“This business can really get tough sometimes, and you have to dig deep inside you. Paul looked for something else to lean on, and the thing he leaned on had no future in it”: How a gifted guitarist’s descent led to the rise of ’70s supergroup Bad Company

Paul Rodgers performing with Bad Company in 1974.

When Bad Company’s debut album topped the US chart in September 1974, its success seemed preordained. In this band there was so much talent – and behind them, so much muscle – that failure was never an option.

Since the late ’60s, established stars had come together in rock supergroups such as Cream, Blind Faith and Derek And The Dominos – all featuring Eric Clapton – and in Humble Pie, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.