Perhaps only Clapton, Baker, and Bruce know what it was like to be in that band. The rest of us, however, know what astounding music they produced. It's a real shame that whatever differences exist between Baker and Bruce can't be transcended. Those of us who just love the music, and have no involvement or interest in their personal dramas, are the losers in decades-long Baker-Bruce conflict. . . Ginger Baker is now living a (relatively) quiet life in South Africa focused on horses and polo, with some occasional drumming. My sincere hope is that he can live our his remaining time in some degree of -- long overdue -- peace and contentment. Thanks for the music Ginger . . . you're a true original!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not really a hard nut at all,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Ginger Baker: Hellraiser: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Drummer (Hardcover)
Even though he likes to portray himself as a tough nut I think Eric Clapton is right in his estimation of Ginger Baker when he said according to Ginger Baker "you're not really a hard nut at all".
The book was conversational in style and gave an interesting account of a great musician and his life. Albeit a bizarre life full of giant leaps forward and giant leaps backwards! People talk a lot about how amazing it is that Keith Richard is still alive. I'd have to say the same for Ginger Baker but even moreso! He's not charitable to many of his peers in the music world but I suspect a lot of that is tongue in cheek. That is apart from his ongoing issues with Jack Bruce. I suspect that this relationship falls well into the category of sibling rivalry. They have produced some great recorded music together over the years and in the end this is what they will be remembered for. One final observation. Ginger mentioned at one point that he was annoyed by Gary Moore not being able to front up to some BBM gigs because he cut his finger and he blew his ears at rehearsal.I felt the same way in the early seventies when Ginger was "taken ill in the dressing rooms" at Manchester Free Trade Hall and the Air Force concert had to be cancelled after we were all in our seats!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Listen to his music,
By
This review is from: Ginger Baker: Hellraiser: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Drummer (Hardcover)
I have always said, much to the amusement of some of my musically inclined friends, that Ginger Baker is the greatest rock drummer ever. Now Baker says it himself-over and over and over. His memoir is as much about his polo experiences as his musical ones. He has quite a knack for being in the midst of chaos, much of it self-caused. Baker is rather open about his well-known difficulties working with Jack Bruce, which continued far beyond Cream days. He is also open about his decades-long struggle with addiction. He comes across as a self-centered spoiled brat, so my advice is to crank up Cream and remember Baker for his amazing talent on the skins.
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