Throwback: Happy 86th Birthday, Ginger Baker!

This year has been a brutal, soul-sucking slog. And we have at least 3 more brutal and soul-sucking years left of this administration to go — if they don’t kill us all, first. So let’s get to it. 

• MTV was launched 44 years ago on August 1
• Coolio was born 62 years ago on August 1
• Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott celebrated his 66th birthday on August 1
• Public Enemy‘s Chuck D. celebrated his 64th birthday on August 1
• Butch Vig celebrated his 70th — yes, y’all 70th! — birthday on August 2
• Echo and the Bunnymen‘s first dummer Pete de Freitas was born 64 years ago on August 2.
• Collective Soul‘s frontman Ed Roland celebrated his 62nd birthday on August 3
• Metallica‘s James Hetfield celebrated his 62nd birthday on August 3
• The iconic Louis Armstrong was born 124 years ago on August 4
• Beastie Boys‘ Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA was born 60 years ago on August 5 
• U2′s The Edge celebrated his 64th birthday on August 8
• The incomparable, ebullient and legendary Whitney Houston was born 62 years ago on August 9
• The pioneering Kurtis Blow celebrated his 66th birthday on August 9
• Interpol’s Sam Fogarino celebrated his 57th birthday on August 9
• Ronnie Spector was born 82 years ago on August 10
• Hip-hop was born at a house party at 1520 Sedgewick Avenue DJ’ed by the pioneering Kool Herc 52 years ago on August 11
• Dire Straits frontman and creative mastermind Mark Knopfler celebrated his 76th birthday on August 12
• The complicated but legendary David Crosby was born 84 years ago on August 14
• Oscar Peterson, one of the greatest pianists ever was born 100 years ago on August 15
• The legendary and iconic Madonna celebrated her 66th birthday on August 16
• De La Soul‘s Kelvin Mercer, A.K.A. Posdnous, a.k.a. Plug One celebrated his 56th birthday on August 17
• Acclaimed JOVM mainstay Genesis Owusu celebrated his 27th birthday on August 17
• The Isley Brothers‘ Marvin Isley was born 72 years ago on August 18

The legendary and complicated Ginger Baker was born on this day 86 years ago. Arguably, one of the first superstar drummers in rock history, Baker was also an instrumental figure in pioneering both jazz fusion and world music. He was also instrumental in bringing Fela Kuti to a larger audience in the West. But he’s best known for his work in Cream, Blind Faith and a number of other legendary bands.

Happy birthday, Ginger! Happy birthday, wherever you are!