"The Feud" of rock and roll

Back in 1966, Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce formed a new band based heavily in rock and roll, but with a strong blues influence. They were called Cream and would change the trajectory of the Rolling Stones... as well as Traffic... and later Led Zeppelin... and dozens of other U.K. bands.

At the heart of the band, was the drummer Ginger Baker. Ginger was a short-tempered man who disliked the press, almost as much as he disliked his bandmates. Well... one particular bandmate.

He had developed (in a short period of time), an absolute disgust for his bandmate Jack Bruce. It is well-documented throughout the short two-year history of Cream that the two musicians did not get along. It was this well-known disagreement between the two men that was known as, "The Feud."

Poor Eric was beside himself. So much so that Clapton invited a young Steve Winwood to join Cream to help break up the bad blood that was hurting the creative state of the group-- not to mention Clapton's piece of mind. Winwood would politely pass, knowing the dynamics within Cream was quite toxic.

The feud would last decades. There would be short periods of "getting along." But Ginger was a man of very particular character and soon it would be back to yelling at fans, cursing out any rivals, and beating up the press. Still, during those the days between 1966-1968, Cream was one of the U.K.'s top rock groups. They would only last two years and record four albums. Still, Cream would have sixteen Top 20 hits before heading off in different directions by 1969.

Time heals all wounds right?

A reunion in 2005 had been a decade long ordeal. They planned for a reunion, but either Jack or Ginger would pull back. As Clapton became more popular, it was he who resisted the reunion. But finally, they agreed years in advance to a series of U.K. appearances that all three honored. And the sell out crowds at the Royal Albert Hall were intoxicating to the trio. They planned a trip "across the pond" to the U.S. for clambering fans, starting out at Madison Square Garden, then heading west for a short tour to end up in L.A. Then Ginger seemed to mess things up according to The Guardian. He lasted just a week in New York before becoming inhospitable and rude to those around him. "That's the way it goes," Bruce admitted. "It's fine. I think we said what we had to say at the time. And it was nice to have that little comeback. For me, that was just about right."

And so the feud would continue. “It’s a knife-edge thing for me and Ginger,” Bruce said in Rolling Stone afterward. “Nowadays, we’re happily co-existing in different continents . . . although I was thinking of asking him to move. He’s still a bit too close.”

Do you want to know what was at the root of this 40+ year feud? Check out the video below and strap in for the ride!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEHsiMfr5AA

In the next few months, I hope to do a presentation on the U.K. bands that dominated the airwaves in America after the initial Beatles arrival. The Who, Queen, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Traffic, and so much more (including a lot of Cream). Full of music and stories and interviews.

Until then, check the singers/songwriters coming up in the next few months at TheRockandRollProfessor.com.

Have a great week! 😊

Rob