Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Fifty five years ago the first supergroup was born. Former Yardbird Eric Clapton joined forces with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce from the Graham Bond Organization to form the band Cream on July 16, 1966. They would stay together for only three years mostly due to the incessant fighting between Baker and Bruce.

But in that time they released four albums together and redefined what live music sounded like. Those performances consisted of the band playing what they felt rather than what they were supposed to. Today’s song is a perfect example of that improvisational magic. They took an old blues song, fused it together with their own sound and turned it into nothing short of sheer excellence.

“Going down to Rosedale
Take my rider by my side
You can still barrelhouse, baby
On the riverside“.

Top: Cream’s 1968 album Wheels Of Fire. Bottom: Cream circa 1968 (L-R): Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Cream: “Crossroads” (1968, written by Eric Clapton and Robert Johnson).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.