Blind Faith

Blind Faith were an English rock supergroup active only briefly in 1969. The band brought together Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech, each already famous from earlier groups—Clapton and Baker from Cream, Winwood from Traffic, and Grech from Family. They released just one self-titled album and completed a three-month summer tour before disbanding.

The group started informally when Clapton and Winwood jammed together in early 1969, after Cream and Traffic had both broken up. Baker soon joined their rehearsals, and the three decided to form a band. Grech was added in May, coming over from Family. They began recording their debut album, which sparked controversy because its original cover showed a topless 11-year-old girl. That cover was quickly pulled and replaced with a different design in the United States, the UK, and other territories.

Blind Faith’s first concert took place on 5 June in Stockholm, Sweden, before moving on to other shows. The band felt under-rehearsed and unprepared. They then played shows in Scandinavia and the United States, but because they had so little original material, they relied on old Cream and Traffic songs. Audiences liked this, but the band grew disillusioned. During the US tour, Clapton became increasingly isolated, preferring to spend time with the opening act, Delaney & Bonnie. Blind Faith broke up right after their final performance. Despite the short run, Clapton and Winwood both valued the music they made together and have since toured together playing Blind Faith songs.

The origins trace back to Cream’s end in late 1968. Though hugely successful, Cream was troubled by constant friction between bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker, with Clapton trying to mediate. Clapton also wanted to move beyond commercial blues toward a more experimental sound. The group disbanded in November 1968 after two final shows at the Royal Albert Hall. Winwood had left the Spencer Davis Group for similar reasons—he wanted to experiment with jazz elements—and formed Traffic in 1967. When Traffic went on hiatus in December 1968, Winwood began jamming with Clapton at Clapton’s home in Surrey. Clapton enjoyed the sessions but was hesitant to start a serious band. The music press hoped he would form something even better than Cream. At one point, Clapton and Winwood considered recording with Booker T.