Cream bass guitarist honoured with memorial at his old music school
bass guitarist Jack Bruce has been honoured with a memorial sculpture at his old music school.
The Scottish singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist has been recognised by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where he was a cello and composition student between 1958 and 1961.
The sculpture, made of wood, Perspex and metal, encapsulates some of Bruce’s own bass guitar strings and was created by artist, designer and costumier Hazel Blue.
The artwork is also laseretched with a quote from the Glasgow-born musician.
It reads: “Failure can be a triumph but fear of failure is always a disaster.”
Bruce won a scholarship in cello and composition to what was then the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, from where he later received an Honorary Doctorate of Music.
He played with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, The Graham Bond Organisation, John Mayall and Manfred Mann before forming Cream with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. Bruce composed many of Cream’s hits, including I Feel Free, Sunshine Of Your Love, White Room and many other songs during the band’s meteoric career. He died in October 2014.
The memorial was unveiled during a reception at the institution with his widow Margrit and daughter Kyla among those in attendance.
It was followed by a Blue Mondays concert featuring jazz students from Scotland’s national conservatoire.
Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: “Jack Bruce was a prodicream gious talent, a natural musician whose art and legacy will inspire students for decades to come.
“From Eric Clapton to Manfred Mann and Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, Jack’s collaborators read like a who’s who of the music business, testament to his outstanding musicianship and versatility.
“We are delighted to be remembering his musical legacy with this artwork here at the Royal Conservatoire.”