The Graham Bond Organisation was a blues-rock quartet led by organist/singer Graham Bond during the mid-1960s British Invasion. Bond, a one-time jazz musician, wrote and produced the group's two studio albums, The Spirit of '65 and There's a Bond Between Us. The GBO is notable in popular music history for jump-starting the careers of two future Cream members, bassist/singer Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. Because of this, the GBO is often viewed by rock historians as one of the first rock supergroups. A quartet is a group of four identical or similar objects, or or a grouping of four persons for a common purpose. ... The British Invasion was an influx of rock and roll performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States in 1964 ending the years immediately afterward. ... This article is about the 1960s rockband, Cream is also the name of a British nightclub. ... Jack Bruce (born May 14, 1943) is a musician (bass guitar, cello and occasional piano), singer and songwriter. ... Peter Edward Ginger Baker (born August 19, 1939, Lewisham, London), British percussionist who gained fame as a member of Cream from 1966 until 1968 with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton, and later joined Clapton and Steve Winwood in the 1969 group Blind Faith. ... In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe music groups comprising members of great proficiency who had already achieved fame or respect in other groups or as individual artists. ...

Although highly influential within UK music circles, the GBO never experienced the popular chart success of their peers. One factor for this could have been Bond's rough, growling singing voice, which was an acquired taste. Another was the decided lack of (visible) star appeal of the four members: Bond, Bruce, Baker, and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith. In addition, the group's studio albums were never released in the United States. A saxophonist is a musician who plays the saxophone. ... Dick Heckstall-Smith (died December 17, 2004) was a legendary British jazz and bluesmusician. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ...

Amid internal band struggles and Bond's worsening substance abuse problems, the GBO disbanded in 1967. In the years following the breakup of his band, Bond's mental and physical health deteriorated. He exhibited symptoms of what today would be called bipolar disorder: erratic, manic episodes, wild mood swings, and periods of intense depression. Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... Bipolar Affective Disorder, also known as manic depression, or BPAD is a disorder of the brain resulting in unusually extreme highs and lows of an individuals mood, i. ... The word depression can mean: A decrease of functional activity in behavior patterns. ...

On May 8, 1974, Bond committed suicide by throwing himself under a subway train at the Finsbury Park station in London, England. Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally ending ones own life. ... This article describes subways as mass transit lines. ... Greater London and the Regions of England. ...

Further Reading

Richie Unterberger. Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll: Psychedelic Unknowns, Mad Geniuses, Punk Pioneers, Lo-fi Mavericks and More. Miller Freeman Press, 1998.

Harry Shapiro. Graham Bond: The Mighty Shadow. Square One (UK), 1992.