The Who and Cream’s US Debut Was on the Same Bill

‘New York Groove’ Book Excerpt

Frank Mastropolo

Fabled New York disc jockey Murray the K presented multiple shows a day at New York theaters in the 1960s. Performers played a few of their hits and then were quickly replaced by the next act. In this excerpt from New York Groove: An Inside Look at the Stars, Shows, and Songs That Make NYC Rock, the artists describe the groundbreaking shows that launched their careers in the US.

Rock concerts had evolved by 1967; in San Francisco, Bill Graham’s shows at Fillmore West presented three bands. Each played for an hour or more, which allowed improvisation and extended solos.

Murray the K presented the last of his package shows for nine days beginning March 25, 1967, at the RKO 58th Street theater at 154 East 58th Street in Manhattan. Billed as “Music in the Fifth Dimension,” the headliners were Mitch Ryder and Wilson Pickett. “Direct from England” were two bands making their American debuts: The Who and Cream, who were billed as “The Cream.”

Other acts included the Blues Project, Jim & Jean, the Chicago Loop, and the Mandala. There were five shows daily, starting at ten o’clock in the morning.

The Who — Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle — astonished fans and annoyed other musicians with performances that included smoke bombs and instrument destruction.

“We were smashing our instruments up five times a day,” Townshend said in Musician. “We used to play ‘Substitute’ and ‘My Generation’ with the gear — smashing it at the end, and then we’d spend the 20 minutes between shows trying to rebuild everything so we could smash it up again.

“Wilson Pickett called a meeting because we were using smoke bombs as well, and he felt that we were very unprofessional and that the smoke was affecting everybody else’s act.”

Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker of Cream did not arrive until March 26 because of travel delays. Cream was a distinct counterpart to The Who; Clapton stood still as he wove improvisations into their songs.

‘The Murray the K show was great — too much!” Clapton recalled in Clapton: The Ultimate Illustrated History. “Everybody went down well and as we only had two numbers each, we pulled the stops out.

“The Who stole the show. They only had to smash everything up, and everybody was on their feet. We did ‘I’m So Glad’ and ‘I Feel Free,’ but the show had nothing to do with music. Nothing whatsoever. We took the whole show as a joke.

“New York is incredible. Everybody is so hip to the music scene. Taxi drivers talking about James Brown — can you imagine that in London!”

Blues Project guitarist Steve Katz recalled meeting Cream in his book Blood, Sweat, and My Rock ’n’ Roll Years: Is Steve Katz a Rock Star? “We got to be good friends with Ginger, Eric, and Jack and wound up hanging out together between and after shows, sometimes at my apartment, and then later, if we were in any condition to hail a cab, at Steve Paul’s The Scene on West 46th Street.

“One Saturday night, a few of us took a cab downtown from 58th Street to MacDougal Street. Eric Clapton was the first one out of the cab, and I was right behind him. He had his hand resting on the door frame when I closed the door right on his hand.

“Eric Clapton was the god of the guitar, even then. And as he was standing there doubled over, howling in pain in the middle of MacDougal Street, my mind was racing. By the time he stopped screaming, I had already come up with eight different ways of committing suicide. Luckily, I hadn’t broken any of his fingers. In fact, he was actually able to play the show that night.”

Frank Mastropolo is the author of New York Groove: An Inside Look at the Stars, Shows, and Songs That Make New York Rock and the Greatest Performances series. For more on our latest projects, visit Edgar Street Books.