Super-group (music)

A supergroup is a music group whose members are previously successful as solo artists or as part of other groups or well known in other musical professions. Usually used in the context of rock and pop music, the term has been applied to other musical genres such as opera (The Three Tenors).

Supergroups are sometimes formed as side projects and thus not intended to be permanent, while other times can become the primary project of the members' careers. It became popular in late 1960s rock music for members of already successful groups to record albums together, after which they normally split up.Charity supergroups, where prominent musicians perform or record together in support of a particular cause, have been common since the 1980s.

Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner created Cream, in 1966, which is considered the first supergroup, composed of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker and, after three years and four albums, split up. Guitarist Clapton and drummer Baker went on to form Blind Faith, another blues rock supergroup which recruited former Spencer Davis Group and Traffic singer Steve Winwood and Family bassist Ric Grech. The group recorded one studio album before dissipating less than a year after formation.

The term may have come from the 1968 album Super Session with Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, and Stephen Stills. The coalition of Crosby, Stills & Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) in 1969 is another early example, given the success of their prior bands (The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Hollies respectively).

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