What happens when you take three British musicians, each one considered the best at the instrument they play, and put them together into a band? You would get Cream, which consisted of Jack Bruce on bass and lead vocals, Ginger Baker on drums, and the legendary Eric Clapton on guitar and occasional lead vocals. Not only does this make Cream rock's first true supergroup, it also makes them the first true power trio, as well. Born in 1966 out of the British Blues and R&B boom, Cream, along with Hendrix and The Who, were instrumental in the creation of psychedelic rock. And their freeform improvisations, inspired by Jack and Ginger's jazz roots, utterly redefined the limits of live rock performance. Unfortunately, they were also forerunners of the various ego conflicts that tend to hound supergroups, which ultimately ended Cream after only about two years, as they would break up in 1968.

Cream was largely born out of the troubles of two bands that, although popular and important at the time, have largely been forgotten. One band was John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, which was where Eric had sharpened his blues chops, and the other was the Graham Bond Organization, an R&B band with heavy jazz influences, where Ginger Baker developed his unique African-influenced drumming style. However, Eric had grown bored with Mayall, and Ginger was frustrated by Graham Bond's lack of financial and creative growth (exacerbated by Bond's growing heroin addiction). So, Ginger asked Eric if he'd like to form a new band with him, and Eric agreed, on the condition that Jack Bruce, a bassist/singer who briefly played with Mayall, also joined. While Eric had known that the two had previously played with Bond, he didn't know that they'd developed a fierce antagonism, one that ended with Ginger kicking Bruce out of the band at knifepoint. However, both Baker and Bruce decided to put the past behind them, and forge on with their new band, named Cream because of each member's high reputation.

At first, they started off playing the club and college circuit that many British bands played at the time, as well as many of the same blues covers. Knowing that they needed original material to really succeed, they asked a poet named Pete Brown to help them write lyrics. After working with Ginger and Jack, he realized that he and Jack had a better chemistry, creating one of rock's most legendary writing partnerships. So, with a few originals and some of their favorite covers, they recorded their first album, Fresh Cream. Although it was generally well-received, it still largely failed to break them in America. To accomplish that feat, the band would book time with New York's Atlantic Records, and record an album with an up and coming producer named Felix Pappalardi. The result, Disraeli Gears, would help to change the entire landscape of rock music.