Blind Faith- Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood
Two titans of rock’s last half century, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, join me In the Studio to explore the days in 1969 surrounding the one-off Blind Faith, a #1-seller in both their native UK as well as America. Until recently, the two friends chose not to talk much about the short-lived Blind Faith experience. Maybe it was the fact that the media hype of what Time magazine dubbed as “rock’s first supergroup” resulted in a single solitary studio album. Maybe it was the frustration with anemic concert sound which they were provided, supported in Summer 1969 by Free, Rory Gallagher’s Taste, and a “family band” which would figure prominently in Clapton’s near future, Delaney and Bonnie. Or maybe the reticence stems from the riots that ensued between Blind Faith concert goers and local police in several US cities. As Clapton admits in his best-selling autobiography, Eric was uncomfortable with his former Cream mate, the late Ginger Baker, as Blind Faith’s timekeeper.
Despite these considerable complications, the flame for the brief Blind Faith music and the obvious potential for more, never extinguished in the fifty-plus years since its August 1969 release. This was evidenced by the enormous positive response to Steve Winwood sharing the stage with Eric Clapton at the latter’s 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago that year, which eventually resulted in a popular 2008 tour. Hear their thoughts in my rare classic rock interview on the times and the music which resulted, including “Had to Cry Today”, “In the Presence of the Lord”, the melodic “Sea of Joy”, and the timeless classic “Can’t Find My Way Home”. –Redbeard
