‘Style influencer': Aussie drumming ‘king' dies aged 71
Revered Australian musician James Baker, drummer for bands including the Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, Scientists and other rock groups, has died.
Baker died at his home in Perth on Monday. He was 71.
Music scribes have described him as a key figure in the evolution of punk and rock music in Western Australia, and he was lauded in a press statement as 'King of the Perth Big Beat, the godfather of Perth Punk and Australia's Garage Guru'.
He was inducted into the WA Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2006.
'With a CV that reads like a who's who of Australian rock 'n' roll greatness ... James was also a genuine tastemaker and style influencer,' his reps said.
'He was a man who loved rock 'n' roll, and who shared that love with everybody. And he was loved. He was so loved.'
The Hoodoo Gurus, inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007, shared a picture of Baker on the drums to mark his passing.
Born in Perth in 1954, Baker bought his first drum kit as a teen and was a member of short-lived bans Black Sun and the Slick City Boys.
He travelled to the US and England in 1976 where he placed himself 'in the thick of punk's early days'.
'It was a perfect time to go there,' Baker told The West Australian.
'Six months before that, I wouldn't have seen much. Six months after, it was almost all over.'
Rubbing shoulders with the likes of the Ramones, Sex Pistols and the Clash, he returned to Australia inspired to launch The Geeks, which later became the Victims. James Baker, pictured performing in Melbourne in 2023, has died. Credit: Martin Philbey / WireImage
Baker had been living with terminal liver cancer for a decade.
Despite his health battles, he continued to perform, write and record music.
He released a solo album called Born to Rock in March 2024, and contributed his talents to several bands.
'I think rock was always what I was meant to do,' he told The West.
'It's not the easiest path but I've had a blast and that will be my way till the very last.'
Baker is survived by his wife, Cathy, sister Barbara, two daughters and a grandson who is due this month.
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