Cream

United Kingdom, 1966–1968

British trio of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, active 1966-1968. They played blues material at length with extended improvisation, establishing the format of the rock power trio.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Cream and 7 artists Cream influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Cream?

• Robert Johnson — Cream turned Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads' into a hit.
• Muddy Waters — Waters's Chicago blues is the foundation of Cream's repertoire.

Which artists did Cream influence?

• Black Sabbath — Early Sabbath took off from Cream's heavy blues rock.
• Lynyrd Skynyrd — Cream's heavy blues-rock was an especial favourite — the British power-trio blues behind Skynyrd's guitar army.
• ZZ Top — Cream's power-trio blueprint directly shaped ZZ Top — Gibbons has said emulating Cream and Hendrix's sounds is what brought the band together as a trio.
• Van Halen — Eric Clapton was Eddie Van Halen's declared main influence — at 14 he could play Cream's live 'Crossroads' note for note; Clapton's tone and simplicity shaped his phrasing.
• Scorpions — Cream's heavy blues-rock was part of the mid-1960s British sound the Scorpions built their hard rock on.
• The Police — The Police were a virtuoso power trio in the lineage Cream founded — the jazz-schooled improvising three-piece format.
• UFO — Michael Schenker named Eric Clapton and Cream a big influence — Cream's blues-rock power is at the root of UFO's hard rock.