Highly regarded and respected as a musician and producer, the career of Felix Pappalardi will be forever cemented into music history. He is considered by many to be the 'fourth' member of the legendary British blues rock trio Cream, producing their albums Disraeli Gears, Wheels of Fire, and Goodbye. As part of the American group Mountain, it is no exaggeration to say that along with Leslie West and Norman Smart, they paved the way for the heavy metal scene. Although partial deafness would effectively force him to retire from performing as an artist in the early 1970s, he would continue to work within a studio capacity. Sadly, however, his life was to be tragically cut short; Felix was shot and killed on Easter in 1983.
From Greenwich to Cream
Born on December 30, 1939 in New York, Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. would become a world-renowned bass guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and music producer. Celebrated for his work with Cream, Felix established himself as a musician and arranger in the New York folk scene some years before.
Having studied music at the University of Michigan, the classically trained Felix tried to find work as a conductor in New York. Unable to find such work, he eventually found himself pulled towards the New York Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s. Felix would become heavily involved in this music scene, which played a very significant part in the evolution of mainstream folk music into the world of electric.