Cream

Cream , the original "power trio," and perhaps the second most influential British group of the 1960s. MEMBERSHIP: Eric Clapton (real name, Eric Clapp), lead gtr., voc. (b. Rippley, Surrey, England, March 30, 1945); Jack Bruce, bs., kybd., har., voc. (b. Glasgow, Scotland, May 14, 1943); Peter "Ginger" Baker, drm., voc. (b. Lewisham, London, Aug. 19, 1939).

Cream was formed in June 1966 by lead guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Peter "Ginger" Baker. Clapton had previously played with the Yardbirds and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, whereas Baker had played with Alexis Korner and Graham Bond, and Bruce with Bond, Mayall, and Manfred Mann. Signed almost immediately by Atlantic Records, Cream's first album, Fresh Cream, was issued in early 1967. Although the album contained little of the improvisation that characterized the group in performance, it included the British hit "I Feel Free," written by Bruce and lyricist Peter Brown, and Baker's "Toad," as well as Muddy Waters's "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and Skip James "I'm So Glad."

Undeniably more exciting in concert than on records, Cream soon completed enormously successful tours of Great Britain and the United States. Produced by Felix Pappalardi, Disraeli Gears established Cream's improvisational format. Rather that playing a song straight through, Clapton, Bruce, and Baker would set up the 748 basic "riff" to a song, then take off into individual improvisatory jams. The album consisted of standard blues fare plus original songs composed by Bruce and Clapton, often with Peter Brown, with Bruce handling most of the lead vocals. "Sunshine of Your Love," written by Clapton, Bruce, and Brown, was a moderate hit from the album, later to become a major hit when rereleased in the summer of 1968. Other outstanding cuts included "Strange Brew" (written by Clapton, Pappalardi, and his wife-to-be, Gail Collins), "Tales of Brave Ulysses," "Take It Back," and "S.W.L.A.B.R.," again by Bruce and Brown.

Wheels of Fire, produced by Felix Pappalardi, was a double-record set, one from the studio and one recorded live at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Among the extended live pieces were Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" (a major hit), Willie Dixon's "Spoonful," and "Toad," on which Baker soloed for more than ten minutes. Pappalardi played on the studio record, which contained Booker T. Jones's "Born Under a Bad Sign" as well as "Politician" and "White Room" (a near-smash hit), both written by Bruce and Brown. By mid-1968, strains within the group became increasingly evident and, coupled with the limited amount of mutually acceptable material, Cream announced their intention to disband. After a farewell tour of America in October and November and a final album, Goodbye (which included "Badge," written by Clapton and George Harrison), Cream made their final appearance at London's Royal Albert Hall on Nov. 26, 1968.

Although all three members of Cream demonstrated exceptional talent on their respective instruments, Jack Bruce was the real musical pioneer—he established the use of the repeated musical figure or ostinato (the so-called "heavy riff") on bass, around which he played lead lines, thus liberating the instrument from its strictly rhythmic role. Additional credit for Cream's success must be given to lyricist Peter Brown, who wrote many of the group's best remembered songs, often with Bruce. Ginger Baker instituted the long drum solo into rock and Eric Clapton unwittingly created the cult of the superstar lead guitarist. In openly acknowledging their debt to many obscure black American bluesmen (Robert Johnson, in particular), Cream helped inspire the blues revival of the late 1960s. As the first major rock group to utilize the power trio format, Cream established the viability of the three-man instrumental lineup. Cream was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Almost immediately after Cream ended, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker formed the "supergroup" Blind Faith with Traffic's Stevie Winwood (kybd.) and Family's Rick Grech (bs.). Completing one British and one American tour, the group recorded an interesting, if flawed, album. It included Winwood's "Sea of Joy" and "Can't Find My Way Home" and Clapton's "In the Presence of the Lord." Clashes between Winwood and Baker tore the group apart, and Blind Faith disbanded at the end of 1969. Clapton subsequently performed sessions work, formed Derek and the Dominoes, and pursued a spectacular solo career.

Jack Bruce, the odd-man-out in the formation of Blind Faith, briefly toured with keyboardist Mike Mandel, guitarist Larry Coryell, and drummer Mitch Mitchell before pursuing a solo career in conjunction with lyricist Peter Brown, recording two albums for Atco, including Songs for a Tailor, and two albums for RSO. (Material from these albums and 1978's unreleased Jet Set Jewel were issued on 1989's Willpower album.) Bruce also joined Tony Williams Lifetime with former Miles Davis drummer Tony Williams, organist Larry Young, and guitarist extraordinaire John McLaughlin for touring and the album Turn It Over. Peter Brown later formed Battered Ornaments (with Chris Spedding) and Piblokto!, and worked with British blues pioneer Graham Bond in Bond and Brown. He reunited with Bruce for 1989's A Question of Time.

Producer-bassist Felix Pappalardi, who produced the Youngblood's first two albums, was assigned by Atlantic Records to produce the N.Y group the Vagrants in 1968. Although recordings proved unsuccessful, Pappalardi was sufficiently impressed by the group's lead guitarist Leslie West to produce his debut solo album. In 1969, Pappalardi and West formed Mountain with keyboardist Steve Knight and drummer Corky Laing. They scored a major hit in 1970 with "Mississippi Queen," but disbanded in 1972. West and Laing then joined former Cream bassist Jack Bruce for West, Bruce, and Laing. That group broke up in 1973, and West and Pappalardi briefly reformed Mountain in 1974. Pappalardi later organized and produced the Japanese heavy-metal group Creation around 1975. On April 17, 1983, Felix Pappalardi was shot and killed by his wife Gail in their N.Y. apartment.

At the beginning of 1970, drummer Ginger Baker formed Ginger Baker's Air Force with Stevie Winwood, Rick Grech, Chris Wood, and a host of others. Recordings by the group were reissued in 1989. Baker later pursued an interest in African music, building a recording studio in Nigeria, which opened in January 1973, and recording with Fela Kuti. From late 1974 until 1976, he manned the Baker-Gurvitz Army with Gurvitz brothers Adrian and Paul. Baker was out of the limelight during the first half of the 1980s, having settled in Italy. He eventually relocated to Calif, and reemerged with Horses and Trees, later recording Middle Passage with former George Clinton/Talking Heads keyboardist Bernie Worrell and forming the hard-rock group Masters of Reality.

In addition to his solo albums, Jack Bruce recorded with a number of jazz artists during the 1970s, including Carla Bley and Mike Mantler, while playing sessions for Lou Reed, John McLaughlin, and Frank Zappa. In the early 1980s, he recorded B.L.T. and Truce with erstwhile Procol Harum lead guitarist Robin Trower. No Stopping Anytime, from 1989, compiled these recordings. Jack Bruce recorded A Question of Time for Epic in 1989 and Somethinels for Creative Music in 1993. In 1994, Ginger Baker recorded with Bill Frisell and Charlie Haden as the Ginger Baker Trio and formed BBM with Jack Bruce and Gary Moore for Around the Next Dream.

Discography

Fresh Cream (1967); Disraeli Gears (1967); Wheels of Fire (1968); Goodbye (1969); Live Cream, Vol. 1 (1970); Live Cream,Vol. 2 (1972); Heavy Cream (1973); Off the Top (1973). Blind Faith: Blind Faith (1969). Ginger Baker: Ginger Baker's Air Force (1970); Ginger Baker's Air Force-2 (1970); Strata-various (1972); Fela Ransome-Kuti and Africa 70 with Ginger Baker—Live! (1972); At His Best (1972); 11 Sides of Baker (1977); Horses and Trees (1986); Middle Passage (1989). Baker-Gurvitz Army: Baker-Gurvitz Army (1975); Elysian Encounters (1975); Hearts on Fire (1976). Masters of Reality: Masters of Reality (1990); Sunrise on the Sufferbus (1993). The Ginger Baker Trio: Going Back Home (1994). Jack Bruce: Songs for a Tailor (1969); Harmony Row (1971); At His Best (1972); Out of the Storm (1974); How's Tricks (1977); I've Always Wanted to Do This (1980); Things We Like (1988); A Question of Time (1989); Somethinels (1993); Monkjack (1996). Tony Williams's Lifetime (with Jack Bruce): Turn It Over (1970); Once in a Lifetime (1983). Mountain (Felix Pappalardi, Leslie West, Corky Laing): Mountain (1969); Mountain Climbing (1970); Nantucket Sleighride (1971); Flowers of Evil (1971); The Road Goes Ever On (1972); Turin Peaks (1974); Avalanche (1974); Why Dontcha (1972); Whatever Turns You On (1973); Live 'N' Kickin (1974). Carla Bley (with Jack Bruce): Escalator Over the Hill (1973). Jack Bruce, Bill Lordan and Robin Trower: B.L.T. (1981). Jack Bruce and Robin Trower: Truce (1982); No Stopping Anytime (1989).

—Brock Helander