Jack Bruce, bassist, lead vocalist of '60s power trio Cream, dead at 71

LONDON (AP)

Jack Bruce was part Mississippi Delta and part Carnaby Street. In his glorious heyday as bassist and lead vocalist of 1960s power trio Cream he helped create a sound that combined American blues and psychedelia to thrill audiences throughout the world.

Bruce, who died Saturday of liver disease at age 71, enjoyed a long, respected solo career after the band's acrimonious breakup, but will be best remembered for his stint with Cream and for classics like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "I Feel Free."

Much of the attention was focused on guitar wizard Eric Clapton, but Bruce wrote many of the band's signature tunes and served as lead vocalist. He also provided the intense bass guitar that, with Ginger Baker's explosive drums, underpinned Cream's rhythmic, driving sound.

They had it all - commercial and critical success - until individual egos intervened and they disbanded, entering rock and roll mythology as the original supergroup: super-talented, and super-troubled.

Bruce was an important member of the British blues movement, which saw bands like the Animals and Rolling Stones first imitate and then expand on the American blues tradition as exemplified by Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and other stalwarts.

Cream, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, played a mix of traditional blues songs, with long, often improvised instrumental breaks, and their own tunes. They enchanted critics and fans alike at first, but after two years some found their extended jams to be self-indulgent, with band members seeming to show off their musical virtuosity rather than trying to complement each other.

Songs like "Spoonful" often lasted 20 minutes or longer, with each member playing extended solos that sometimes seemed repetitive.

Bruce enjoyed a long career after Cream's acrimonious breakup, and in 2005 he reunited with former Cream bandmates for critically acclaimed concerts in London and New York City.

Five years later, however, Bruce said Cream was "over" - an indication of ongoing tensions between the band members. Clapton had said the familiar problems were just beneath the surface during the band's reunion performances.