Cream (band)
Cream were a British rock band formed in London in 1966. The group consisted of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. Bruce was the primary songwriter and vocalist, although Clapton and Baker contributed to songs. Formed by members of previously successful bands, they are widely considered the first supergroup.[6] Cream were highly regarded for the instrumental proficiency of each of their members.
For other uses, see Cream (disambiguation).
Cream
London, England
- 1966–1968
- 1993
- 2005
During their brief three-year career, the band released four albums, Fresh Cream (1966), Disraeli Gears (1967), Wheels of Fire (1968), and Goodbye (1969). Beginning with Disraeli Gears, the band was joined in the studio by producer and multi-instrumentalist Felix Pappalardi. Their music spanned rock styles such as blues rock, psychedelia, and hard rock. Throughout their career, they sold more than 15 million records worldwide.[7] The group's third album, Wheels of Fire (1968), is the first platinum-selling double album.[8][9] They scored international hits with singles such as "Sunshine of Your Love" (1967) and "White Room" (1968).
Tensions between Bruce and Baker led to their decision in May 1968 to break up, though the band were persuaded to make a final album, Goodbye, and to tour, culminating in two final farewell concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on 25 and 26 November 1968 which were filmed and shown in theatres, then in 1977 released as a home video, Farewell Concert.
In 1993, Cream were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[10] They were included in both Rolling Stone and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", at number 67 and 61 respectively.[11][12] They were also ranked number 16 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".[4]
History[edit]
Formation (1966)[edit]
By July 1966, Eric Clapton's career with the Yardbirds and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers had earned him a reputation as the premier blues guitarist in Britain.[13] Clapton, however, found the environment of Mayall's band confining, and sought to expand his playing in a new band. In 1966, Clapton met Ginger Baker, then the drummer of the Graham Bond Organisation, for which Jack Bruce had played bass guitar, harmonica and piano. Baker felt stifled in the Graham Bond Organisation and had grown tired of Graham Bond's drug addictions and bouts of mental instability. "I had always liked Ginger", explained Clapton. "Ginger had come to see me play with the Bluesbreakers. After the gig he drove me back to London in his Rover. I was very impressed with his car and driving. He was telling me that he wanted to start a band, and I had been thinking about it too."[14]
Each was impressed with the other's playing abilities, prompting Baker to ask Clapton to join his new, then-unnamed group. Clapton immediately agreed, on the condition that Baker hire Bruce, who had joined Manfred Mann since leaving Graham Bond, as the group's bassist;[9] according to Clapton, Baker was so surprised at the suggestion that he almost crashed the car.[15] Clapton had met Bruce when the bassist/vocalist briefly played with the Bluesbreakers in November 1965;[9][16] the two also had recorded together as part of an ad hoc group dubbed Powerhouse (which also included Steve Winwood and Paul Jones). Impressed with Bruce's vocals and technical prowess, Clapton wanted to work with him on an ongoing basis.
In contrast, while Bruce was in Bond's band, he and Baker had been notorious for their quarrelling.[17] Their volatile relationship included on-stage fights and the sabotage of one another's instruments.[17] After Baker fired Bruce from the band, Bruce continued to arrive for gigs; ultimately, Bruce was driven away from the band after Baker threatened him at knifepoint.[18]
Baker and Bruce tried to put aside their differences for the good of Baker's new trio, which he envisioned as collaborative, with each of the members contributing to music and lyrics. The band was named "Cream", as Clapton, Bruce, and Baker were already considered the "cream of the crop" amongst blues and jazz musicians in the exploding British music scene. Initially, the group were referred to and billed as "The Cream", but starting officially with its first record releases, the trio came to be known as "Cream".[16] Despite this, the band was referred to as "The Cream" on several occasions by promoters and disc jockeys, and even on occasion by the band members themselves. Before deciding upon "Cream", the band considered calling themselves "Sweet 'n' Sour Rock 'n' Roll".[8] Of the trio, Clapton had the biggest reputation in England; however, he was unknown in the US, having left the Yardbirds before "For Your Love" hit the American Top Ten.[13]
The band made its unofficial debut at the Twisted Wheel on 29 July 1966.[9][15] Its official debut came two nights later at the Sixth Annual Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival.[9][15] Being new and with few original songs to its credit, they performed blues reworkings that thrilled the large crowd and earned it a warm reception. In October the band also got a chance to jam with Jimi Hendrix, who had recently arrived in London. Hendrix was a fan of Clapton's music, and wanted a chance to play with him onstage.[9]
It was during the early organisation that they decided Bruce would serve as the group's lead vocalist. While Clapton was shy about singing,[19] he occasionally harmonised with Bruce, and in time, took lead vocals on several Cream tracks including "Four Until Late", "Strange Brew", "World of Pain", "Outside Woman Blues", "Crossroads", and "Badge".
Band members
Session contributors