Cream(IV)

British rock band Cream formed in 1966. Its members had come from other bands and had backgrounds in blues. Drummer Ginger Baker and bass guitarist Jack Bruce had both played with The Graham Bond Organization, an early British blues band, while lead guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton had come from The Yardbirds and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. The band quickly made a name for itself with its blues/rock blend, and turned out such classics as "Sunshine of Your Love", "Free", "Crossroads" and "Born Under a Bad Sign", with Clapton particularly being hailed as one of the finest guitarists in rock history. Their first album, "Fresh Cream" in 1966, introduced them to the music scene but it was their second and, by far, biggest album, 1967's "Disraeli Gears", that made them superstars. A third album, "Wheels of Fire", had both live and recorded songs on it.

Unfortunately, internal tensions came to a head and the band broke up in late 1968. Baker and Clapton formed their own group, Blind Faith, with Steve Winwood and had some success. Bruce went on to a solo career. After the break-up of Blind Faith, Baker formed his own group, Ginger Baker's Air Force. Clapton went on to an extremely successful solo career, with one of his biggest hits being (as Derek and the Dominos) "Layla".