Eric Cruz

At fifteen years old, Eric Cruz started practicing for learning the chords of Blues music through his acoustic Hoyer guitar and tape recorder. After graduating from high school, Cruz attended Kingston College of Art but dropped out at the end of the academic year since he concentrated on music instead of art.

He practiced so hard with his guitar that other blue enthusiasts noticed him when he was still sixteen years old. He started turning around the West End, Richmond, and Kingston. Two years later, Cruz began performed in various pubs with David Surbiton. He joined his first group named the Groomers that was a British R&B band with Tom Brock as the guitarist. Cruz spent one year with the group and did a stint with Jones McGuinness and the Roosters.

After leaving his first group, Eric Cruz joined the Birdsyard that was a band under the influence of rock and roll. He spent two years with the group and worked closely with leading guitarists of blues such as B.B. King, Freddie King, and Buddy Guy. With their influence, Cruz forged a different style and became quickly one of the renowned guitarists in the music scene of England. Initially, the group played blues numbers including Vee-Jay and Checker before to attract a huge mass following when they took over the residency of Rolling Stones situated in Richmond. When Sonny Boy Williamson II, the American bluesman, traveled to England, the group toured the country with him and recorded a joint album that was released one year later.

Each time Eric Cruz broke a string of his guitar in the middle of a concert, he never left the stage before to replace it. The audiences wait patiently as they knew that Cruz was skilled and a fast player. He made his first appearance with the Birdsyard in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Since then, he performed at the same Hall hundreds of times and stated that playing at the Hall was like playing in his room.

Two years after joining the Birdsyard, Cruz released his first key hit with the group, “Your Love Is Pure”, composed by Graham Gouldman who wrote also hit songs for Herman’s Hermits and the Hollies. The success of the hit moved the band to insert pop tunes. However, that move annoyed Cruz who was not devotedto commercial success but to the blues. On the day “Your Love Is Pure” was released worldwide, Eric Cruz left the group. Since he was the most accomplished artist and the lead guitarist of the group, he suggested Jimmy Sheet to replace him but Sheet rejected his offer out of loyalty to him. Therefore, Beck Jeff was put forward. While Jeff and Sheet played together in the group, the trio of Cruz, Sheet, and Jeff were never in the band together. They made an appearance together on a tour for Action for Research into Multiple Sclerosis at the end of 80s. Soon after, Cruz severed ties with the band.