Remembering when Cream played in Coventry

Pete Clemons recalls when the iconic musicians performed in our city



When Jack Bruce passed away during October 2014 I suddenly found myself reminiscing about those timely Cream reunions of 2005 at the Royal Albert Hall. The concert programme for those gigs contained a known ‘gigography’ and I noticed that Coventry had not been included in the listing. People only know what they know I guess, and it is difficult to trace events from 50 years ago, but I was certain in my mind that Cream had played the city. And so that set me on a quest.

To be fair, it was not too difficult a task. Over the years I had heard people mention a Cream gig in Coventry that they had attended. So it was just a case of following up on that really.

Graham Bond’s first band, which came together in 1963, was formed as a splinter group to the Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated. Initially a trio it included Bond himself on keyboards, Ginger Baker on drums, and bass player Jack Bruce who back then was playing upright double bass. Quickly realising that this band had real potential he added guitarist John McLaughlin.

And it was with this incredible line up that I discovered had performed upstairs at the Wine Lodge (also remembered as the Tally Ho but now known as the Tudor Rose) as the Graham Bond Quartet during 1963.

By the early part of 1964 John McLaughlin had moved on. Saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith had been drafted in and the band was now known as the Graham Bond Organisation. By now, Jack Bruce has switched to the electric bass. This line up of the band remained stable till toward the end of 1965. And it was this line up that made several visits to The Mercers Arms Pub which stood close to the old Highfield Road football ground.

A fierce rivalry between Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, which dated back to the early days of the Graham Bond bands, was still simmering under the surface throughout this rhythm sections existence. Things had got so bad between Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker that this led to Jack leaving the band towards the end of 1965. Early 1966 saw the Organisation perform at The Walsgrave pub with the line-up that did not include Jack Bruce.

Cream was formed during July 1966 and played their first gig at the end of that month. It was toward the end of 1966 when Cream played in Coventry. They performed at the incredibly forward thinking Leofric Hotel Jazz Club. Incredibly, a few weeks later, they returned to play Coventry Polytechnic (now the university).

October 1969 also saw Jack Bruce perform at the Lanch (Coventry University) as part of the Mike Gibbs Jazz Orchestra. He was accompanied by other notables such as John Marshall, Henry Lowther and Chris Spedding.

The Lanchester Arts Festival of January 1970 saw Jack Bruce and Friends, Larry Coryell, Mike Mandel and Mitch Mitchell perform two shows.

Finally, November 1970 saw Jack Bruce perform with Tony Williams’s band, ‘Lifetime’, with Larry Young and John McLaughlin at the Chesford Grange Hotel.