Jack Bruce | Artist

John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce was a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter born 1943 in Bishopbriggs, UK. He was known primarily as a member of supergroup Cream, which also included the guitarist-singer Eric Clapton and the drummer Ginger Baker. Although recognized first and foremost as a bassist, vocalist and songwriter, he also played double bass, harmonica, piano, cello and guitar. He was trained as a classical cellist and considered himself a jazz musician, although much of his catalogue of compositions and recordings tended toward rock and blues. He began playing jazz bass in his teens and won a scholarship to study cello and musical composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Jack's playing in jazz combos was disapproved by his school and he was forced to leave. After leaving school, he toured Italy, playing double bass with the Murray Campbell Big Band. Bruce then immersed himself in London's jazz and blues scene, playing with groups Blues Incorporated, Alexis Korner and Graham Bond Organisation, where he first met drummer Ginger Baker. He also played briefly with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, where he met Eric Clapton. After the Bluesbreakers, Bruce had his first commercial success as a member of Manfred Mann in 1966, with "Pretty Flamingo" which reached number one in the UK singles chart. In July 1966 Bruce, Clapton and Baker founded Cream, which gained international recognition playing jazz inflected blues-rock. Bruce sang most of the lead vocals, with Clapton backing him up. After Cream, Bruce released a series of solo works, as well as collaborating in projects such as Tony Williams Lifetime, West, Bruce & Laing, and Robin Trower. His first four solo albums are all excellent: Songs For a Tailor (1969), Things We Like (1970), Harmony Row (1971), and Out of the Storm (1974). Other standout include the live releases Cities of the Heart (1994), BBC Live in Concert (1995), and Spirit: Live at the BBC 1971-1978 (2008). Towards the end of his career Bruce suffered from declining health, after many years of addictions which he finally beat with clinical treatment. However in 2003 he was diagnosed with liver cancer and underwent a liver transplant, which was almost fatal. He recovered, and in 2004 re-appeared to perform "Sunshine of Your Love" at a Rock Legends concert in Germany. Later in May 2005, he reunited with former Cream bandmates Clapton and Baker for a series of well-received concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall, released as the album Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005, and New York's Madison Square Garden. After his death in October 2014, many leading musicians hailed Bruce as a supreme bass player, including Roger Waters who regarded Bruce as "probably the most musically gifted bass player who's ever been." Bruce is considered one of the most important and influential ‍bassists ‍of all time. ‍Rolling Stone magazine readers ranked him number eight on their list of "10 ‍Greatest ‍Bassists ‍of All Time".

Artist Website: jackbruce.com

Featured Albums: Jack Bruce

Related Artists: Cream, Graham Bond, Tony Williams Lifetime, West Bruce & Laing, Robin Trower