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---
title: Stewart Copeland Remembers Ginger Baker
description: "Musicians will argue long into the night about the dividing line between rock and pop, but I think Ginger Baker was it."
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author: Stewart Copeland
article:opinion: true
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article:published_time: 2019-10-10T09:54:34.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T07:31:45.947Z
article:section: Ideas
og:title: Stewart Copeland Remembers 'Rock God' Ginger Baker
og:description: Baker died on Oct. 6 at 80
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twitter:title: Stewart Copeland Remembers 'Rock God' Ginger Baker
twitter:description: Baker died on Oct. 6 at 80
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd151d84a2aa063d1/698a0409b21a9c1cf75027b7/ginger-baker-stewart-copeland.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# Stewart Copeland Remembers 'Rock God' Ginger Baker

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by 

[Stewart Copeland](https://time.com/author/stewart-copeland/)


## Stewart Copeland


Oct 10, 2019 9:54 AM UTC

![Ginger Baker performs with Cream at Windsor Festival](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd151d84a2aa063d1/698a0409b21a9c1cf75027b7/ginger-baker-stewart-copeland.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Ginger Baker performs with Cream at Windsor Festival

Ginger Baker performs with Cream at Windsor Festival David Redfern—Redferns/Getty Images

by 

[Stewart Copeland](https://time.com/author/stewart-copeland/)


## Stewart Copeland


Oct 10, 2019 9:54 AM UTC

Before Ginger Baker, the drums were a very simple instrument providing a very simple ingredient to pop music, which was the beat. The drummer’s job was to be one of the handsome guys on the album cover. Then Ginger Baker–who died on Oct. 6 at 80–came along and threw in all kinds of stuff that was much more sophisticated.

Musicians will argue about the dividing line between rock and pop, but I think Baker–and his band Cream–was it. The difference was the power and the musicianship. In Cream, Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and Baker were all mightily proficient; Baker was all about power. Hearing his thumpy drums is one of the reasons I picked up sticks myself. They sounded so strong–it was the sound of adult masculinity, which is what every 13-year-old boy yearns for.

He always described himself as a jazz musician, but I never bought that. Amid my properly obsequious interactions, I couldn’t help rattling his cage about the jazz thing. I would say, “Dude, get over it. You are a rock god.”

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