second up Blind Faith at Hyde park 1969 Blind Faith's beginnings date to mid-1968, with the breakup of Cream. Rock's original supergroup had become a financial powerhouse, selling millions of records within a few years and raising the group's (and each member's) repertoire to international popularity. Despite that success, the band was crumbling from within due to frequent animosity between Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, with Eric Clapton doing his best to mediate. In addition, Clapton had tired of being coerced into playing commercially-driven blues, and hoped to move forward with a new, experimental, less strait-jacketed approach to the genre. Steve Winwood was facing similar problems in The Spencer Davis Group, where he had been the lead singer for three years while they produced straight-laced blues. Winwood wanted to experiment with the band's sound by infusing jazz elements, but left due to his musical differences, instead forming a new band -- Traffic -- in 1967. That band split temporarily in 1969, and Winwood, started to jam with his good friend Eric in Clapton's basement in Surrey, England. Winwood and Clapton had previously collaborated on the Eric Clapton record, "Powerhouse". Clapton was pleased with the jam sessions and looked seriously towards starting a trio with Winwood -- but they were in need of a drummer. Ginger Baker turned up to sit in with them in 1969, and the band took near-final form. But Clapton questioned letting Baker in the band, because he had promised Jack Bruce that, if they were to work with one another again, they would all three play. Moreover, Clapton didn't want to reunite with Cream barely nine weeks after the breakup, and also didn't want to deal with another "Cream-like" superstardom situation. Winwood ultimately persuaded Clapton to finalize Baker's inclusion in the lineup, arguing that he strengthened their musicianship and that it would be hard to find an equally talented drummer. By May 1969, Ric Grech, bassist with Family, was invited to join them (leaving Family, mid-tour). They laid down most of their album at Olympic Studios under the supervision of producer Jimmy Miller. Miller provided focus to the band, who often preferred jamming, over the standard commercial 3-5 minute track. By then the group was known collectively as Blind Faith, a slyly cynical reference by Clapton to his outlook on the new group.

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