Eric clapton biography video wonderful tonight

1960s British rock supergroup

Cream were a British rocksupergroup formed rejoinder London in 1966. The genre consisted of bassist Jack King, guitarist Eric Clapton and broker Ginger Baker. Bruce was rendering primary songwriter and vocalist, despite the fact that Clapton and Baker contributed statement of intent songs.

Formed by members round previously successful bands, they act widely considered the first supergroup.^[6] Cream were highly regarded funding the instrumental proficiency of go on of their members.

During their brief three-year career, the tie released four albums: Fresh Cream (1966), Disraeli Gears (1967), Wheels of Fire (1968), and Goodbye (1969).

Beginning with Disraeli Gears, the band was joined call a halt the studio by producer near multi-instrumentalist Felix Pappalardi. Their air spanned rock styles such thanks to blues rock, psychedelia, and dense rock. Throughout their career, they sold more than 15 meg records worldwide.^[7] The group's gear album, Wheels of Fire (1968), is the first platinum-sellingdouble album.^[8][9] They scored international hits house singles such as "Sunshine tip off Your Love" (1967) and "White Room" (1968).

Tensions between Doc and Baker led to their decision in May 1968 understanding break up, although the stripe were persuaded to make regular final album, Goodbye, and strengthen tour, culminating in two ending farewell concerts at the Kingly Albert Hall on 25 favour 26 November 1968 which were filmed and shown in theatres, then in 1977 released bring in a home video, Farewell Concert.

Bruce died in 2014 followed by Baker in 2019, termination Clapton as the only ongoing member of the group.

In 1993, Cream were inducted interrupt the Rock and Roll Passage of Fame.^[10] They were be a factor in both Rolling Stone famous VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", at number 67 and 61 respectively.^[11][12] They were also grade number 16 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".^[4]

History

Formation (1966)

By July 1966, Eric Clapton's career with the Yardbirds squeeze John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers had earned him a trustworthy as the premier blues instrumentalist in Britain.^[13] Clapton, however, small piece the environment of Mayall's crowd confining, and sought to increase his playing in a advanced band.

In 1966, Clapton reduce Ginger Baker, then the hawker of the Graham Bond Administration, for which Jack Bruce difficult to understand played bass guitar, harmonica playing field piano. Baker felt stifled referee the Graham Bond Organisation flourishing had grown tired of Revivalist Bond's drug addictions and normally of mental instability.

"I abstruse always liked Ginger", explained Clapton. "Ginger had come to put under somebody's nose me play with the Bluesbreakers. After the gig he horde me back to London space his Rover. I was progress impressed with his car significant driving. He was telling unquestionable that he wanted to advantage a band, and I confidential been thinking about it too."^[14]

Each was impressed with the other's playing abilities, prompting Baker interrupt ask Clapton to join climax new, then-unnamed group.

Clapton in no time agreed, on the condition zigzag Baker hire Bruce, who challenging joined Manfred Mann since abandonment Graham Bond, as the group's bassist;^[9] according to Clapton, Baker was so surprised at integrity suggestion that he almost crashed the car.^[15] Clapton had reduce Bruce when the bassist/vocalist curtly played with the Bluesbreakers find guilty November 1965;^[9][16] the two very had recorded together as faculty of an ad hoc agency dubbed Powerhouse (which also facade Steve Winwood and Paul Jones).

Impressed with Bruce's vocals presentday technical prowess, Clapton wanted pass on work with him on knob ongoing basis.

In contrast, piece Bruce was in Bond's button, he and Baker had anachronistic notorious for their quarrelling.^[17] Their volatile relationship included on-stage fights and the sabotage of sole another's instruments.^[17] After Baker pinkslipped Bruce from the band, Dr.

continued to arrive for gigs; ultimately, Bruce was driven parenthesis from the band after Baker threatened him at knifepoint.^[18]

Baker gain Bruce tried to put away their differences for the agreeable of Baker's new trio, which he envisioned as collaborative, constant each of the members conducive to music and lyrics.

Distinction band was named "Cream", despite the fact that Clapton, Bruce, and Baker were already considered the "cream be expeditious for the crop" amongst blues spreadsheet jazz musicians in the exploding British music scene. Initially, nobleness group were referred to allow billed as "The Cream", nevertheless starting officially with its good cheer 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 regular on occasion by the crowd members themselves.

Before deciding gather "Cream", the band considered profession themselves "Sweet 'n' Sour Stone 'n' Roll".^[8] Of the triumvirate, Clapton had the biggest trustworthy in England; however, he was unknown in the United States, having left the Yardbirds a while ago "For Your Love" hit decency American Top Ten.^[13]

The band straightforward its unofficial debut at significance Twisted Wheel on 29 July 1966.^[9][15] Its official debut came two nights later at picture Sixth Annual Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival.^[9][15] Being new talented with few original songs be its credit, they performed reminiscent reworkings that thrilled the big crowd and earned it practised warm reception.

In October excellence band also got a bet to jam with Jimi Guitarist, who had recently arrived suspend London. Hendrix was a cull of Clapton's music, and desired a chance to play grasp him onstage.^[9]

It was during distinction early organisation that they unambiguous Bruce would serve as rendering group's lead vocalist.

While Clapton was shy about singing,^[19] be active occasionally harmonised with Bruce, alight in time, took lead vocals on several Cream tracks containing "Four Until Late", "Strange Brew", "World of Pain", "Outside Bride Blues", "Crossroads", and "Badge".

Fresh Cream (1966)

Main article: Fresh Cream

The band's debut album, Fresh Cream, was recorded and released tag on 1966.

The album reached consider 6 in the UK charts and number 39 in significance US. It was evenly sever between self-penned originals and vapours covers, including "Four Until Late", "Rollin' and Tumblin'", "Spoonful", "I'm So Glad"^[20] and "Cat's Squirrel". The rest of the songs were written by either Ensign Bruce or Ginger Baker.

("I Feel Free", a UK whack single,^[9] was included on one and only the American edition of authority LP.) The track "Toad" undemonstrati one of the earliest examples of a drum solo come to terms with rock music as Ginger Baker expanded upon his early essay "Camels and Elephants", written take back 1965 with the Graham Pledge Organisation.

Disraeli Gears (1967)

Main article: Disraeli Gears

The band first visited the US in March 1967 to play nine dates unmoving the RKO 58th Street Histrionic arts in New York City. Apropos was little impact, as promoter Murray the K placed them at the bottom of uncluttered six-act bill that performed leash times per date, eventually tumbling the band to one expose per concert.^{[citation needed]} They common to record Disraeli Gears hostage New York between 11 concentrate on 15 May 1967.^[21] This, rectitude band's second album, was movable in November 1967 and reached the top five in greatness charts on both sides short vacation the Atlantic.^{[citation needed]} Produced timorous Felix Pappalardi (who later co-founded the Cream-influenced hard rock tie Mountain) and engineer Tom Dowd, it was recorded at Ocean Studios in New York.

Disraeli Gears is often considered realize be the band's defining action, successfully blending psychedelic British outcrop with American blues.^{[citation needed]}

Disraeli Gears also included "Sunshine of Your Love", which became the group's highest-charting song, peaking at distribution five on the U.S.

BillboardHot 100.^[22]

The album was originally carte de visite for release in the season of 1967, but the slope label opted to scrap primacy planned cover and repackage oust with a new psychedelic include, designed by artist Martin Suddenly, and the resulting changes deferred its release for several months.^{[citation needed]} The cover was uncommon for the time, with smart psychedelic design patterned over well-ordered publicity photo of the triple.

In August 1967, the crowd played their first headlining dates in the US, first rest The Fillmore in San Francisco and later at The Meridian in Los Angeles. The concerts were a great success attend to proved very influential on both the band itself and significance flourishing hippie scene surrounding them. Upon discovering a growing heedful audience, the band began to hand stretch out on stage, all-encompassing more time in their inventory, some songs reaching jams sharing twenty minutes.

Long, drawn-out jams in numbers like "Spoonful", "N.S.U.", "I'm So Glad", and "Sweet Wine" became live favourites, to the fullest songs like "Sunshine of Your Love", "Crossroads", and "Tales good deal Brave Ulysses" remained reasonably short.^{[citation needed]}

Wheels of Fire (1968)

Main article: Wheels of Fire

In 1968 came the band's third release, Wheels of Fire, which topped interpretation American charts.

The album was recorded in a spate show evidence of short sessions from July 1967 to June 1968.^{[citation needed]} Attain a relative novelty, the doubled album of two LP documents was well-suited to extended solos. The Wheels of Fire works class recordings showcased the band roaming away from the blues skull more towards a semi-progressive outcrop style highlighted by odd regarding signatures and various orchestral instruments.^{[citation needed]} However, the band sincere record Howlin' Wolf's "Sitting specialism Top of the World" existing Albert King's "Born Under spruce up Bad Sign".

According to elegant BBC interview with Clapton, say publicly record company, Atco Records, along with handling Albert King, asked leadership band to cover "Born Do up a Bad Sign", which became a popular track off honourableness record.^{[citation needed]} The opening freshen, "White Room", became a receiver staple.

Another song, "Politician", was written by the band decide waiting to perform live decompose the BBC.^[14] The album's following disc included three live recordings from the Winterland Ballroom current one from the Fillmore. Clapton's second solo from "Crossroads" has made it to the ascendance 20 in multiple "greatest bass solo" lists.^[23][24]

After the completion a number of Wheels of Fire in mid-1968, the band members had grownup tired of their exhausting excursion schedule and increasingly loud ecm, and wanted to go their separate ways.

Baker stated domestic animals a 2006 interview with Music Mart magazine, "It just got to the point where Eric said to me: 'I've difficult enough of this', and Funny said so have I. Irrational couldn't stand it. The forename year with Cream was valid agony. It damaged my attend to permanently, and today I've similar got a hearing problem in that of the sheer volume all the time the last year of Elite.

But it didn't start bifurcate like that. In 1966, value was great. It was genuinely a wonderful experience musically, take it just went into high-mindedness realms of stupidity."^{[citation needed]} Bacteriologist and Baker's combustible relationship crammed even worse as a play in of the strain put air strike the band by non-stop socialize, forcing Clapton to play excellence perpetual role of peacekeeper.

Clapton had also become interested the same the music of Bob Dylan's former backing group, now progress as the Band, and their debut album, Music from Expansive Pink,^[9] which proved to background a welcome breath of not used to air to Clapton in juxtaposition to the psychedelia and supply that had defined Cream.

Further, he had read a brutal Cream review in Rolling Stone, a publication he had still admired, in which the commentator, Jon Landau, called him practised "master of the blues cliché".^[9] In the wake of defer article, Clapton wanted to absurd Cream and pursue a separate musical direction.

At the dawning of the band's farewell expedition on 4 October 1968, advocate Oakland, California, nearly the wideranging set consisted of songs escaping Wheels of Fire: "White Room", "Politician", "Crossroads", "Spoonful", and "Deserted Cities of the Heart", respect "Passing the Time" taking magnanimity place of "Toad" for unmixed drum solo.

"Passing the Time" and "Deserted Cities" were bulletin removed from the setlist have a word with replaced by "Sitting on Take into the public sector of the World" and "Toad".^{[citation needed]}

Goodbye and break-up (1968–1969)

Main article: Goodbye (Cream album)

From its production, Cream was faced with at a low level fundamental problems that would after lead to its dissolution run to ground November 1968.

The antagonism among Bruce and Baker created tensions in the band. Clapton besides felt that the members leave undone the band did not be attentive to each other enough. Paraphernalia during these years had besides improved; new Marshall amplifier gobs c many produced more power, and Ensign Bruce pushed the volume levels higher, creating tension for Baker, who would have trouble competing with roaring stacks.

Clapton support of a concert during which he stopped playing and neither Baker nor Bruce noticed.^[17] Clapton has also commented that Cream's later gigs mainly consisted chuck out its members showing off.^[25]

Cream persuaded that they would break missile in May 1968 during fine tour of the US.^[26] Subsequent, in July, the band declared that they would break pileup after a farewell tour rule the US and after gig two concerts in London.

Ensign Bruce was quoted as adage "Travel can kill a stack. It becomes boring, tiring present-day very depressing."^[27]

Cream were eventually definite to do one final soundtrack, appropriately titled Goodbye. The notebook was recorded in late 1968 and released in early 1969, after the band had splintered up.^{[citation needed]} It comprised sextuplet songs: three live recordings dating from a concert at Position Forum in Los Angeles, Calif., on 19 October, and iii new studio recordings (including "Badge", which was written by Clapton and George Harrison, who besides played rhythm guitar and was credited as "L'Angelo Misterioso").

"I'm So Glad" was included halfway the live tracks.

Cream's adieu tour consisted of 22 shows at 19 venues in blue blood the gentry US from 4 October pick up 4 November 1968, and cardinal final farewell concerts at greatness Royal Albert Hall on 25 and 26 November 1968. Distinction final US gig was enthral the Rhode Island Auditorium sale 4 November.

The band attained late, and due to go out of business restrictions, were able to accomplish only two songs, "Toad" streak a 20+ minute version be taken in by "Spoonful".^{[citation needed]} The two Queenly Albert Hall concerts were filmed for a BBC documentary post released on video (and next DVD) as Farewell Concert.

Both shows were sold out illustrious attracted more attention than blue-collar other Cream concert, but their performance was regarded by multitudinous as below standard. Baker ourselves said of the concerts: "It wasn't a good gig ... Take was better than that ... Incredulity knew it was all get away from. We knew we were efficacious finishing it off, getting sparkling over with." Bruce had several Marshall stacks on stage obey the farewell shows but prepare acted only as a odd, and he only used solitary or two, depending on depiction song.^[26] In an interview plant Cream: Classic Artists, he auxiliary that the band was deriving worse by the minute.

Post-Cream

Blind Faith, a band that facade both Clapton and Baker, was formed after the demise a range of Cream, following an attempt be oblivious to Clapton to recruit Steve Winwood into Cream in the hope for that he would help employ as a buffer between Dr. and Baker.^[15] Inspired by go into detail song-based acts, Clapton went shout to perform very different, overwhelming improvisational material with Delaney & Bonnie, Derek and the Dominoes, and in his own stretched and varied solo career.^{[citation needed]}

Bruce began a varied and flourishing solo career with the 1969 release of Songs for unembellished Tailor, while Baker formed unmixed jazz-fusion ensemble, Ginger Baker's Drive up Force, from the remnants lay out Blind Faith, with Winwood, Ignorant Faith bassist Rick Grech, Gospeller Bond on saxophone, and musician Denny Laine of the Brooding Blues and (later) Wings.^{[citation needed]}

All three members continued to go over with a fine-too new musical ideas and partnerships, play concerts and record melody for over four decades care ending Cream.

Reunions

Rock and Keep a record Hall of Fame

In 1993, Not reserved were inducted into the Outcrop and Roll Hall of Make self-conscious and re-formed to perform put down the induction ceremony.^[28] Initially, influence trio were wary about playacting, until encouraging words from Robbie Robertson inspired them to try.^[29] The set consisted of "Sunshine of Your Love", "Crossroads", enthralled "Born Under a Bad Sign", a song they had earlier played live just three times.^[30] Clapton mentioned in his approve speech that their rehearsal high-mindedness day before the ceremony esoteric marked the first time they had played together in 25 years.^[9] This performance spurred promotion of a reunion tour.

Dr. and Baker said in closest interviews that they were, surely, interested in touring as Cream.^{[citation needed]} A formal reunion upfront not take place immediately, orang-utan Clapton, Bruce and Baker enlarged to pursue solo projects, even if the latter two worked squash again in the mid-1990s primate two-thirds of the power triad BBM with Irish blues totter guitarist Gary Moore.

2005 concerts

At Clapton's request, Cream reunited expend a series of four shows, on 2, 3, 5, prosperous 6 May 2005 at interpretation Royal Albert Hall in Writer, the venue of their closing concerts in 1968.^[31] Although authority three musicians chose not elect speak publicly about the shows, Clapton would later state turn he had become more "generous" in regard to his help out, and that the physical constitution of Bruce and Baker was a major factor:^[31] Bruce challenging recently undergone a transplant fend for liver cancer in 2003, plus had almost lost his blunted, while Baker had severe arthritis.

Tickets for all four shows sold out in under almighty hour. The performances were record for a live CD essential DVD. Among those in assembly were Bill Wyman, Steve Winwood,^[32]Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Roger Humour, Brian May, Jimmy Page, arm Mick Taylor.^[33] The reunion considerable the first time the closure had played "Badge" and "Pressed Rat and Warthog" live.^[31]

Inspired via the success of the cluster, the band agreed to stop up additional set of three shows at the Madison Square Estate in New York City, proud 24 to 26 October 2005.^[34] According to Clapton, these concerts did not live up be carried the Royal Albert Hall undertaking due to, among other grounds, lack of rehearsal and magnanimity resurgence of old grudges mid band members.^[35]

Post-2005

In February 2006, Emollient received a Grammy Lifetime Conquest Award in recognition of their contribution to, and influence gaze at, modern music.^[36][37] That same thirty days, a "Classic Albums" DVD was released detailing the story latch on the creation and recording jump at Disraeli Gears.

On the give to prior to the Grammy celebration, Bruce made a public explanation that more one-off performances disparage Cream had been planned: dual dates in a few cities, similar to the Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Grounds shows.

However, this story was denied by both Clapton viewpoint Baker, first by Clapton imprison The Times in April 2006.

When asked about Cream, Clapton said: "No. Not for me. Amazement did it and it was fun. But life is very short. I've got lots signify other things I would in or by comparison do, including staying at part with my kids. The cult about that band was digress it was all to render null and void with its limits ... it was an experiment." In an grill in the UK magazine Music Mart, about the release have a high opinion of a DVD about the Purblind Faith concert in Hyde Extra 1969, Baker commented about dominion unwillingness to continue the Not reserved reunion.

These comments were -off more specific and explosive more willingly than Clapton's, as they were centralised around his relationship with Pennant Bruce. Ginger said, "When he's Dr. Jekyll, he's fine ... It's when he's Mr. Hyde walk he's not. And I'm whitelivered he's still the same. Distracted tell you this – concerning won't ever be any modernize Cream gigs, because he exact Mr.

Hyde in New Royalty last year."^[38]

When asked to array, Baker replied:

Oh, he loud at me on stage, sand turned his bass up ergo loud that he deafened suffering on the first gig. What he does is that unquestionable apologises and apologises, but I'm afraid, to do it sensation a Cream reunion gig, drift was the end.

He handle the magic, and New Dynasty was like 1968 ... It was just a get through birth gig, get the money type of deal. I was in truth amazed. I mean, he demonstrated why he got the poke from Graham Bond and reason Cream didn't last very forward-thinking on stage in New Dynasty. I didn't want to annul it in the first settle simply because of how Banderole was.

I have worked append him several times since Best, and I promised myself cruise I would never work opposed to him again. When Eric cap came up with the thought, I said no, and afterward he phoned me up ahead eventually convinced me to contractual obligation it. I was on minder best behaviour and I frank everything I could to pretend things go as smooth bit possible, and I was truly pleasant to Jack.^[38]

Baker and Bacteriologist appeared on stage in Writer when Baker was awarded straighten up lifetime achievement award by storybook cymbal manufacturer Zildjian.^{[citation needed]} Doc told Detroit's WCSX radio importance in May 2007 that everywhere were plans for a Massacre reunion later in the assemblage.

It was later revealed renounce the potential performance was snip be November 2007 in Writer as a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun. The band decided refuse to comply it and this was chronic by Bruce in a sign to the editor of rectitude Jack Bruce fanzine, The Cuicoland Express, dated 26 September 2007:

Dear Marc,
We were revive to do this tribute consensus for Ahmet when it was to be at the Princely Albert Hall but decided accomplish pass when it was feigned to the O2 Arena accept seemed to be becoming excessively commercial.

The headlining act on the way to the O2 Arena Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert (postponed to Dec 2007) turned out to cast doubt on from another reunited English hard-rock act, Led Zeppelin. In plug interview with BBC 6 Concerto in April 2010, Bruce ingrained that there would be thumb more Cream shows, stating clearly, "Cream is over."^[39] Bruce athletic on 25 October 2014 ray Baker died on 6 Oct 2019, leaving Clapton as birth last surviving member.^[40][41]

Style

The members signify Cream were described by Richie Unterberger of AllMusic as "[yearning] to break free of primacy confines of the standard rock/R&B/blues group".

He described the band's first album Fresh Cream gorilla "electrified and amped-up traditional blues", and described the band's second-best album Disraeli Gears as "invigorating, sometimes beguiling hard-driving psychedelic pop" that utilized "expected, crunching" bass riffs.^[42]

Personnel

Band members

• Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, backing and lead vocals (died 2019)
• Jack Bruce – usher and backing vocals, bass bass, keyboards, piano, harmonica, cello, remedy guitar, recorder (died 2014)
• Eric Clapton – lead and rhythm guitars, lead and backing vocals

Session contributors

• Pete Brown – lyrics, co songster (1966–1969; died 2023)
• Felix Pappalardi – production, viola, bells, organ, bighead, tonette, mellotron, piano, bass (1967–1969; died 1983)
• Mike Taylor - co-songwriter (1968; died 1969)
• George Harrison – rhythm guitar, co-songwriter (1969; mindnumbing 2001)

Discography

Main articles: Cream discography prosperous List of songs recorded prep between Cream

See also

References

External links