Ginger Baker, drummer and founder of Cream, was hospitalized, according to a tweet written by his family on Wednesday, 25.
The tweet said:
“The Baker family are sad to announce that Ginger is critically ill in hospital. Please keep him in your prayers tonight”
A post on Facebook also said the same thing
The family didn’t detail the reason for the hospitalization despite questions from fans on social networks.
Baker turned 80 last August 19th. In 2016 he underwent heart surgery and months before he had fallen into his home. We still do not know if the hospitalization has any relation with this accident.
The drummer founded Cream in 1966 alongside Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce and together released four albums including the famous Disraeli Gears. The group came to an end two years later. Baker and Clapton even played together on a few occasions while the drummer worked on his solo career.
See Ginger performing on Cream’s reunion in 2005:
Baker’s technique drew attention for its virtuosity, technique and the use of tympani and other percussion instruments never used before in rock music.
Although he sometimes played bombshell (similar to that used by Keith Moon of The Who), Baker was also able to play more contained, thanks to his experience performing with English jazz bands during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, setting a new level of professionalism among rock percussionists.