Why I Sing the Blues - Jam Session

Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Paul Butterfield, Phill Collins, Dr. John, Etta James, Chaka Khan, Albert King, Gladys Knight, Billy Ocean in a marvelous jam session with the King.

Just feel it, enjoy it, love it. This is Blues.This is Why I Sing the Blues!

Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page - Layla

Yardbirds members Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton And Jimmy Page performing Eric Clapton's (Derek And The Dominos) hit "Layla" at the ARMS Concert 1983.

The Yardbirds - I'm A Man

In addition to their six Top 40 songs, the Yardbirds will be remembered as having produced the top three English blues-based guitarists of the ‘60s: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

The Yardbirds formed in June 1963, with Keith Relf on vocals and harmonica, Chris Dreja on guitar, Jim McCarty on drums, Paul Samwell-Smith on bass and Anthony “Top” Topham on guitar. That October, Topham was replaced by Eric Clapton. The group was originally called the Most Blueswailing Yardbirds, and their repertoire consisted entirely of blues cover songs. Their following increased when they replaced the Rolling Stones as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Surrey, England.

The group’s first solo album, For Your Love, was released in the U.S. in August 1965. The title track reached Number Six on the U.S. charts. Later that year, the group released Having a Rave Up. By the time of that album’s release, Clapton had quit the band, and he only appeared on four tracks. He eventually joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.

Clapton initially recommended that the group hire Jimmy Page as guitarist, but Page was hesitant about giving up his lucrative studio work, and he recommended his friend Jeff Beck. Beck played his first gig with the Yardbirds in May 1965. His innovative playing, with fuzz tone, feedback and distortion, altered the Yardbirds’ sound, and the group began to experiment with various European and Asian styles ("Still I'm Sad,”  “Turn into Earth,” "Hot House of Omagarashid,” "Farewell,” "Ever Since the World Began") .

Beck played lead guitar on several Yardbirds’ hits, including “Heart Full of Soul” (Number Nine, 1965), “I’m a Man” (Number 17, 1965), “Shapes of Things” (Number 11, 1966) and “Over Under Sideways Down” (Number 13, 1966). The group played its first U.S. tour in August 1965. Three more U.S. tours took place during Beck’s tenure with the band.

In the summer of 1966, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith quit the band to focus on record production. He went on to produce such artists as Carly Simon, Cat Stevens and Jethro Tull. His replacement was Jimmy Page. After Page’s arrival, rhythm guitarist Dreja switched to bass, and Page and Beck both played lead guitar. This lineup can be seen in Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Blow Up. The Yardbirds performed “Stroll On,” a re-working of “Train Kept a-Rollin’.”

The Beck-Page lineup recorded little else in the studio and no live recordings of the dual-lead guitar lineup have surfaced (save a scratchy cover of the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man"). The Beck-Page Yardbirds also recorded a commercial for a milkshake product, "Great Shakes," using the opening riff of "Over Under Sideways Down.”

That was about all this version of the Yardbirds recorded. But Beck and Page did record one song with John Paul Jones on bass, Keith Moon on drums and Nicky Hopkins on piano. The song was called "Beck's Bolero,” and it was inspired by Ravel's "Bolero.” The song was the B-side of Beck's first solo single, "Hi Ho Silver Lining." It also appeared on Beck’s first album, Truth, in 1968.

As a Yardbird, Beck had been missing many shows due to health problems, and he wound up leaving the band in November 1966. The Yardbirds carried on as a quartet, and in 1967 they released another LP, Little Games. Additional singles were released, but they didn’t do well. Finally, on July 7, 1968, the group played its final show at the Luton College of Technology in Bedfordshire, England. After that, the Yardbirds disbanded. Relf and McCarty formed a folk duo called Together, which was followed by Renaissance and, later, Armageddon.

Page formed the New Yardbirds; that group eventually mutated into Led Zeppelin. Chris Dreja became a photographer, and shot the band photos for Zeppelin’s eponymous debut. Relf died of an electric shock at his home on May 14, 1976.

Despite their relatively brief career, the Yardbirds had a major impact on rock and roll. According to Rolling Stone, the group “virtually wrote the book on guitar-oriented, blues-based rock and roll. They were a crucial link between mid-Sixties British R&B and late-Sixties psychedelia, setting the groundwork for heavy metal.”

The Yardbirds - For Your Love

In addition to their six Top 40 songs, the Yardbirds will be remembered as having produced the top three English blues-based guitarists of the ‘60s: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

The Yardbirds formed in June 1963, with Keith Relf on vocals and harmonica, Chris Dreja on guitar, Jim McCarty on drums, Paul Samwell-Smith on bass and Anthony “Top” Topham on guitar. That October, Topham was replaced by Eric Clapton. The group was originally called the Most Blueswailing Yardbirds, and their repertoire consisted entirely of blues cover songs. Their following increased when they replaced the Rolling Stones as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Surrey, England.

The group’s first solo album, For Your Love, was released in the U.S. in August 1965. The title track reached Number Six on the U.S. charts. Later that year, the group released Having a Rave Up. By the time of that album’s release, Clapton had quit the band, and he only appeared on four tracks. He eventually joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.

Clapton initially recommended that the group hire Jimmy Page as guitarist, but Page was hesitant about giving up his lucrative studio work, and he recommended his friend Jeff Beck. Beck played his first gig with the Yardbirds in May 1965. His innovative playing, with fuzz tone, feedback and distortion, altered the Yardbirds’ sound, and the group began to experiment with various European and Asian styles ("Still I'm Sad,”  “Turn into Earth,” "Hot House of Omagarashid,” "Farewell,” "Ever Since the World Began") .

Beck played lead guitar on several Yardbirds’ hits, including “Heart Full of Soul” (Number Nine, 1965), “I’m a Man” (Number 17, 1965), “Shapes of Things” (Number 11, 1966) and “Over Under Sideways Down” (Number 13, 1966). The group played its first U.S. tour in August 1965. Three more U.S. tours took place during Beck’s tenure with the band.

In the summer of 1966, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith quit the band to focus on record production. He went on to produce such artists as Carly Simon, Cat Stevens and Jethro Tull. His replacement was Jimmy Page. After Page’s arrival, rhythm guitarist Dreja switched to bass, and Page and Beck both played lead guitar. This lineup can be seen in Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Blow Up. The Yardbirds performed “Stroll On,” a re-working of “Train Kept a-Rollin’.”

The Beck-Page lineup recorded little else in the studio and no live recordings of the dual-lead guitar lineup have surfaced (save a scratchy cover of the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man"). The Beck-Page Yardbirds also recorded a commercial for a milkshake product, "Great Shakes," using the opening riff of "Over Under Sideways Down.”

That was about all this version of the Yardbirds recorded. But Beck and Page did record one song with John Paul Jones on bass, Keith Moon on drums and Nicky Hopkins on piano. The song was called "Beck's Bolero,” and it was inspired by Ravel's "Bolero.” The song was the B-side of Beck's first solo single, "Hi Ho Silver Lining." It also appeared on Beck’s first album, Truth, in 1968.

As a Yardbird, Beck had been missing many shows due to health problems, and he wound up leaving the band in November 1966. The Yardbirds carried on as a quartet, and in 1967 they released another LP, Little Games. Additional singles were released, but they didn’t do well. Finally, on July 7, 1968, the group played its final show at the Luton College of Technology in Bedfordshire, England. After that, the Yardbirds disbanded. Relf and McCarty formed a folk duo called Together, which was followed by Renaissance and, later, Armageddon.

Page formed the New Yardbirds; that group eventually mutated into Led Zeppelin. Chris Dreja became a photographer, and shot the band photos for Zeppelin’s eponymous debut. Relf died of an electric shock at his home on May 14, 1976.

Despite their relatively brief career, the Yardbirds had a major impact on rock and roll. According to Rolling Stone, the group “virtually wrote the book on guitar-oriented, blues-based rock and roll. They were a crucial link between mid-Sixties British R&B and late-Sixties psychedelia, setting the groundwork for heavy metal.”

Blind Faith - Well...All Right,Sea Of Joy and Sleeping On the Ground

Artist Biography by Bruce Eder

Blind Faith was either one of the great successes of the late '60s, a culmination of the decade's efforts by three legendary musicians -- or it was a disaster of monumental proportions, and a symbol of everything that had gone wrong with the business of rock at the close of the decade. In actual fact, Blind Faith was probably both. By any ordinary reckoning, the quartet compiled an enviable record. They generated some great songs, two of them ("Sea of Joy," "Presence of the Lord") still regarded as classics 30-plus years later; they sold hundreds of thousands of concert tickets and perhaps a million more albums at the time; and they were so powerful a force in the music industry that they were indirectly responsible for helping facilitate the merger of two major record companies that evolved into Time Warner, before they'd released a note of music on record. And they did it all in under seven months together.

Blind Faith's beginnings dated from 1968 and the breakup of Cream. That band had sold millions of records and eventually achieved a status akin to that of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Cream's internal structure was as stressful as it was musically potent, however, as a result of the genuine personal dislike between bassist/singer Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker, which occasionally overwhelmed the respect they had for each other as musicians, leaving guitarist/singer Eric Clapton to serve as mediator. After two years of service as a referee, spent all the while in an unremitting spotlight, the public seemingly hanging on every note he played, Clapton was only too happy to leave that situation behind.

The initial spark for Blind Faith came from Clapton and Steve Winwood, whose band Traffic had split up in January of 1969, amid acrimonious disputes over songwriting and direction. Winwood at age 20 was some three years younger than Clapton, and had emerged as a rock star at 17 as a member of the Spencer Davis Group, spending three years as the lead singer on a string of enviable R&B-based hits. His concerns were musical -- he wanted to work with the best musicians, and wanted to experiment with jazz, which led him to leave the Spencer Davis Group and form Traffic, which proved riven by egos nearly as strong as the members' musical impulses. The January 1969 breakup would be the first of several temporary splits in the band's lineup.

To see full bio, please click here.

Allman Brothers Band with Eric Clapton - Stormy Monday

"Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" (commonly referred to as "Stormy Monday") is a song written and recorded by American blues electric guitar pioneer T-Bone Walker. It is a slow twelve-bar blues performed in the West Coast blues-style that features Walker's smooth, plaintive vocal and distinctive guitar work. As well as becoming a record chart hit in 1948, it inspired B.B. King and others to take up the electric guitar. "Stormy Monday" became Walker's best-known and most-recorded song.
"Stormy Monday" is one of the most popular blues standards, with numerous renditions. As well as being necessary for blues musicians, it is also found in the repertoires of many jazz, soul, pop, and rock performers. The song is included in the Grammy, Rock and Roll, and Blues Foundation halls of fame as well as the U.S. Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Layla - Eric Clapton and Phil Collins

Eric Clapton and Phil Collins.

Eric Clapton - Rollin' and Tumblin'

"Rollin' and Tumblin'" is a blues song that has been recorded hundreds of times by various artists. Considered as a traditional, it has been recorded with different lyrics and titles. Authorship is most often attributed to Hambone Willie Newbern.
The song may bear relation to "Minglewood Blues", recorded January 30, 1928 by Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers. Parts of the tune and harmonica accompaniment are similar to "Rollin' and Tumblin'". The earliest recorded version is "Roll and Tumble Blues" by Hambone Willie Newbern (Okeh 8679), recorded March 14, 1929. Other bluesmen recorded their own versions—such as "If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day" by Robert Johnson in 1936, "Brownsville Blues" and "The Girl I Love, She Got Long Curly Hair" by Sleepy John Estes, "Goin' Back to Memphis" by Sunnyland Slim, "Banty Blues" by Charley Patton, and "Rollin' Blues" by John Lee Hooker.
The best known version became Muddy Waters' "Rolling and Tumbling", with Ernest "Big" Crawford on bass, for the Chess brothers' Aristocrat label in 1950. Leonard Chess insisted that Waters record the song less than a month after Waters had recorded a version for the rival Parkway label, featuring his band mates Little Walter and Baby Face Leroy Foster. The Parkway label credits the Baby Face Leroy Trio, with vocals by Leroy, and Muddy Waters as the songwriter. Elmore James recorded the song as "Rollin' and Tumblin'" in 1960, with himself credited as author.
In 1961, Howlin' Wolf recorded "Down in the Bottom", which employed a new set of lyrics and was credited to Willie Dixon. Delta bluesman Johnny Shines recorded a version called "Red Sun" (1975), with the traditional music but different, prison-themed lyrics. Mississippi Hill Country bluesman R. L. Burnside also recorded several versions of what he titled "Rollin' Tumblin'".

Albert Collins Buddy Guy Jeff Beck Eric Clapton BB King Sweet Little Angel Live

While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Concert For George

From Concert for George

With Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Tom Petty, George Harrison's son and others.

John Lee Hooker with Rolling Stones & Eric Clapton - Boogie Chillen

We're presenting this month some terrific jam sessions. Today, take a look on John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

My Sweet Lord, Concert For George

From Concert for George

With Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Tom Petty, George Harrison's son and others.

Eric Clapton - Layla

With Eric Clapton’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on March 6, 2000, he became the first musician to have been inducted three times. He was first honored as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992, then with Cream in 1993, and finally as a solo artist in 2000. While his stints with the groups were relatively brief - he stayed with the Yardbirds only a year and a half, and Cream lasted barely two years - Clapton has been a solo artist for three decades, beginning with the release of Eric Clapton in 1970. Even Derek and the Dominos, the short-lived quartet that cut the classic Layla...and Other Love Songs in 1970, was less a band of equals (a la Cream) than a Clapton-piloted project that bore his highly personalized stamp. As a solo artist, Clapton has brought his singing and songwriting to the fore while maintaining his stature as rock’s preeminent guitarist. Demonstrating a remarkable resilience, Clapton has managed to establish himself as a vital, hitmaking presence in every decade.

Born in the British village of Ripley in 1945, Clapton took up the guitar at age 15 and joined his first group, the Roosters, in early 1963. His first noteworthy band was the Yardbirds, whose 1964 concert recording, Five Live Yardbirds, announced Clapton’s talent as a fiery blues stylist adept at the group’s trademark “rave-ups.” In 1965, John Mayall asked the budding star to join his group, the Bluesbreakers. He appeared on the remarkable 1966 recording Bluesbreakers--John Mayall With Eric Clapton. During his yearlong tenure with Mayall, Clapton earned the nickname “Slowhand” and inspired the scrawling of “Clapton Is God” graffiti around London. Next he joined fellow Mayall alumni Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in Cream, a trio that proved equally adept at lengthy blues improvisations and arty, blues-based psychedelic pop.

After Cream came a brief alliance with American roots-rockers Delaney and Bonnie. This led directly to Clapton’s first solo album, Eric Clapton, which exhibited some newfound emphases. ("Betcha didn’t think I knew how to rock and roll,” he sang in “Blues Power.") Clapton drew from the pool of musicians who played on Eric Clapton in forming Derek and the Dominos, which found him joined by keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. The double album Layla...and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) became one of the cornerstone rock records of the Seventies. Clapton became addicted to heroin during this period, and a second Derek and the Dominos album was begun but never completed as he became ever-more reclusive.

A January 1973 comeback concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre re-introduced him to public performing, but his solo career really commenced in earnest a year later with 461 Ocean Boulevard. Recorded in Miami, it was influenced by the mellower likes of J.J. Cale and Bob Marley. Striking a chord with the public, 461 Ocean Boulevard topped the album charts in 1974. Meanwhile, Clapton’s cover of “I Shot the Sheriff,” originally by Bob Marley and the Wailers, helped introduced reggae to a mass audience. Working with a steady band that included guitarist George Terry, Clapton pursued a mellow, song-oriented course that accentuated his husky, laid-back vocals. His Seventies output, including such albums as There’s One in Every Crowd (1975) and No Reason to Cry (1976) has been largely underrated and is ripe for rediscovery. Clapton again struck commercial paydirt in 1977 with Slowhand, a strong set that included Clapton’s definitive version of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” and the #3 hit “Lay Down Sally.”

Clapton remained a prolific artist throughout the Eighties, releasing a live double album that reached #2 (Just One Night), cutting two albums (Behind the Sun and August) with Phil Collins as producer, and launching his own label, Duck Records, in 1983, with one of his stronger studio efforts, Money and Cigarettes. In January 1987, he undertook the first of what would become an annual series of multi-night stands at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In 1992, his career received a major boost from his appearance on MTV’s Unplugged series. Returning to his roots on the heels of that acoustic folk-blues set, Clapton next cut a long-promised blues album, From the Cradle (1994). Throughout the Nineties, he continued to amass hits--no mean feat, given the shifting musical climate--including “Tears in Heaven,” a memorable elegy for his late son Conor; “Change the World,” a beatbox-driven collaboration with R&B artist/producer Babyface that won a Grammy for Record of the Year; and “My Father’s Eyes,” a ballad from his 1998 album Pilgrim.

Entering his fourth decade as a solo artist, Eric Clapton remains a relevant, creative force in popular music.”

Eric Clapton Official Web Site

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven

With Eric Clapton’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on March 6, 2000, he became the first musician to have been inducted three times. He was first honored as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992, then with Cream in 1993, and finally as a solo artist in 2000. While his stints with the groups were relatively brief - he stayed with the Yardbirds only a year and a half, and Cream lasted barely two years - Clapton has been a solo artist for three decades, beginning with the release of Eric Clapton in 1970. Even Derek and the Dominos, the short-lived quartet that cut the classic Layla...and Other Love Songs in 1970, was less a band of equals (a la Cream) than a Clapton-piloted project that bore his highly personalized stamp. As a solo artist, Clapton has brought his singing and songwriting to the fore while maintaining his stature as rock’s preeminent guitarist. Demonstrating a remarkable resilience, Clapton has managed to establish himself as a vital, hitmaking presence in every decade.

Born in the British village of Ripley in 1945, Clapton took up the guitar at age 15 and joined his first group, the Roosters, in early 1963. His first noteworthy band was the Yardbirds, whose 1964 concert recording, Five Live Yardbirds, announced Clapton’s talent as a fiery blues stylist adept at the group’s trademark “rave-ups.” In 1965, John Mayall asked the budding star to join his group, the Bluesbreakers. He appeared on the remarkable 1966 recording Bluesbreakers--John Mayall With Eric Clapton. During his yearlong tenure with Mayall, Clapton earned the nickname “Slowhand” and inspired the scrawling of “Clapton Is God” graffiti around London. Next he joined fellow Mayall alumni Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in Cream, a trio that proved equally adept at lengthy blues improvisations and arty, blues-based psychedelic pop.

After Cream came a brief alliance with American roots-rockers Delaney and Bonnie. This led directly to Clapton’s first solo album, Eric Clapton, which exhibited some newfound emphases. ("Betcha didn’t think I knew how to rock and roll,” he sang in “Blues Power.") Clapton drew from the pool of musicians who played on Eric Clapton in forming Derek and the Dominos, which found him joined by keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. The double album Layla...and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) became one of the cornerstone rock records of the Seventies. Clapton became addicted to heroin during this period, and a second Derek and the Dominos album was begun but never completed as he became ever-more reclusive.

A January 1973 comeback concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre re-introduced him to public performing, but his solo career really commenced in earnest a year later with 461 Ocean Boulevard. Recorded in Miami, it was influenced by the mellower likes of J.J. Cale and Bob Marley. Striking a chord with the public, 461 Ocean Boulevard topped the album charts in 1974. Meanwhile, Clapton’s cover of “I Shot the Sheriff,” originally by Bob Marley and the Wailers, helped introduced reggae to a mass audience. Working with a steady band that included guitarist George Terry, Clapton pursued a mellow, song-oriented course that accentuated his husky, laid-back vocals. His Seventies output, including such albums as There’s One in Every Crowd (1975) and No Reason to Cry (1976) has been largely underrated and is ripe for rediscovery. Clapton again struck commercial paydirt in 1977 with Slowhand, a strong set that included Clapton’s definitive version of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” and the #3 hit “Lay Down Sally.”

Clapton remained a prolific artist throughout the Eighties, releasing a live double album that reached #2 (Just One Night), cutting two albums (Behind the Sun and August) with Phil Collins as producer, and launching his own label, Duck Records, in 1983, with one of his stronger studio efforts, Money and Cigarettes. In January 1987, he undertook the first of what would become an annual series of multi-night stands at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In 1992, his career received a major boost from his appearance on MTV’s Unplugged series. Returning to his roots on the heels of that acoustic folk-blues set, Clapton next cut a long-promised blues album, From the Cradle (1994). Throughout the Nineties, he continued to amass hits--no mean feat, given the shifting musical climate--including “Tears in Heaven,” a memorable elegy for his late son Conor; “Change the World,” a beatbox-driven collaboration with R&B artist/producer Babyface that won a Grammy for Record of the Year; and “My Father’s Eyes,” a ballad from his 1998 album Pilgrim.

Entering his fourth decade as a solo artist, Eric Clapton remains a relevant, creative force in popular music.”

Eric Clapton Official Web Site

Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight

With Eric Clapton’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on March 6, 2000, he became the first musician to have been inducted three times. He was first honored as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992, then with Cream in 1993, and finally as a solo artist in 2000. While his stints with the groups were relatively brief - he stayed with the Yardbirds only a year and a half, and Cream lasted barely two years - Clapton has been a solo artist for three decades, beginning with the release of Eric Clapton in 1970. Even Derek and the Dominos, the short-lived quartet that cut the classic Layla...and Other Love Songs in 1970, was less a band of equals (a la Cream) than a Clapton-piloted project that bore his highly personalized stamp. As a solo artist, Clapton has brought his singing and songwriting to the fore while maintaining his stature as rock’s preeminent guitarist. Demonstrating a remarkable resilience, Clapton has managed to establish himself as a vital, hitmaking presence in every decade.

Born in the British village of Ripley in 1945, Clapton took up the guitar at age 15 and joined his first group, the Roosters, in early 1963. His first noteworthy band was the Yardbirds, whose 1964 concert recording, Five Live Yardbirds, announced Clapton’s talent as a fiery blues stylist adept at the group’s trademark “rave-ups.” In 1965, John Mayall asked the budding star to join his group, the Bluesbreakers. He appeared on the remarkable 1966 recording Bluesbreakers--John Mayall With Eric Clapton. During his yearlong tenure with Mayall, Clapton earned the nickname “Slowhand” and inspired the scrawling of “Clapton Is God” graffiti around London. Next he joined fellow Mayall alumni Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in Cream, a trio that proved equally adept at lengthy blues improvisations and arty, blues-based psychedelic pop.

After Cream came a brief alliance with American roots-rockers Delaney and Bonnie. This led directly to Clapton’s first solo album, Eric Clapton, which exhibited some newfound emphases. ("Betcha didn’t think I knew how to rock and roll,” he sang in “Blues Power.") Clapton drew from the pool of musicians who played on Eric Clapton in forming Derek and the Dominos, which found him joined by keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. The double album Layla...and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) became one of the cornerstone rock records of the Seventies. Clapton became addicted to heroin during this period, and a second Derek and the Dominos album was begun but never completed as he became ever-more reclusive.

A January 1973 comeback concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre re-introduced him to public performing, but his solo career really commenced in earnest a year later with 461 Ocean Boulevard. Recorded in Miami, it was influenced by the mellower likes of J.J. Cale and Bob Marley. Striking a chord with the public, 461 Ocean Boulevard topped the album charts in 1974. Meanwhile, Clapton’s cover of “I Shot the Sheriff,” originally by Bob Marley and the Wailers, helped introduced reggae to a mass audience. Working with a steady band that included guitarist George Terry, Clapton pursued a mellow, song-oriented course that accentuated his husky, laid-back vocals. His Seventies output, including such albums as There’s One in Every Crowd (1975) and No Reason to Cry (1976) has been largely underrated and is ripe for rediscovery. Clapton again struck commercial paydirt in 1977 with Slowhand, a strong set that included Clapton’s definitive version of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” and the #3 hit “Lay Down Sally.”

Clapton remained a prolific artist throughout the Eighties, releasing a live double album that reached #2 (Just One Night), cutting two albums (Behind the Sun and August) with Phil Collins as producer, and launching his own label, Duck Records, in 1983, with one of his stronger studio efforts, Money and Cigarettes. In January 1987, he undertook the first of what would become an annual series of multi-night stands at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In 1992, his career received a major boost from his appearance on MTV’s Unplugged series. Returning to his roots on the heels of that acoustic folk-blues set, Clapton next cut a long-promised blues album, From the Cradle (1994). Throughout the Nineties, he continued to amass hits--no mean feat, given the shifting musical climate--including “Tears in Heaven,” a memorable elegy for his late son Conor; “Change the World,” a beatbox-driven collaboration with R&B artist/producer Babyface that won a Grammy for Record of the Year; and “My Father’s Eyes,” a ballad from his 1998 album Pilgrim.

Entering his fourth decade as a solo artist, Eric Clapton remains a relevant, creative force in popular music.”

Eric Clapton Official Web Site

Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes

With Eric Clapton’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on March 6, 2000, he became the first musician to have been inducted three times. He was first honored as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992, then with Cream in 1993, and finally as a solo artist in 2000. While his stints with the groups were relatively brief - he stayed with the Yardbirds only a year and a half, and Cream lasted barely two years - Clapton has been a solo artist for three decades, beginning with the release of Eric Clapton in 1970. Even Derek and the Dominos, the short-lived quartet that cut the classic Layla...and Other Love Songs in 1970, was less a band of equals (a la Cream) than a Clapton-piloted project that bore his highly personalized stamp. As a solo artist, Clapton has brought his singing and songwriting to the fore while maintaining his stature as rock’s preeminent guitarist. Demonstrating a remarkable resilience, Clapton has managed to establish himself as a vital, hitmaking presence in every decade.

Born in the British village of Ripley in 1945, Clapton took up the guitar at age 15 and joined his first group, the Roosters, in early 1963. His first noteworthy band was the Yardbirds, whose 1964 concert recording, Five Live Yardbirds, announced Clapton’s talent as a fiery blues stylist adept at the group’s trademark “rave-ups.” In 1965, John Mayall asked the budding star to join his group, the Bluesbreakers. He appeared on the remarkable 1966 recording Bluesbreakers--John Mayall With Eric Clapton. During his yearlong tenure with Mayall, Clapton earned the nickname “Slowhand” and inspired the scrawling of “Clapton Is God” graffiti around London. Next he joined fellow Mayall alumni Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in Cream, a trio that proved equally adept at lengthy blues improvisations and arty, blues-based psychedelic pop.

After Cream came a brief alliance with American roots-rockers Delaney and Bonnie. This led directly to Clapton’s first solo album, Eric Clapton, which exhibited some newfound emphases. ("Betcha didn’t think I knew how to rock and roll,” he sang in “Blues Power.") Clapton drew from the pool of musicians who played on Eric Clapton in forming Derek and the Dominos, which found him joined by keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. The double album Layla...and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) became one of the cornerstone rock records of the Seventies. Clapton became addicted to heroin during this period, and a second Derek and the Dominos album was begun but never completed as he became ever-more reclusive.

A January 1973 comeback concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre re-introduced him to public performing, but his solo career really commenced in earnest a year later with 461 Ocean Boulevard. Recorded in Miami, it was influenced by the mellower likes of J.J. Cale and Bob Marley. Striking a chord with the public, 461 Ocean Boulevard topped the album charts in 1974. Meanwhile, Clapton’s cover of “I Shot the Sheriff,” originally by Bob Marley and the Wailers, helped introduced reggae to a mass audience. Working with a steady band that included guitarist George Terry, Clapton pursued a mellow, song-oriented course that accentuated his husky, laid-back vocals. His Seventies output, including such albums as There’s One in Every Crowd (1975) and No Reason to Cry (1976) has been largely underrated and is ripe for rediscovery. Clapton again struck commercial paydirt in 1977 with Slowhand, a strong set that included Clapton’s definitive version of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” and the #3 hit “Lay Down Sally.”

Clapton remained a prolific artist throughout the Eighties, releasing a live double album that reached #2 (Just One Night), cutting two albums (Behind the Sun and August) with Phil Collins as producer, and launching his own label, Duck Records, in 1983, with one of his stronger studio efforts, Money and Cigarettes. In January 1987, he undertook the first of what would become an annual series of multi-night stands at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In 1992, his career received a major boost from his appearance on MTV’s Unplugged series. Returning to his roots on the heels of that acoustic folk-blues set, Clapton next cut a long-promised blues album, From the Cradle (1994). Throughout the Nineties, he continued to amass hits--no mean feat, given the shifting musical climate--including “Tears in Heaven,” a memorable elegy for his late son Conor; “Change the World,” a beatbox-driven collaboration with R&B artist/producer Babyface that won a Grammy for Record of the Year; and “My Father’s Eyes,” a ballad from his 1998 album Pilgrim.

Entering his fourth decade as a solo artist, Eric Clapton remains a relevant, creative force in popular music.”

Eric Clapton Official Web Site

Eric Clapton - Sunshine Of Your Love

With Eric Clapton’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on March 6, 2000, he became the first musician to have been inducted three times. He was first honored as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992, then with Cream in 1993, and finally as a solo artist in 2000. While his stints with the groups were relatively brief - he stayed with the Yardbirds only a year and a half, and Cream lasted barely two years - Clapton has been a solo artist for three decades, beginning with the release of Eric Clapton in 1970. Even Derek and the Dominos, the short-lived quartet that cut the classic Layla...and Other Love Songs in 1970, was less a band of equals (a la Cream) than a Clapton-piloted project that bore his highly personalized stamp. As a solo artist, Clapton has brought his singing and songwriting to the fore while maintaining his stature as rock’s preeminent guitarist. Demonstrating a remarkable resilience, Clapton has managed to establish himself as a vital, hitmaking presence in every decade.

Born in the British village of Ripley in 1945, Clapton took up the guitar at age 15 and joined his first group, the Roosters, in early 1963. His first noteworthy band was the Yardbirds, whose 1964 concert recording, Five Live Yardbirds, announced Clapton’s talent as a fiery blues stylist adept at the group’s trademark “rave-ups.” In 1965, John Mayall asked the budding star to join his group, the Bluesbreakers. He appeared on the remarkable 1966 recording Bluesbreakers--John Mayall With Eric Clapton. During his yearlong tenure with Mayall, Clapton earned the nickname “Slowhand” and inspired the scrawling of “Clapton Is God” graffiti around London. Next he joined fellow Mayall alumni Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in Cream, a trio that proved equally adept at lengthy blues improvisations and arty, blues-based psychedelic pop.

After Cream came a brief alliance with American roots-rockers Delaney and Bonnie. This led directly to Clapton’s first solo album, Eric Clapton, which exhibited some newfound emphases. ("Betcha didn’t think I knew how to rock and roll,” he sang in “Blues Power.") Clapton drew from the pool of musicians who played on Eric Clapton in forming Derek and the Dominos, which found him joined by keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. The double album Layla...and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) became one of the cornerstone rock records of the Seventies. Clapton became addicted to heroin during this period, and a second Derek and the Dominos album was begun but never completed as he became ever-more reclusive.

A January 1973 comeback concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre re-introduced him to public performing, but his solo career really commenced in earnest a year later with 461 Ocean Boulevard. Recorded in Miami, it was influenced by the mellower likes of J.J. Cale and Bob Marley. Striking a chord with the public, 461 Ocean Boulevard topped the album charts in 1974. Meanwhile, Clapton’s cover of “I Shot the Sheriff,” originally by Bob Marley and the Wailers, helped introduced reggae to a mass audience. Working with a steady band that included guitarist George Terry, Clapton pursued a mellow, song-oriented course that accentuated his husky, laid-back vocals. His Seventies output, including such albums as There’s One in Every Crowd (1975) and No Reason to Cry (1976) has been largely underrated and is ripe for rediscovery. Clapton again struck commercial paydirt in 1977 with Slowhand, a strong set that included Clapton’s definitive version of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” and the #3 hit “Lay Down Sally.”

Clapton remained a prolific artist throughout the Eighties, releasing a live double album that reached #2 (Just One Night), cutting two albums (Behind the Sun and August) with Phil Collins as producer, and launching his own label, Duck Records, in 1983, with one of his stronger studio efforts, Money and Cigarettes. In January 1987, he undertook the first of what would become an annual series of multi-night stands at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In 1992, his career received a major boost from his appearance on MTV’s Unplugged series. Returning to his roots on the heels of that acoustic folk-blues set, Clapton next cut a long-promised blues album, From the Cradle (1994). Throughout the Nineties, he continued to amass hits--no mean feat, given the shifting musical climate--including “Tears in Heaven,” a memorable elegy for his late son Conor; “Change the World,” a beatbox-driven collaboration with R&B artist/producer Babyface that won a Grammy for Record of the Year; and “My Father’s Eyes,” a ballad from his 1998 album Pilgrim.

Entering his fourth decade as a solo artist, Eric Clapton remains a relevant, creative force in popular music.”

Eric Clapton Official Web Site

Wee Wee Hours

Wee Wee Hours is a song composed and recorded by Chuck Berry in 1955. Originally released as the B-side of Berry's first single "Maybellene", it went on to become a hit, reaching #10 in the Billboard R&B chart.

Dia Mundial do Rock - 13/07/2011

Neste Dia Mundial do Rock nossa homenagem!!!
Our tribute in the World Rock Day!!
Nuestra homenaje en el Día Mundial del Rock!!

Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray & Jimmy Vaughan - Sweet Home Chicago