Power-pop fans were dealt a devastating blow Monday night when word came down that Raspberries frontman Eric Carmen died over the weekend at age 74. “Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep,” his wife, Amy Carmen, wrote to fans. “It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy.”
The tributes that followed focused on his signature solo hits “All by Myself,” “Hungry Eyes,” and “Make Me Lose Control,” but his greatest contributions came during his recording career in the Raspberries,...
The tributes that followed focused on his signature solo hits “All by Myself,” “Hungry Eyes,” and “Make Me Lose Control,” but his greatest contributions came during his recording career in the Raspberries,...
- 3/12/2024
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
The world of jazz is mourning the death of Carla Bley. On Tuesday, Bley’s longtime partner and musical collaborator Steve Swallow announced that the jazz musician died at the age of 87 due to complications with brain cancer.
Bley was diagnosed with brain cancer back in 2018. “Sometimes I don’t know the answer to a question, so I think they must have taken something out by mistake, because ever since the operation I no longer have perfect pitch,” she said at the time, per The Guardian.
Bley was born Lovella May Borg in Oakland,...
Bley was diagnosed with brain cancer back in 2018. “Sometimes I don’t know the answer to a question, so I think they must have taken something out by mistake, because ever since the operation I no longer have perfect pitch,” she said at the time, per The Guardian.
Bley was born Lovella May Borg in Oakland,...
- 10/18/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Bernie Marsden, the British guitarist who played with David Coverdale’s Whitesnake in the late ’70s and early ’80s and co-wrote hits including “Here I Go Again” and “Fool for Your Loving” and had a long solo career, died Thursday. He was 72.
Coverdale shared the news in a social media post, calling his former bandmate “A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know and share a stage with.” He didn’t share any other details.
Good Morning…I’ve just woken up to the awful news that my old friend & former Snake Bernie Marsden has passed. My sincere thoughts & prayers to his beloved family, friends & fans. A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know & share a stage with
Rip, Bernie XXX pic.twitter.com/KXwsDEICN6
— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) August 25, 2023
Born on May 7, 1951, in Birmingham, Marsden played with various local bands before linking up with pre-Michael Schenker UFO.
Coverdale shared the news in a social media post, calling his former bandmate “A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know and share a stage with.” He didn’t share any other details.
Good Morning…I’ve just woken up to the awful news that my old friend & former Snake Bernie Marsden has passed. My sincere thoughts & prayers to his beloved family, friends & fans. A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know & share a stage with
Rip, Bernie XXX pic.twitter.com/KXwsDEICN6
— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) August 25, 2023
Born on May 7, 1951, in Birmingham, Marsden played with various local bands before linking up with pre-Michael Schenker UFO.
- 8/25/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Jimmy Page was desperate to leave life as a session musician behind in the mid-1960s. The guitarist knew he had to quit as a session guitarist when producers asked him to play muzak instead of music. Yet the grass wasn’t all that much greener on the other side. Page hooked up with the Yardbirds and encountered a manager who didn’t like him because he looked like a bully but recognized his talent.
Yardbirds manager Simon Napier-Bell ‘never liked Jimmy Page’ because he looked like a bully but recognized the guitarist’s talent
Page turned down an initial invitation to join the Yardbirds in 1965. At that point, he still wanted to be a session player so he could learn more about recording techniques (which turned out to be immensely helpful when he produced Led Zeppelin’s albums). He recommended his friend, Jeff Beck, instead.
Page offered to take...
Yardbirds manager Simon Napier-Bell ‘never liked Jimmy Page’ because he looked like a bully but recognized the guitarist’s talent
Page turned down an initial invitation to join the Yardbirds in 1965. At that point, he still wanted to be a session player so he could learn more about recording techniques (which turned out to be immensely helpful when he produced Led Zeppelin’s albums). He recommended his friend, Jeff Beck, instead.
Page offered to take...
- 7/22/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox usually cover a classic song on Sundays. But this time around they not only cover Cream, but also get covered in cream as they perform “Sunshine of Your Love.”
The fun-loving married couple pay homage to one of rock’s first supergroups — comprised of Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, and Ginger Baker — by literally incorporating the band’s name into the performance. Toyah pours cream all over herself as she sings the song, and then friskily asks Robert to take off his guitar. She then hugs the King Crimson guitarist so that he gets covered in cream, as well.
Sexual innuendo aside, it’s another fun “Sunday Lunch” episode from Toyah and Robert as they prepare to hit the road in support of their popular YouTube series. The couple recently announced a fall tour of the UK, kicking off September 30th in Wimborne, and wrapping up October 29th in Birmingham.
The fun-loving married couple pay homage to one of rock’s first supergroups — comprised of Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, and Ginger Baker — by literally incorporating the band’s name into the performance. Toyah pours cream all over herself as she sings the song, and then friskily asks Robert to take off his guitar. She then hugs the King Crimson guitarist so that he gets covered in cream, as well.
Sexual innuendo aside, it’s another fun “Sunday Lunch” episode from Toyah and Robert as they prepare to hit the road in support of their popular YouTube series. The couple recently announced a fall tour of the UK, kicking off September 30th in Wimborne, and wrapping up October 29th in Birmingham.
- 6/25/2023
- by Spencer Kaufman
- Consequence - Music
When it comes to classic rock musicians hitting No. 1 on the charts, no group outclasses The Beatles. The Fab Four had 20 No. 1 hits in the United States. For all their popularity, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and Michael Jackson don’t even come close. K-Pop superstars BTS matched The Beatles by having six No. 1 songs in a year, but they’re still writing their legacy. Several legendary classic rock bands never had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard singles chart. Here are 10 of them.
(clockwise from top left) Tom Petty; Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images; Chris Morphet/Redferns 1. The Who Number of top-10 hits: 1 Number of top-100 songs: 26
The Who’s greatest hits stand alongside some of classic rock’s best. “Magic Bus,” “My Generation,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and “Pinball Wizard” are just a smattering of the band’s best tunes.
(clockwise from top left) Tom Petty; Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images; Chris Morphet/Redferns 1. The Who Number of top-10 hits: 1 Number of top-100 songs: 26
The Who’s greatest hits stand alongside some of classic rock’s best. “Magic Bus,” “My Generation,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and “Pinball Wizard” are just a smattering of the band’s best tunes.
- 6/2/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Pete Brown, the cowriter for the massive Cream hits “Sunshine of Your Love” and “White Room” in the 1960s, died Friday in London of cancer. He was 82 and his death was confirmed on his official Facebook page.
“Pete was known to repeat the mantra ‘I come from a long line of worriers, not warriors.’ One of his other favorite expressions, passed down from Spike Hawkins, was ‘that’s life – up one minute, down the next twenty-five years,'” the Facebook tribute stated. “Despite his tendency towards Jewish pessimism, he lived the life of a warrior poet. He was proudly anti-establishment, and dedicated his life to his creative endeavors, in an uncompromising way.
“He was also a loyal and generous friend, and a huge supporter of other musicians, at every stage of their careers.”
Brown was asked by Cream drummer Ginger Baker to help write songs for Cream, a power trio...
“Pete was known to repeat the mantra ‘I come from a long line of worriers, not warriors.’ One of his other favorite expressions, passed down from Spike Hawkins, was ‘that’s life – up one minute, down the next twenty-five years,'” the Facebook tribute stated. “Despite his tendency towards Jewish pessimism, he lived the life of a warrior poet. He was proudly anti-establishment, and dedicated his life to his creative endeavors, in an uncompromising way.
“He was also a loyal and generous friend, and a huge supporter of other musicians, at every stage of their careers.”
Brown was asked by Cream drummer Ginger Baker to help write songs for Cream, a power trio...
- 5/21/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Pete Brown, the British poet and singer who helped co-write some of Cream’s most enduring songs — including “White Room” and “Sunshine of Your Love” — has died at the age of 82.
Brown’s death Friday following “a courageous battle with cancer” was announced on his official Facebook page.
“Brown started his artistic career as a Beat Poet in the late 1950s,” the statement notes. “By the mid 1960s he had sold out The Royal Albert Hall with both his British and American contemporaries including Alan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael Horowitz...
Brown’s death Friday following “a courageous battle with cancer” was announced on his official Facebook page.
“Brown started his artistic career as a Beat Poet in the late 1950s,” the statement notes. “By the mid 1960s he had sold out The Royal Albert Hall with both his British and American contemporaries including Alan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael Horowitz...
- 5/21/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Pete Brown, the British countercultural poet who wrote the lyrics for a number of Cream’s most popular songs, has died at the age of 82.
The family of Cream’s Jack Bruce announced Brown’s passing on Saturday. “We are extremely saddened to learn of the death of Jack’s long term friend and writing partner Pete Brown who passed away last night. We extend our sincere condolences to Pete’s wife Sheridan and Pete’s children as well as all his family and friends. Love from the Bruce family.” Brown died from cancer.
Brown is credited for co-writing Cream songs including “I Feel Free,” “Sunshine of Your Love,” “White Room,” “Dance the Night Away,” and “Swlabr.”
Following Creem’s breakup, Brown remained a close collaborator of Jack Bruce, contributing to a number of his solo albums.
Outside of his work with Cream and Bruce, Brown fronted a number of his own projects,...
The family of Cream’s Jack Bruce announced Brown’s passing on Saturday. “We are extremely saddened to learn of the death of Jack’s long term friend and writing partner Pete Brown who passed away last night. We extend our sincere condolences to Pete’s wife Sheridan and Pete’s children as well as all his family and friends. Love from the Bruce family.” Brown died from cancer.
Brown is credited for co-writing Cream songs including “I Feel Free,” “Sunshine of Your Love,” “White Room,” “Dance the Night Away,” and “Swlabr.”
Following Creem’s breakup, Brown remained a close collaborator of Jack Bruce, contributing to a number of his solo albums.
Outside of his work with Cream and Bruce, Brown fronted a number of his own projects,...
- 5/20/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
Led Zeppelin’s four members wrote and performed the band’s best songs. Guest musicians occasionally assisted, but Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham did the heavy lifting. Yet the quartet had plenty of help behind the scenes, and they lost a key secret member when Andy Johns died on April 7, 2013.
(l-r) Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and John Bonham | Rocky Widner/FilmMagic Andy Johns was like a secret Led Zeppelin member helping Jimmy Page on several albums
Page spent years working as a session musician and stuck with it even when he detested it. Why? Because the skills he learned working behind the scenes were invaluable. Page figured out how to mic instruments in the studio, engineer and mix songs, and salvage takes when things went wrong.
In short, he knew what to do in the studio and expected the...
(l-r) Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and John Bonham | Rocky Widner/FilmMagic Andy Johns was like a secret Led Zeppelin member helping Jimmy Page on several albums
Page spent years working as a session musician and stuck with it even when he detested it. Why? Because the skills he learned working behind the scenes were invaluable. Page figured out how to mic instruments in the studio, engineer and mix songs, and salvage takes when things went wrong.
In short, he knew what to do in the studio and expected the...
- 4/7/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Rolling Stones are one of the greatest classic rock bands by almost any measure. They won over millions of fans, but some fellow musicians hate The Rolling Stones. Their unbelievable career span, run of great albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and multiple No. 1 hits don’t mean much to other artists who couldn’t stand Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and crew.
(l-r) Rolling Stones members Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Bill Wyman | Manchester Mirror/Daily Herald/Mirrorpix via Getty Images The Rolling Stones hated some of their own music
The musicians who hated The Rolling Stones clearly didn’t hide their disdain for the band’s music. Neither did Jagger and Richards. After more than 60 years as a group, the two lifelong members hated some of the music they made together.
Both Richards and Jagger hate Their Satanic Majesties Request.
(l-r) Rolling Stones members Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Bill Wyman | Manchester Mirror/Daily Herald/Mirrorpix via Getty Images The Rolling Stones hated some of their own music
The musicians who hated The Rolling Stones clearly didn’t hide their disdain for the band’s music. Neither did Jagger and Richards. After more than 60 years as a group, the two lifelong members hated some of the music they made together.
Both Richards and Jagger hate Their Satanic Majesties Request.
- 3/19/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Led Zeppelin seemed to burst onto the music scene. All it took was one stellar concert in early 1969 for singer Robert Plant to realize the band might mean something special. Yet the band’s members played in various bands (or worked as anonymous session musicians in the case of John Paul Jones). They won over fans almost immediately, but several other musicians hated Led Zeppelin with intense passion.
(l-r) Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones | Michael Putland/Getty Images Led Zeppelin’s members disliked some of their own work
Several musicians hated Led Zeppelin and let the world know. Zep members have freely criticized their own work over the years.
Jimmy Page hates “Living Loving Maid” from Led Zeppelin II, even though he has himself to blame for its radio airplay over the years. His loathing of the butchered version of a classic Zep song is spot on,...
(l-r) Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones | Michael Putland/Getty Images Led Zeppelin’s members disliked some of their own work
Several musicians hated Led Zeppelin and let the world know. Zep members have freely criticized their own work over the years.
Jimmy Page hates “Living Loving Maid” from Led Zeppelin II, even though he has himself to blame for its radio airplay over the years. His loathing of the butchered version of a classic Zep song is spot on,...
- 2/27/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features bassist Neil Murray.
Neil Murray has played bass for some of the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal, but he hasn’t...
Neil Murray has played bass for some of the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal, but he hasn’t...
- 9/1/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
In 2013, I interviewed the Rolling Stones for this magazine as the band prepared for the next leg of their 50th anniversary tour. I’d talked to Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood before, but never Charlie Watts. I was excited by the prospect: For more years than I could count, I had wanted to be able to sit in a room and talk with him about jazz. I got to do that, but the section I wrote about him didn’t make the final story.
After I learned Watts...
After I learned Watts...
- 8/25/2021
- by Mikal Gilmore
- Rollingstone.com
Last week, we shared Rick Livingstone’s memories of his time singing lead in the 1990 supergroup the Best alongside John Entwistle, Joe Walsh, Keith Emerson, and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter. Their set mixed songs by the Who, the Eagles, Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, though the group dissolved after just four gigs in Japan and one in Hawaii. But thanks to a professionally filmed show at the Yokohama Arena and the magic of YouTube, they’ve had a long afterlife.
Reunions by the Eagles, Elp, and...
Reunions by the Eagles, Elp, and...
- 2/23/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features drummer Simon Phillips.
If you were a rock superstar in the Seventies, Eighties, or Nineties and you needed a drummer for a near-impossible job,...
If you were a rock superstar in the Seventies, Eighties, or Nineties and you needed a drummer for a near-impossible job,...
- 1/21/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Leslie West, the towering guitarist who created the hard-rock milestone “Mississippi Queen” with his band Mountain, died Wednesday morning. West’s brother, Larry West Weinstein, confirmed the musician’s death to Rolling Stone. He was 75. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. On Monday, West was rushed to a hospital after suffering cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida, where he never regained consciousness.
Released in 1970 on Mountain’s debut album, Climbing!, “Mississippi Queen” was two and a half minutes of boisterous bliss built around West’s burly yowl...
Released in 1970 on Mountain’s debut album, Climbing!, “Mississippi Queen” was two and a half minutes of boisterous bliss built around West’s burly yowl...
- 12/23/2020
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
It’s been three decades since Ringo Starr founded his All Starr supergroup and took the stage with some of rock and roll’s biggest luminaries, creating an exceptional legacy of performances of some of the greatest hits of all time culled from Starr’s extraordinary catalog as a solo artist and as Beatle, as well as the All Starr Band members’ substantive songbook.
In celebration of this milestone, and just in time for the holiday season, a new limited-edition retrospective hardcover book titled “Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs,” will be sold online exclusively beginning Wednesday, December 16 at juliensauctions.com.
This not to be missed commemorative photo memoir features some never-before-seen photos of the All Starr Band’s 30 record-setting years in the spotlight and life on the road, compiled by Henry Diltz and Jill Jarrett (who have followed Ringo Starr’s All Starr career since 1989), as well as...
In celebration of this milestone, and just in time for the holiday season, a new limited-edition retrospective hardcover book titled “Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs,” will be sold online exclusively beginning Wednesday, December 16 at juliensauctions.com.
This not to be missed commemorative photo memoir features some never-before-seen photos of the All Starr Band’s 30 record-setting years in the spotlight and life on the road, compiled by Henry Diltz and Jill Jarrett (who have followed Ringo Starr’s All Starr career since 1989), as well as...
- 12/22/2020
- Look to the Stars
In November 2011, as Rolling Stone prepped a list of the greatest guitarists of all time, Eddie Van Halen called us up for a loose chat. In the interview, Van Halen, who died of cancer on October 6th, 2020, went through his personal list of guitar heroes (Eric Clapton was his Number One), the origins of his own style, and much more. Here is that full conversation for the first time.
You’re up early.
I’m always up early. I wake up between 5 and 7 every morning and work out. I’ve...
You’re up early.
I’m always up early. I wake up between 5 and 7 every morning and work out. I’ve...
- 10/6/2020
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features keyboardist and guitarist David Sancious.
If the entire musical career of David Sancious had been confined to 1972 to 1974, he still would be a...
If the entire musical career of David Sancious had been confined to 1972 to 1974, he still would be a...
- 8/19/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Ringo Starr is turning 80 on July 7th and he plans on celebrating with a virtual charity concert featuring Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark Jr., Sheila E, and Ben Harper. “I love birthdays,” Starr recently told Rolling Stone. “This year is going to be a little different. There’s no big get-together; there’s no brunch for 100. But we’re putting this show together — an hour of music and chat. It’s quite a big birthday.”
Starr originally planned on celebrating his landmark birthday by touring all across America, but...
Starr originally planned on celebrating his landmark birthday by touring all across America, but...
- 7/2/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
“Back in my day, nobody chose to be the bass player,” Geddy Lee says. “You were always a guitarist, and somebody said, ‘Well, we need a bass player,’ so they had a vote and you became the bass player.” With a laugh, the legendary Rush bassist adds, “That’s how I became a bass player: I was voted in. I think that was pretty common for the period, because everybody wanted to be Jimi Hendrix; everybody wanted to be Eric Clapton; everybody wanted to be Jimmy Page.”
Lee, who published...
Lee, who published...
- 7/2/2020
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
Eric Clapton assembled an incredible roster of musicians on Sunday evening to honor the late Ginger Baker at the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith in London: Roger Waters, Nile Rodgers, Ron Wood, Steve Winwood and Paul Carrack, along with Baker’s son Kofi.
The show was centered around songs by Cream and Blind Faith; Clapton and Waters kicked it all off with “Sunshine of Your Love.”
“I called him Peter Edward,” Clapton told the crowd, referencing the drummer’s real name. “I think he’s here somewhere and he’ll be playing...
The show was centered around songs by Cream and Blind Faith; Clapton and Waters kicked it all off with “Sunshine of Your Love.”
“I called him Peter Edward,” Clapton told the crowd, referencing the drummer’s real name. “I think he’s here somewhere and he’ll be playing...
- 2/18/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Just one month before Cream wrapped up their original run with a historic show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 26th 1968, they performed at the International Sports Arena in San Diego. A tape of that show has sat in the vault for the past 52 years, but it’s finally being released in full on the upcoming four-disc box set Goodbye Tour Live 1968, out February 7th. Check out a preview of “Crossroads” from that night right here.
The box set will also contains recordings of shows taped in Oakland (October 4th,...
The box set will also contains recordings of shows taped in Oakland (October 4th,...
- 1/15/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Here’s a partial list of musicians we lost in the 2010s: Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Chuck Berry, Ornette Coleman, B.B. King, Etta James, Whitney Houston, Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Prince, Merle Haggard, Kitty Wells, João Gilberto, Ravi Shankar, Tabu Ley Rochereau, David Mancuso, Amy Winehouse, Abbie Lincoln, Gil Scott Heron, George Jones, George Martin, George Michael, Allen Toussaint, Donna Summer, Phife Dawg, Prodigy, Adam Yauch, Heavy D, Captain Beefheart, Robert Hunter, Gregory Isaacs, Johnny Otis, Big Jay McNeely, Levon Helm, Kate McGarrigle, Guy Clark, Pete Seeger, Ralph Stanley, Gregg Allman,...
- 12/11/2019
- by Will Hermes
- Rollingstone.com
Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass, a recent book by the Rush frontman, is a history of the instrument that includes photos from his own collection. Lee will be promoting it with a book tour later this month that includes stops in Pittsburgh (December 8th), New York City (December 9th), and Halifax, Nova Scotia (December 14th). He spoke to us about his five favorite songs with distinctive bass parts.
The Who, “My Generation”
Seriously? A Pop song with bass solos? John “The Ox” Entwistle was arguably the greatest rock bassist of them all,...
The Who, “My Generation”
Seriously? A Pop song with bass solos? John “The Ox” Entwistle was arguably the greatest rock bassist of them all,...
- 12/4/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
By his own admission, Kofi Baker, the son of the late Ginger Baker, had a complicated relationship with his father. As he told Rolling Stone last year, “It’s kind of like he’s already dead. He’s disowned me so many times in my life. It’s like he’s been dead to me for a long time anyway.” Kofi rarely saw his father, and the times he spent with his notoriously ornery dad were not always easy.
“I don’t know what went on the last 10, 15 years after the [Cream] reunion,...
“I don’t know what went on the last 10, 15 years after the [Cream] reunion,...
- 10/18/2019
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
When Ginger Baker was a teenager, his life was transformed in two lasting ways. While at a party around age 15, he was encouraged to sit down at a drum kit and play; classmates had noticed he would drum on his desktop and thought he’d be good at it. Before long he had given up dreams of being a pilot or a championship bicyclist for a musician’s life. Around the same time, he belatedly read a letter his late father, a bricklayer who had died in World War II,...
- 10/12/2019
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Ringo Starr remembered late Cream drummer Ginger Baker’s innovative playing in an interview with Rolling Stone. Baker died Sunday after a lengthy hospital stay at the age of 80.
“Ginger Baker was incredible,” Starr said. “He was very inventive. If you listen to Cream, you can see there’s something else coming through.”
In the late Nineties, Baker periodically performed with Starr and his All-Starr band, jumping onstage to play a couple of Cream songs with the group. At the time, the All-Starr band also featured Cream bassist Jack Bruce,...
“Ginger Baker was incredible,” Starr said. “He was very inventive. If you listen to Cream, you can see there’s something else coming through.”
In the late Nineties, Baker periodically performed with Starr and his All-Starr band, jumping onstage to play a couple of Cream songs with the group. At the time, the All-Starr band also featured Cream bassist Jack Bruce,...
- 10/7/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Tony Sokol Oct 6, 2019
Ginger Baker, the flame haired drummer with the fiery temper, changed the beat of rock.
Ginger Baker, the innovative drummer for supergroups Cream and Blind Faith, died at the age of 80, according to The New York Times. "We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning," his family announced on Twitter. "Thank you to everyone for your kind words over the past weeks."
Baker was one of rock’s most influential drummers. He played with the ferocity of Keith Moon while incorporating jazz and African percussive rhythms. He played for artists as varied as Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Johnny Rotten and Fela Kuti.
Peter Edward Baker was born in 1939 in Lewisham, south London. His bricklayer father was killed in action during World War II in 1943 when Baker was four. Because of this tall thin build, his early ambition was to...
Ginger Baker, the flame haired drummer with the fiery temper, changed the beat of rock.
Ginger Baker, the innovative drummer for supergroups Cream and Blind Faith, died at the age of 80, according to The New York Times. "We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning," his family announced on Twitter. "Thank you to everyone for your kind words over the past weeks."
Baker was one of rock’s most influential drummers. He played with the ferocity of Keith Moon while incorporating jazz and African percussive rhythms. He played for artists as varied as Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Johnny Rotten and Fela Kuti.
Peter Edward Baker was born in 1939 in Lewisham, south London. His bricklayer father was killed in action during World War II in 1943 when Baker was four. Because of this tall thin build, his early ambition was to...
- 10/6/2019
- Den of Geek
Steve Winwood remembered his former Blind Faith band mate Ginger Baker Sunday, hours after the Cream drummer’s death at the age of 80.
“A very sad loss, and my condolences to his family and friends,” Winwood wrote in a statement. “A loss also for his contribution to music. He was well-grounded in jazz from very early on, and later managed to combine this with African and rock music to create his own inimitable style of playing.”
Blind Faith formed following the break-up of Cream and Winwood’s brief split from...
“A very sad loss, and my condolences to his family and friends,” Winwood wrote in a statement. “A loss also for his contribution to music. He was well-grounded in jazz from very early on, and later managed to combine this with African and rock music to create his own inimitable style of playing.”
Blind Faith formed following the break-up of Cream and Winwood’s brief split from...
- 10/6/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Ginger Baker, the volatile musician widely acknowledged as one of the greatest drummers in rock ‘n roll history, died today at age 80. His death was confirmed by his family via Twitter.
“We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning,” said the tweet. Daughter Nettie confirmed that Baker died in Britain but gave no further details. The family had said late last month that he was critically ill in the hospital.
Baker was an integral part of the power trio Cream, joining with guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce to forge a propulsive sound that became a standard for blues rock. Baker was a key component, wielding his jazz background into the mix to drive an intricate style.
As powerful as his drumming was, the red-haired and edgy Baker also forged a fearsome reputation off-stage, involved in numerous scraps with musicians and media.
“We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning,” said the tweet. Daughter Nettie confirmed that Baker died in Britain but gave no further details. The family had said late last month that he was critically ill in the hospital.
Baker was an integral part of the power trio Cream, joining with guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce to forge a propulsive sound that became a standard for blues rock. Baker was a key component, wielding his jazz background into the mix to drive an intricate style.
As powerful as his drumming was, the red-haired and edgy Baker also forged a fearsome reputation off-stage, involved in numerous scraps with musicians and media.
- 10/6/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the death of Ginger Baker at the age of 80, many of the artists he collaborated with or influenced turned to social media to pay tribute to the late Cream drummer.
“Ginger Baker, great drummer, wild and lovely guy,” Paul McCartney tweeted Sunday, soon after the drummer’s death was announced. “We worked together on the ‘Band on the Run’ album in his Arc Studio, Lagos, Nigeria. Sad to hear that he died but the memories never will.”
“Sad news hearing that Ginger Baker has died, I remember playing with...
“Ginger Baker, great drummer, wild and lovely guy,” Paul McCartney tweeted Sunday, soon after the drummer’s death was announced. “We worked together on the ‘Band on the Run’ album in his Arc Studio, Lagos, Nigeria. Sad to hear that he died but the memories never will.”
“Sad news hearing that Ginger Baker has died, I remember playing with...
- 10/6/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
In early 2005, Eric Clapton relented after decades of pressure and agreed to reunite with Cream for a four-night stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall. “Given the fact that we were all still capable of playing together, I thought it would be fitting to pay tribute to ourselves while we still could,” he wrote in his 2007 memoir. “I was also very aware that I had always been the reluctant one on this score, so cap in hand, I made some delicate inquiries as to whether Jack [Bruce] and Ginger [Baker] would be interested.
- 10/6/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Ginger Baker was a paradox: a gamechanging rock drummer who insisted that he “never played rock,” a forefather of heavy metal who couldn’t stand the genre, and a Londoner who thoroughly assimilated African drumming styles. That’s why, if you only know him in one context — with barnstorming blues-rock trio Cream, in short-lived supergroup Blind Faith, alongside Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, or in one of his later jazz combos — you’re missing out on a fuller understanding of the contribution this irascible icon made to his art form.
Baker...
Baker...
- 10/6/2019
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
Ginger Baker, the wildly influential and innovative drummer who laid the groundwork for heavy metal and world music and played with everyone from Fela Kuti to John Lydon to Max Roach, died Sunday after a lengthy hospital stay. He was 80.
“We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning. Thank you to everyone for your kind words over the past weeks,” the drummer’s Facebook confirmed Sunday, nearly two weeks after Baker’s family said he was “critically ill” in the hospital.
“Dad passed away peacefully,...
“We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning. Thank you to everyone for your kind words over the past weeks,” the drummer’s Facebook confirmed Sunday, nearly two weeks after Baker’s family said he was “critically ill” in the hospital.
“Dad passed away peacefully,...
- 10/6/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Ginger Baker is “holding his own” following the news that the Cream drummer was critically ill in the hospital last week. His family posted an update on Sunday morning confirming that Baker is being visited by loved ones. “Ginger is holding his own and thank you for all your good wishes,” they wrote. “He is receiving visits from close family and very special friends.”
Update! Ginger is holding his own & thank you for all your good wishes. He is receiving visits from close family & very special friends.
— Ginger Baker (@GingerBDrums) September 29, 2019
Last week,...
Update! Ginger is holding his own & thank you for all your good wishes. He is receiving visits from close family & very special friends.
— Ginger Baker (@GingerBDrums) September 29, 2019
Last week,...
- 9/30/2019
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Ginger Baker, the cofounder and drummer of Cream, is critically ill and in the hospital, according to a social media post shared by his family on his official Twitter account. No further details regarding his illness have been disclosed.
“The Baker family are sad to announce that Ginger is critically ill in hospital,” the family’s statement reads. “Please keep him in your prayers tonight.”
The Baker family are sad to announce that Ginger is critically ill in hospital. Please keep him in your prayers tonight
— Ginger Baker (@GingerBDrums) September...
“The Baker family are sad to announce that Ginger is critically ill in hospital,” the family’s statement reads. “Please keep him in your prayers tonight.”
The Baker family are sad to announce that Ginger is critically ill in hospital. Please keep him in your prayers tonight
— Ginger Baker (@GingerBDrums) September...
- 9/26/2019
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Ringo Starr recently announced the details of his 30th anniversary tour with the All Starr Band, which will feature Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Santana’s Gregg Rolie, Toto’s Steve Lukather and Average White Band’s Hamish Stuart. “It’s become what I do — I go on tour,” Starr recently told Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield. “So we’re starting in Japan in March, then in the summer we do America. I’ve got plenty of time so I love to play. And of course, being the drummer,...
- 11/15/2018
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Stevie Wonder wanted to meet Tonto. He had just turned 21, was flush with cash and had all these songs and sounds in his head that he couldn’t get onto tape. A friend had loaned him a copy of an album called Zero Time that had been recorded using the world’s largest, most advanced music synthesizer: Tonto, an acronym for “The Original New Timbral Orchestra.”
The mastermind behind Tonto was an Afro’d, English bassist-turned–studio tech named Malcolm Cecil who lived above a midtown-Manhattan advertising recording studio. ““I...
The mastermind behind Tonto was an Afro’d, English bassist-turned–studio tech named Malcolm Cecil who lived above a midtown-Manhattan advertising recording studio. ““I...
- 11/13/2018
- by Martin Porter and David Goggin
- Rollingstone.com
Robert Stigwood, manager of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame groups like Cream and the Bee Gees and producer of films like Saturday Night Fever and Grease, passed away. Stigwood was 81. Spencer Gibb, the son of Bee Gees' Robin Gibb and Stigwood's godson, was the first to confirm Stigwood's death, Reuters reports. No cause of death was given.
"A creative genius with a very quick and dry wit, Robert was the driving force behind The Bee Gees career, as well as having discovered Cream, and subsequently managing Eric Clapton,...
"A creative genius with a very quick and dry wit, Robert was the driving force behind The Bee Gees career, as well as having discovered Cream, and subsequently managing Eric Clapton,...
- 1/5/2016
- Rollingstone.com
facebook
twitter
google+
As his new film, Joy, lands in UK cinemas, we chat to writer/director David O Russell about the movie, geeky stuff, and Three Kings.
There's a marked bit in this interview which has spoilers for the film Joy.
David O Russell's latest film, Joy, lands in UK cinemas on New Year's Day. Ahead of its release, he spared us some time for this chat about the film...
So how’s the day been? How have all the interviews been?
It’s actually been – I always have a little bit of trouble adjusting to the sleep when I get here, but – it’s actually been, I don’t know why – there’s been something very alive and stimulating about it. I’ve enjoyed the conversations. And half of that, I think, is because when you make a film that you like to talk about, or there’s...
google+
As his new film, Joy, lands in UK cinemas, we chat to writer/director David O Russell about the movie, geeky stuff, and Three Kings.
There's a marked bit in this interview which has spoilers for the film Joy.
David O Russell's latest film, Joy, lands in UK cinemas on New Year's Day. Ahead of its release, he spared us some time for this chat about the film...
So how’s the day been? How have all the interviews been?
It’s actually been – I always have a little bit of trouble adjusting to the sleep when I get here, but – it’s actually been, I don’t know why – there’s been something very alive and stimulating about it. I’ve enjoyed the conversations. And half of that, I think, is because when you make a film that you like to talk about, or there’s...
- 12/30/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Jack Bruce, the lead vocalist and bassist of the power trio Cream, died yesterday at his home in Suffolk of liver disease. Bruce's family announced his death on his official website, with his publicist confirming. They said, "The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts." He was 71.As rock's first prominent supergroups, Cream was comprised of Bruce, Eric Clapton on guitar, and Ginger Baker on drums. They came together in 1966 and quickly to international renown with their blend of psychedelic rock and blues. Bruce authored a number of their best known hits like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room." Their 1968 double album Wheels of Fire would be the band's apex to become the first record to go platinum. Relations between the band mates were acrimonious however, with Clapton writing in his autobiography...
- 10/26/2014
- by E. Alex Jung
- Vulture
Jack Bruce has passed away at the age of 71.
The 1960s rock band Cream's bassist and singer Jack Bruce has passed away at the age of 71 at home with his family.
His family went on Facebook and Jack's official web site today to share the news.
Post by Jack Bruce.
The Scottish musician is described on his web site as "one of the most powerful vocalists and greatest bassists of his time." His web site also notes that "his improvisation skill and utterly unique, free-spirited approach to composition and performance would forever change electric music. His pioneering, full-toned, free-wheeling playing on the electric bass revolutionized the way the instrument is used and influenced the playing of countless bassists to today."
Bruce was part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. After Cream split up in 1968, Bruce went solo. He also formed a blues rock power trio called...
The 1960s rock band Cream's bassist and singer Jack Bruce has passed away at the age of 71 at home with his family.
His family went on Facebook and Jack's official web site today to share the news.
Post by Jack Bruce.
The Scottish musician is described on his web site as "one of the most powerful vocalists and greatest bassists of his time." His web site also notes that "his improvisation skill and utterly unique, free-spirited approach to composition and performance would forever change electric music. His pioneering, full-toned, free-wheeling playing on the electric bass revolutionized the way the instrument is used and influenced the playing of countless bassists to today."
Bruce was part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. After Cream split up in 1968, Bruce went solo. He also formed a blues rock power trio called...
- 10/25/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
Bassist Jack Bruce has passed on at the age of 71 of liver disease. No one lives forever, but he will always be best known for his power trio Cream with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. I was fortunate enough to catch their reunion tour in 2005 at Madison Square Garden. I was blown away by Jack's bass playing and his strong vocals throughout. And this was a man who had survived liver cancer and a liver transplant just a few short years earlier. Certainly his legendary power trio was a tough act to follow, but Bruce has many albums in his discography both before and after his classic rock trio; not only with British blues bands such as Alexis Korner’s Blues Inc., the Graham Bond Organisation, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and Manfred Mann, but a robust solo career, too. And in 1994, in an effort to recreate the energy and excitement of Cream,...
- 10/25/2014
- by Dusty Wright
- www.culturecatch.com
Jack Bruce, the former bassist and vocalist for rock group Cream, has died. He was 71. “It is with great sadness that we, Jack's family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad, and all round legend,” the musician's loved ones stated on his Facebook page. “The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts.” See Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2014 (Photos) The cause of death is undisclosed. Bruce had been diagnosed with liver cancer in 2003, and underwent a liver transplant that year. Born in Scotland.
- 10/25/2014
- by Gina Hall
- The Wrap
British musician Jack Bruce, best known as the bass player and vocalist of the power blues trio Cream, died Saturday at his home, his family and publicist said. He was 71. Bruce was one of the top musicians of the late 1960s, when Cream played its unique psychedelic blues tunes to packed houses in England and the U.S. The band - widely cited as the original supergroup - were known for hits such as "I Feel Free" and "Sunshine of Your Love," which featured Eric Clapton's innovative guitar riffs, and Bruce's vocals and roaring bass, backed by Ginger Baker's explosive drumming.
- 10/25/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Jack Bruce, the singer and bassist for legendary rock band Cream, has died. He was 71. “It is with great sadness that we, Jack’s family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad, and all around legend,” Bruce’s family posted on his website Saturday, Oct. 25. “The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts.” Bruce died of liver disease, according to The Guardian. He passed away at his home in Suffolk surrounded by family, Rolling Stone reports. Further details of the
read more...
read more...
- 10/25/2014
- by Billboard Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jack Bruce -- who sang some of Cream's biggest hit songs -- has died at the age of 71.The singer/bass player's family revealed the news on his website Saturday morning ... and his rep tells us he died from liver disease. We're told he had been sick since January.Bruce sang lead vocals on classic Cream songs like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room."The group also included Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker ... and...
- 10/25/2014
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Cream bassist-singer Jack Bruce has died at the age of 71. The news of his passing was posted on his official Facebook page on Saturday, Oct. 25. "It is with great sadness that we, Jack’s family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad, and all round legend," Bruce's family wrote. "The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts." The Scottish musician's publicist added to Rolling Stone that "he died today [...]...
- 10/25/2014
- Us Weekly
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.