Ginger Baker chat by Mick Curtis

ginger baker

Mick Curtis…. About 30 years ago my wife Vanda was an air stewardess with British Caledonian. Ginger Baker was travelling in First Class to Buenos Aires, Vanda worked in First Class, and asked him to sign a menu card. He asked what her name was. “Vanda”. To he wrote “To Banda, love Ginger Baker”. She said “My name is spelled with a V”. So he changed it to “Banva”. I’ll find the evidence today and post a picture on here. He was apparently very proud of his new snakeskin boots that had been hand-made for him in LA. Enjoyed a drink or 30, she seems to remember.

Mick O’Dowd… Sounds about right.

Richard J Porter… LOL, good old Ginger, a friend of ours, still playing and with his son sometimes

Geoff Peckham…. My Ginger Baker story: I once worked with this lovely prudish Oxbridge educated teacher called Annie. On noticing a picture of GB in a magazine I was reading Annie told me she’d met him. Intrigued, I asked how. She said at a May Ball at Cambridge where Cream were playing, she was in the Ladies’ washing her hands. Suddenly, the door burst open and a red-haired man dashed in and threw up in the basin next to her. When she was told he was Ginger Baker, Annie still wasn’t impressed!

Mick O’Dowd… I  worked with Ginger on the Baker-Gurvitz Army on The Pier and stood about 6 feet away from him on stage. He just made those drums talk and made it look so easy and I don’t think he even broke into a sweat.

Alan Esdaile… Anyone read this book?

Geoff Peckham… Yes. I found it a tad tiresome towards the end and didn’t finish it. Interesting for his early days Graham Bond, Cream etc., though.

Mick Curtis… Vanda has put the autograph “somewhere safe”. Attempting to track it down.

now found….

Mick Curtis… A while ago I mentioned that when my wife was an Air Stewardess with British Caledonian one of her passengers on a flight to Buenos Aires was Ginger Baker. She asked him to sign a menu card. “What shall I write” – he asked. “Oh – something nice”, she replied. “What’s you name?”, he asked. “Vanda”. So he wrote “To Banda”. “It is spelled with a V”. So he changed it to Banva. Here is the evidence as promised, with the final correct version. I have included a photo of the reverse side of the card – look at the prices!

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supplied by Mick Curtis 

Eric Cawthraw… haven’t read the book, I’m sure it’s a good read. I see that the book cover is the same as on the 1994 valbum Baker Bruce and Moore.

BBM 001

supplied by Eric Cawthraw

1 thought on “Ginger Baker chat by Mick Curtis”

  1. I worked with Ginger on the Baker-Gurvitz Army on The Pier and stood about 6 feet away from him on stage. He just made those drums talk and maqde it look so easy and I don’t think he even broke into a sweat.

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