Open your eyes to Blind Faith

Second Place

Review

Division 2

Open your eyes to Blind Faith

David Shabtay

Grade 12

Hi-Lite

Manheim Township HS

Adviser; Marty Pflieger

Hey Everyone, Happy Two Thousand and Ate. I hope all of your holiday festivities went as planned. As a token of the New Year, I have resolved to succumb to my editor’s (mourning announcer voice) proposal and write an article that is actually relevant to my column topic. Yes, that’s right, no furry fillers this month. Put on your safety goggles, here we go.

Paying homage to ‘Retro Review,’ I can think of no better musical group to discuss this month than the short loved wisp of greatness known as Blind Faith. Formed in 1968 following the breakup of the supergroup Cream, members Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker joined Steve Winwood and Ric Greech, combining to create an epic blend of sounds stretching the spectrum from jazz to psychedelic blues and even flat picked country. In effort to expand from playing to cliché blues standards of his Cream days, Eric Clapton was reluctant at first to reunite with Baker, but eventually compromised with the band on his one of a kind ability.

AS an experimental group, Blind Faith combined the best of the instrumental worlds of the time fusing Clapton’s guitar skill with Baker’s jazz influences, and Winwood’s strong vocals/organ playing. The band debuted in the US at New York’s Madison Square Garden on July, 12, 1969 and proved to be a great success. Hits such as “Presence of the Lord” and “Can’t Find My Way Home” topped Billboard charts for weeks in both the United State and Britain.

A short lived group, Blind faith only recorded and released one self-titled album in August of 1969. Unfortunately, after touring their new album, fresh material became scarce and they resorted to performing Cream tunes to keep audiences happy, which was strongly against Clapton’s mindset. Blind Faith separated in 1969, each member moving on towards a lifetime of new musical success. Since 1969, Eric Clapton, and Steve Winwood have each led tremendous solo career, still touring to this day. In fact, in February of this year, Clapton and Winwood will reunite and perform together for three nights only at Madison Square Garden, capping off a lifetime of musical growth.