Bassists with Eric Clapton

[IamGroot]

Jack Bruce
Rick Grech
Carl Radle
Nathan East
.....
Willie Weeks
Stevie Winwood

My observation. Jack Bruce was an equal voice in the band. Since then, Eric's .bassist have kept it solid, but nothing flashy

 

[Luckydog]

Jack Bruce sang lead, one major reason he was a force to be reckoned with. And his playing was extremely melodical, but I wouldnt call it flashy per se, at least not in terms of today’s styles. I would give him major props tho for dealing with Ginger Baker and not strangling him!

 

[Oddly]

Didn't Duck Dunn play with Eric for a couple of years...including the Live-Aid show?

 

[buldog5151bass]

Didn't Duck Dunn play with Eric for a couple of years...including the Live-Aid show?

He is on the Forever Man video.

 

[Oddly]

I get what @IamGroot is saying.

In fact I've always thought of Cream as more Jack's band than Eric's.
I'd guess after that experience maybe Eric vowed only to hire sidemen.

 

[Luckydog]

I get what @IamGroot is saying.

In fact I've always thought of Cream as more Jack's band than Eric's.
I'd guess after that experience maybe Eric vowed only to hire sidemen.

the writer Jim Clash says that after Graham Bond, Cream was Ginger’s idea and he asked Eric to join. Eric then asked about getting Jack for bass, and Ginger reluctantly agreed, mostly because Jack was the best player around when the group was being formed. So Ginger claimed to have been the one who started Cream...of course he had some major emotional and substance issues so maybe Ginger Was “misremembering”.

 

[jdaunt]

You forgot Paul Samwell-Smith (Yardbirds) and John McVie (Bluesbreakers). Yes those weren’t necessarily HIS groups, but that argument could be made for Cream too.
Also, Pino recorded with him and toured with him a bit ‘06-‘08 and he played with Marcus Miller in Legends in ‘97.

 

[eJake]

Off topic but man after reading Clapton's autobiography I'm not sure I would have wanted to deal with him any more than Ginger.

 

[Smokey Lynx]

Dave Bronze
Saw him play live a few times , excellent bass

 

[jerry]

Clapton always has great bassists, I’m partial to Weeks and Radle. I love Jack Bruce, but his thing was different than Clapton’s needs.IMHO

 

[JimK]

Pino Palladino on "Bad Love"...with Phil Cillins, IIRC. From Journeyman.
Some flash is present.

 

[macmanlou]

I really like Radle's work on the Derek and the Dominos "In Concert" album.
That's Carl on the far left.

 

[Dave814]

I really like Radle's work on the Derek and the Dominos "In Concert" album.
That's Carl on the far left.

I love that album. I even have it on my phone.

 

[nnnnnn]

Jack Bruce was an equal voice in the band. Since then, Eric's .bassist have kept it solid, but nothing flashy

Comparing Cream to Clapton's solo career isn't apples to apples though.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Jack Bruce was not one of Clapton's bass players. You cannot compare him to the guys he hired on his solo albums and tours.

 

[Herrick]

the writer Jim Clash says that after Graham Bond, Cream was Ginger’s idea and he asked Eric to join. Eric then asked about getting Jack for bass, and Ginger reluctantly agreed, mostly because Jack was the best player around when the group was being formed. So Ginger claimed to have been the one who started Cream...of course he had some major emotional and substance issues so maybe Ginger Was “misremembering”.

Why was Baker reluctant to to have Bruce in the band?

 

[JTE]

Duck was on the "Money And Cigarettes" album and the original tracks submitted to the record company for "Behind The Sun", and a couple of tours surrounding those albums. When Warner Bros demanded he add some more commercial songs to the album, a different producer came in for some tracks recorded in LA and that's when Nathan East started working.

Dave Bronze was on a live album in the '80s, and at least one tour more recently. Plus Pino's on several tracks on "Journey Man" and I think "August". I think Rick Danko played on some tracks on an album recorded at The Band's Shangrila studio, but I can't remember the title.

 

[Chrisk-K]

It is wrong to say Jack Bruce was EC’s bass player. The correct statement is EC was Jack Bruce’s guitarist.

 

[Oddly]

Why was Baker reluctant to to have Bruce in the band?

Before Cream, they'd both played in the Graham Bond Organisation.
From interviews, it sounds like they were both at times, let's say, difficult...or, if you'd prefer, deserving of a good kicking.
It's that whole 2 alpha males thing.

 

[JTE]

Why was Baker reluctant to to have Bruce in the band?

Baker got Bruce fired from Graham Bond, and Jack said "at the point of a knife, actually". They had a difficult relationship ship from the start, but Clapton didn't know that when he told Baker he wanted Bruce. Baker was reluctant due to the ongoing conflicts, but agreed that Bruce was the best bassist for what they wanted to do and reluctantly agreed.