Cream

Cream were a British rock supergroup 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 to be the first so-called supergroup in rock history. Cream were highly regarded for the instrumental proficiency of each of their members.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 were 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. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire (1968), is the first platinum-selling double album. 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, although 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. The group briefly reunited twice following their breakup, in 1993 for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and again in 2005 for a series of concerts. Bruce died in 2014 followed by Baker in 2019, leaving Clapton as the last living member of the group.In 1993, Cream were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They were included in both Rolling Stone and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", at numbers 67 and 61, respectively. They were also ranked number 16 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".By July 1966, Eric Clapton's career with the Yardbirds and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers had earned him a reputation as one of the premier blues guitarists in Britain. 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."

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.