Blind Faith

Blind Faith was a kind of experiment of Eric Claptons in 1969. The renowned guitarist was a member of super-group Cream at the time, and had achieved superstar status with them in only two years. But the other members - Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker - were frequently arguing, and there was considerable tension about their future musical direction. Clapton wanted space to be a little adventurous with his music, and he wanted to escape the pressures of international fame. He tried to achieve this by creating another super-group.

Blind Faith took form when Clapton was joined by Baker on drums, singer-songwriter Steve Winwood, and bassist Rick Grech. The band made the mistake of going on tour very quickly, and with so few suitable songs recorded ended up playing old Cream songs. The crowds were going wild for the Cream songs (so wild that they sometimes rioted), which was exactly what Clapton didn't want.

The band finally released their debut self-titled album in August 1969. It topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and was well-received by the expectant music press. But by October, the experiment was over. Blind Faith never reconvened after Clapton realised that forming a supergroup wasn't the best way to ease the pressures of worldwide interest in your work.