Cream vocalist, bassist Jack Bruce dies at 71
1960s group was awarded first-ever platinum disc
LONDON – British musician Jack Bruce, best known as the lead vocalist and bass player of the power blues trio Cream, died Saturday. He was 71.
Bruce was one of the top musicians of the late 1960s, when Cream played its unique psychedelic blues tunes to packed houses in England and the United States. He was an important member of the British blues movement, which saw bands like the Animals and Rolling Stones first imitate and then expand on the American blues tradition as exemplified by Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and other stalwarts.
Cream – widely cited as the original supergroup – were known for hits such as “I Feel Free” and “Sunshine of Your Love,” which featured Eric Clapton’s innovative guitar riffs, and Bruce’s vocals and roaring bass, backed by Ginger Baker’s explosive drumming.
They played a mix of traditional blues songs, with long, often improvised instrumental breaks, and their own tunes.
Bruce enjoyed a long solo career after Cream’s acrimonious breakup, and in 2005 he reunited with former Cream bandmates for critically acclaimed concerts in London and New York City.
Publicists LD Communications said Saturday that Bruce died of liver disease at his home in Suffolk, England. He had received a liver transplant some years ago and continued to suffer a variety of health problems.
In its heyday, Cream sold 35 million albums in just over two years and the band was awarded the world’s first ever platinum disc for their double album “Wheels of Fire.” Bruce wrote and sang most of the band’s signature songs.
The band started out playing traditional blues tunes but quickly added a psychedelic flavor that brought still more popularity at the height of the flower power era.
But they broke up with little warning, in the midst of their commercial success. Clapton wrote in his 2007 autobiography that the band lost its direction musically and that “any sense of unity” had disappeared.
“We were also suffering from an inability to get along,” he said. “We would just run away from one another. We never socialized together and never really shared ideas anymore.”
He also felt they were eclipsed by the arrival on the scene of guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
Bruce went on to record the first of his solo albums, “Songs For a Tailor.” He also fronted many of his own bands.
He was known for mixing rock, jazz and classical formats, and his songs were covered by many artists including Hendrix, David Bowie and Ella Fitzgerald.
Bruce returned to the studio around 2000 to record his solo album “Shadows in the Air,” which hit No. 5 on the British jazz and blues chart.
Bruce was playing and touring with his Big Blues Band until recently. In 2012 he played in Cuba, and performed in London at the famed bar Ronnie Scott’s. His 14th solo album, “Silver Rails,” was released earlier this year.