The Loop

Cream’s Jack Bruce Dies (Updated)

October 26th, 2014 |

Jack Bruce, vocalist and bassist of the legendary supergroup Cream died on Saturday. His family announced his death via Facebook and JackBruce.com.

“It is with great sadness that we, Jack’s family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad and all-round legend,” the statement said. “The world of music will be a poorer place without him, but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts.”

Bruce is best known as a member of the first “supergroup,” Cream. Formed in 1966 with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, Cream went on to sell 35 million albums in just two years. The band’s third album, Wheels of Fire became the first-ever platinum-selling double album. Cream split shortly after its debut in 1968, and Bruce went on to front his own bands.  Clapton and Baker formed a new group, Blind Faith.

Bruce was born to musician parents in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 14, 1943. They traveled extensively in Canada and the U.S., and he attended 14 different schools. Jack finished his formal education at Bellahouston Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, to which he won a scholarship for cello and composition.

Bruce left Scotland at 16, and in 1962, joined his first important band, the influential Alexis Korner’s Blues Inc., in London. It featured drummer Charlie Watts, who later joined The Rolling Stones.

In 1965, he joined John Mayall‘s Bluesbreakers, whose guitarist, Eric Clapton, was making quite a name for himself. But he soon left Mayall for Manfred Mann, playing on their hit ‘Pretty Flamingo’ before Baker and Clapton approached him in the summer of 1966 about their idea for a new concept, which became known as a “power trio.”

-Spencer

 

Post by Eric Clapton.
 

Post by GINGER BAKER OFFICIAL FAN PAGE.

Ginger Baker, who played with Bruce in Cream and before that in the Graham Bond Organisation, wrote the following on his Facebook page:

 
Post by GINGER BAKER OFFICIAL FAN PAGE.