Ginger Baker's Air Force : Ginger's Air Force 1 & 2

 Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker 

 (August,19th 1939 – October,6th 2019) 

was an English

 drummer.

His work in the 

1960s and 1970s 

earned him 

the reputation of 

"rock's first superstar drummer", 

for a style that 

melded jazz

 and 

African rhythms 

and pioneered both

 jazz fusion 

and 

world music.

Baker gained

 early fame

 as a member of 

Blues Incorporated 

and the

 Graham Bond Organisation, 

both times

 alongside

 bassist 

Jack Bruce, 

with whom

 Baker would 

often clash.

 In 1966, 

Baker and Bruce

 joined

 guitarist 

Eric Clapton

 to form 

The Super Group

Cream, 

which achieved 

worldwide success 

but lasted only

 until 1968,

 in part due

 to Baker's

 and Bruce's 

volatile relationship. 

After working with 

Clapton

 in the short-lived band

 Blind Faith

 and leading

 Ginger Baker's Air Force, 

Baker spent several years

 in the 1970s

 living and recording

 in Africa, 

often with

 Fela Kuti, 

in pursuit of his

 long-time interest

in African music.

 Among Baker's other

 collaborations 

are his work with

 Gary Moore, 

Masters of Reality, 

Public Image Ltd, 

Hawkwind, 

Atomic Rooster, 

Bill Laswell, 

jazz bassist

 Charlie Haden,

 jazz guitarist

 Bill Frisell, 

and 

Ginger Baker's Energy.

Baker's drumming is regarded

 for its style, 

showmanship,

 and use of

 two bass drums

 instead of the 

conventional single one, 

after the manner 

of the 

jazz drummer

 Louie Bellson. 

In his early days, 

he performed lengthy

 drum solos, 

most notably in

 the Cream song

 "Toad", 

one of the earliest

 recorded examples 

in rock music. 

Baker was an

 inductee of 

the Rock and Roll

 Hall of Fame 

as a member of

 Cream

 in 1993,

 of the 

Modern Drummer 

Hall of Fame in 2008,

 and of the 

Classic Drummer

 Hall of Fame

 in 2016

 Baker was noted 

for his eccentric, 

often self-destructive lifestyle, 

and he struggled with

 heroin addiction 

for many decades. 

He was married

 four times 

and fathered

 three children.

In February 2013, 

Baker said he had 

chronic obstructive 

pulmonary disease

 from years of 

heavy smoking, 

and 

chronic back pain 

from 

degenerative osteoarthritis. 

In February 2016, 

Baker was diagnosed with

 "serious heart issues" 

and cancelled

 all future gigs.

 Writing on his blog, 

he said, 

"Just seen doctor ... big shock ... 

no more gigs 

for this old drummer ...

 everything is off ... 

of all things I never thought

 it would be my heart ..."

 In late March 2016,

 it was revealed that 

Baker was set for 

pioneering treatment. 

"There are two options for surgery and, 

depending on how strong 

my old lungs are,

 they may do both."

 He added, 

"Cardiologist is brilliant. 

Yesterday he inserted a tube into

 the artery at my right wrist 

and fed it all the way to my heart

quite an experience.

 He was taking pictures 

of my heart 

from inside 

amazing technology ... 

He says he's going

 to get me playing again! 

Thanks all for your support".

In June 2016, 

it was reported he was

 recovering from

 open heart surgery, 

but had also

 suffered a bad fall, 

which had caused 

swollen legs and feet.

On  September,25th 2019,

 Baker's family

 reported that he was

 critically ill in hospital, 

and asked fans

 to keep him

 in their prayers. 

Baker died on

 October,6th 2019

 at the age of 80, 

at a hospital in 

Canterbury

 from complications

 of COPD.

 On October,23rd 2019, 

a private funeral service 

was held in 

Canterbury, Kent, 

with close family

 and friends.

Ginger Baker's Air Force 

was a

 jazz-rock fusion 

supergroup 

led by drummer 

Ginger Baker.

History

The band formed in late 1969 

upon the disbandment of 

Blind Faith. 

The original lineup

 consisted of 

Ginger Baker 

on drums, 

Steve Winwood 

on organ 

and vocals, 

Ric Grech 

on violin 

and bass, 

Jeanette Jacobs

 on vocals, 

Denny Laine 

on guitar 

and vocals, 

Phil Seamen 

on drums, 

Alan White 

on drums, 

Chris Wood 

on tenor sax 

and flute,

 Graham Bond

 on alto sax, 

Harold McNair 

on tenor sax 

and flute, 

and 

Remi Kabaka

 on percussion. 

Their first live shows, 

at Birmingham Town Hall in 1969

 and the 

Royal Albert Hall, in 1970,

 also included

 Eleanor Barooshian

 both Jacobs and Barooshian were 

former members of girl group 

The Cake

The band released

 two albums, 

both in 1970: 

Ginger Baker's Air Force

 and 

Ginger Baker's Air Force 2. 

The second album

 involved substantially 

different personnel

 from the first,

 with 

Ginger Baker 

and 

Graham Bond 

being the 

primary constants 

between albums.

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