Blind Faith was a short-lived supergroup that came into being after the break-up of the insanely influential trio known as Cream. Blind Faith featured Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The beauty of this supergroup was how easy it was for them to gel right from the get go, being that they had all essentially played with one another at one point or another, be it with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Spencer Davis Group, or even Cream. And though they only released one album, to this day it is largely regarded as one of the best in the history of rock and roll.
Though Blind Faith was a blip on the radar time wise, their impact was great. To this day, Clapton has still kept this song in his repertoire. The problem was never the music, it was more the people and the pressure. It's said that Clapton was tired of the limelight, especially after Cream and all the controversies within the band. He certainly didn't take a back seat role in Blind Faith either. But once they disbanded, Clapton went on to sit in with the Plastic Ono Band, and then toured as a sideman for Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. Relieved from center stage, it gave Clapton an opportunity to play with some different but equally amazing players. This is especially true with D&B (probably the most underrated, under-known group of all time). Delaney Bramlett is credited with teaching and convincing Eric Clapton to sing the blues. Can you grasp the gravity of that? I don't know about you, but I can't really picture a world void of Clapton's voice.
In terms of Blind Faith, short-lived supergroup or not, they had a very special sound. A soft and contemplative vibe at times, that could grow into something as powerful as the band would let it. Steve Winwood's style and voice and Eric Clapton's guitar found common ground on which they could build and collaborate for the rest of their careers. I saw them about 6 years ago at Madison Square Garden, and let me tell you, it was nothing short of stellar. Those are two guys have definitely still got it.
In any event, hopefully we can all find our own ways home this Memorial Day weekend. And what better song to kick off the journey?
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