Blind Faith

Blind Faith
Left to right: Steve Winwood, Ric Grech, Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton
Background information
Origin	Ripley, Surrey, England
Genres	Blues rock
Years active	1969
Labels	Polydor, Atco, RSO, Island
Associated acts	Cream, Traffic, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Spencer Davis Group, Derek and the Dominos, Family
Past members	Eric Clapton Steve Winwood Ginger Baker Ric Grech

Blind Faith was an English blues rock band, composed of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood, and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969. They were stylistically similar to the bands in which Winwood, Baker, and Clapton had most recently participated, Traffic and Cream. They helped to pioneer the genre of blues/rock fusion.

The beginnings of Blind Faith begin in mid-1968, with the break-up of Cream. Today considered to be the first true "super-group," Cream had become a financial powerhouse, selling millions of records within a few years and bringing international popularity to both the group and each individual member. Despite that success, the band was crumbling from within because of frequent animosity between Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, with Eric Clapton doing his best to mediate. In addition, Clapton had tired of playing commercially-driven blues and hoped to move forward with a new, experimental, less straitjacketed 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. 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 Clapton in Clapton's basement in Surrey, England. Winwood and Clapton had previously collaborated on the "Powerhouse" project.