The first press article announcing the formation of the classic rock supergroup Blind Faith was released on February 8, 1969. The article, titled “Winwood Replaces Bruce In New-Look Cream Group,” appeared on that day in NME. The band included Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech and formed following the split of Clapton’s Cream and Winwood’s Traffic. They made their live debut with a free concert at Hyde Park in London on June 7 of that year. Though the performance earned critical acclaim, Eric Clapton was dissatisfied with their performance and was hesitant to hit the road, fearing the band had not rehearsed enough.Their one and only album, a self-titled effort, as released in August of 1969. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was followed by a tour in which riotous fans repeatedly became violent.