172-397: " Layla " is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon , originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos , as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). Its contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Gordon. The piano part has also been controversially credited to Rita Coolidge , Gordon's girlfriend at
344-621: A Gibson Les Paul and two 50-watt bass Marshall amplifiers ) was named one of the greatest of all time by Guitar Player . Duane Allman was born on November 20, 1946, in Nashville, Tennessee . He was the elder son of Willis Allman (1918–1949) who, at the time of his death, was a second lieutenant on active duty in the United States Army , having served as an Army non-commissioned officer during World War II; and Geraldine Allman (née Robbins) (1917–2015). His brother, Gregg ,
516-460: A rhythm and blues band, and stayed with them until March 1965. Synthesising influences from Chicago blues and leading blues guitarists such as Buddy Guy , Freddie King , and B.B. King , Clapton forged a distinctive style and rapidly became one of the most talked-about guitarists in the British music scene. The band initially played Chess / Checker / Vee-Jay blues numbers and began to attract
688-553: A big Derek and the Dominos fan. Clapton thought that the perfect arrangement for the rock anthem would be a shuffle because he always liked changing the tempo of a song and looking at something from a different angle. When Clapton was asked about the acoustic version of the song by the MTV Network, he replied: " 'Layla' sort of mystified me. I have done it the same all these years and never ever considered trying to revamp it. And
860-602: A concert in Miami, in August, watched by Eric Clapton and the other members of Derek and the Dominos , the two bands went back to Criteria Studios in Miami, where the Dominoes were recording Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs . Members of both bands jammed, after which Allman and Clapton stayed up all night trading and showing one another favorite licks, discovering they had a deep and instinctive rapport. Allman participated in
1032-436: A concert of the group's second headlining US tour was another significant factor in the trio's demise, and it affected Clapton profoundly. Clapton has also credited Music from Big Pink , the debut album of The Band , and its revolutionary Americana sound as influencing his decision to leave Cream. Cream's farewell album, Goodbye , comprising live performances recorded at The Forum , Los Angeles, on 19 October 1968,
1204-423: A copy of which Ian Dallas had given to Clapton. The book moved Clapton profoundly, as it was the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful, unavailable woman and went crazy because he could not marry her. The two parts of "Layla" were recorded in separate sessions: the opening guitar section was recorded first, and for the second section, laid down a few weeks later, drummer Jim Gordon played
1376-565: A cozy shuffle and the whole album proceeds at a similar amiable gait, taking its time and enjoying detours into old blues standards." Journalist Steve Hochman called the acoustic version a "low-key but seductive recasting". Music broadcaster VH1 thinks the Unplugged version revealed Clapton's guitar skills in the acoustic setting, which was particularly obvious on the reworking of "Layla" that "stressed Clapton's tender side without forfeitting intensity". Entertainment Weekly journalists picked
1548-574: A duo with fellow blues enthusiast Dave Brock in pubs around Surrey. When he was 17, he joined his first band, an early British R&B group, the Roosters, whose other guitarist was Tom McGuinness . He stayed with them from January until August 1963. In October of that year, he performed a seven-gig stint with Casey Jones & the Engineers . In October 1963, Clapton joined the Yardbirds,
1720-698: A guest on Crow's Central Park Concert. The duo performed a Cream hit single, " White Room ". Later, Clapton and Crow performed an alternate version of "Tulsa Time" with other guitar legends at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in June 2007 as well as Robert Johnson 's blues classic " Crossroads " at London's Hyde Park in August 2008 with John Mayer and Robert Randolph . At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards on 24 February 1999, Clapton received his third Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance , for his song " My Father's Eyes ". In October 1999,
1892-453: A hospital, but despite immediate medical treatment, he died several hours later from massive internal injuries. Allman's funeral service was held on Monday, November 1, 1971, at Snow's Memorial Chapel in Macon, Georgia. In the chapel, packed with family and friends, many of the musicians who had been part of Allman's life were in attendance to mourn his death. Record producer Jerry Wexler gave
SECTION 10
#17327769113932064-689: A large cult following when they took over the Rolling Stones ' residency at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond , London. They toured England with American bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson II ; a joint LP album, recorded in December 1963, was issued in 1965. Yardbirds' rhythm guitarist, Chris Dreja , recalled that whenever Clapton broke a guitar string during a concert, he would stay on stage and replace it. The English audiences would wait out
2236-470: A large number of drinks, for fear he would never be able to drink again. Clapton wrote in his autobiography: In the lowest moments of my life, the only reason I didn't commit suicide was that I knew I wouldn't be able to drink any more if I was dead. It was the only thing I thought was worth living for, and the idea that people were about to try and remove me from alcohol was so terrible that I drank and drank and drank, and they had to practically carry me into
2408-410: A live version of Robert Johnson 's "Cross Road Blues". Though Cream were hailed as one of the greatest groups of its day, and the adulation of Clapton as a guitar legend reached new heights, the supergroup was short-lived. Drug and alcohol use escalated tension between the three members, and conflicts between Bruce and Baker eventually led to Cream's demise. A strongly critical Rolling Stone review of
2580-424: A lot of artists do that, you know? Bob Dylan for instance changes everything everytime he plays it and I thought this was another great opportunity to just take it off on a different path, to put it to a shuffle and for a start, making it acoustic denied all the riffs, really. They would have sounded a bit weak, I think, on the acoustic guitar, so it just seemed to become Jazzier somehow. And of course, I'm singing it
2752-460: A low-key touring band that included Radle, Miami guitarist George Terry , keyboardist Dick Sims (who died in 2011), drummer Jamie Oldaker , and vocalists Yvonne Elliman and Marcy Levy (also known as Marcella Detroit). With this band Clapton recorded 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), an album with an emphasis on more compact songs and fewer guitar solos; the cover version of " I Shot the Sheriff "
2924-795: A member of Lennon's Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival in September 1969, a recording from which was released as the album Live Peace in Toronto 1969 . On 30 September, Clapton played lead guitar on Lennon's second solo single, " Cold Turkey ". On 15 December that year, Clapton performed with Lennon, Harrison and others as the Plastic Ono Supergroup at a fundraiser for UNICEF in London. Delaney Bramlett encouraged Clapton in his singing and writing. Using
3096-579: A member of the Bluesbreakers, Clapton briefly collaborated on a side project with Jack Bruce and Steve Winwood among others, recording only a few tracks under the name Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse . During his second Bluesbreakers stint, Clapton gained a reputation as the best blues guitarist on the club circuit. Although Clapton gained fame for playing on the influential album, Blues Breakers – John Mayall – With Eric Clapton , this album
3268-705: A model he met two years before during the filming of A Hard Day's Night . During the late 1960s, Clapton and Harrison became close friends. Clapton contributed uncredited (although openly acknowledged) guitar work on Harrison's song " While My Guitar Gently Weeps " on the Beatles' self-titled double album (also known as the White Album), and Harrison co-wrote and played guitar on Cream 's " Badge " from Goodbye . However, between his tenures in Cream and Blind Faith , Clapton fell in love with Boyd. The title of "Layla"
3440-515: A number of successful solo albums and songs over the next several decades, including a 1974 cover of Bob Marley 's " I Shot the Sheriff " (which helped reggae reach a mass market), the country -infused Slowhand album (1977) and the pop rock of 1986's August . Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song " Tears in Heaven ", which appeared on his Unplugged album. In 1996 he had another top-40 hit with
3612-634: A number of tracks that were retroactively credited to The Immediate All-Stars . In the summer of 1965 he left for Greece with a band called the Glands, which included his old friend Ben Palmer on piano. After a car crash that killed the bassist and injured the guitarist of the Greek band the Juniors, on 17 October 1965 the surviving members played memorial shows in which Clapton played with the band. In October 1965 he rejoined John Mayall. In March 1966, while still
SECTION 20
#17327769113933784-453: A part of the Unplugged album cover. Christie's expert for the musical department Kerry Keane called the instrument "in the hands of Eric Clapton singly responsible for the repolarization of playing acoustic guitar today". When Keane played the guitar, he also remarked an "amazing" sound as the acoustic guitar seems to have a "wonderfully balanced tone [which is] loud and sweet at the same time with an incredible bass note." The vintage instrument
3956-470: A party for Armani at New York City's Lexington Armory with Greg Phillinganes , Nathan East and Steve Gadd . Sheryl Crow appeared on one number, performing " Tearing Us Apart ", a track from August , which was first performed by Tina Turner during the Prince's Trust All-Star Rock show in 1986. It was Clapton's sole US appearance that year, following the open-air concert held at Hyde Park. The concert
4128-401: A quartet, for instance, because there are some parts you have to play and sing completely opposing lines, which is almost impossible to do. If you've got a big band, which I will have on the tour, then it will be easy to do something like "Layla" – and I'm very proud of it. I love to hear it. It's almost like it's not me. It's like I'm listening to someone that I really like. Derek and The Dominos
4300-418: A reflection on her father, mother, family, and the culture of the 1960s, called Please Be with Me: A Song for My Father . Allman was killed in a motorcycle crash shortly after the release and initial success of At Fillmore East . On October 29, 1971, while the band was on a break from touring and recording, Allman was riding his Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle at high speed on Hillcrest Avenue, in
4472-576: A shortened version of the song, consisting of the first 2:43 of Part I, was released as a single in March 1971 by Atco Records in the United States. The version peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. When "Layla" was re-released on the 1972 compilations The History of Eric Clapton and Duane Allman's An Anthology and then released the full 7:10 version (including
4644-551: A slot close to peak viewing hours, he was apparently flattered. His album output continued in the 1980s, including two produced with Phil Collins, 1985's Behind the Sun , which produced the hits "Forever Man" and "She's Waiting", and 1986's August . August was suffused with Collins's trademark drum and horn sound, and became Clapton's biggest seller in the UK to date, matching his highest chart position, number 3. The album's first track,
4816-448: A song dedicated to him, called "Mr. Bluesman". He contributed guitar and vocals to "Runaway Train", a duet with Elton John on the latter's The One album the following year. I almost subconsciously used music for myself as a healing agent, and lo and behold, it worked ... I have got a great deal of happiness and a great deal of healing from music. —Clapton on the healing process in writing "Tears in Heaven". Clapton's grief
4988-515: A way that the audience can feel it instinctively. It goes right through you." Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs opened to lacklustre sales as the Derek and the Dominos album never actually reached the music charts in the United Kingdom, possibly in part because Clapton's name was found only on the back cover. In addition, the song's length proved prohibitive for radio airplay. As a result,
5160-411: A whole octave down. So it gives it a nice kind of atmosphere." The song was written in the key of D minor which Clapton recalled pushed him to the top of his singing range. When Clapton slowed it down, Fairweather Low suggested Clapton should sing the track a whole octave down. Clapton was pleased with the result as it sounded "nice" and "sort of Jazzy" to him. The new arrangement slowed down and reworked
5332-621: Is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He ranked second in Rolling Stone ' s list of the " 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time " and fourth in Gibson ' s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". He was named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009. In 2023, Rolling Stone named Clapton
Layla - Misplaced Pages Continue
5504-778: Is certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling over 10 million copies in the US. It reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and is certified four times platinum in the UK. On 9 September 1992, Clapton performed "Tears in Heaven" at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards , and won the award for Best Male Video. In 1992, Clapton received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors . In October 1992 Clapton
5676-402: Is no longer manufactured, replica Coricidin bottles are now popular with slide guitar players who like its glassy feel and sound. Allman's first major recording session occurred in early 1966 at Nashville's RCA Studio "B", two years before his famed tenure at Muscle Shoals' FAME Studios . Producer Tony Moon was recording The Vogues' first album after his successful "5"O'Clock World" had reached
5848-569: Is the greatest of them." Marsh listed "Layla" at number 156 in his The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made . In May 1980, "Layla" was covered by the London Symphony Orchestra , but without the lyrics, being recorded at EMI Studio One, Abbey Road , London. A similar version has been performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra . On 20 September 1983, a benefit show called
6020-690: Is unclear whether he also appeared with them on November 20, 1970, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium when guitarist Delaney Bramlett performed with the band. In an interview, Allman told listeners how to tell who played what: Clapton played the Fender parts and Allman the Gibson parts. He continued by noting that the Fender had a sparklier sound, while the Gibson produced more of a "full-tilt screech". Clapton wrote later in his autobiography that he and Allman were inseparable during
6192-607: The Music for Montserrat concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, performing "Layla" and "Same Old Blues" before finishing with "Hey Jude" alongside fellow English artists Paul McCartney , Elton John , Phil Collins, Mark Knopfler and Sting . That autumn, Clapton released the album Pilgrim , the first record containing new material for almost a decade. In 1996, Clapton had a relationship with singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow . They remain friends, and Clapton appeared as
6364-578: The 1987 Brit Awards in London, Clapton was awarded the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 1987, he played on George Harrison 's album Cloud Nine , contributing guitar to "Cloud 9", "That's What It Takes", "Devil's Radio" and "Wreck of the Hesperus". Clapton also got together with the Bee Gees for charity. The supergroup called itself the Bunburys , and recorded a charity album with
6536-672: The ARMS Charity Concert for Multiple Sclerosis at the Royal Albert Hall in London featured a jam with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck , and Jimmy Page performing "Layla". Clapton, Beck, and Page were the Yardbirds ' successive lead guitarists from 1963 to 1968. In 2003, the Allman Brothers Band began playing the song in concert. Warren Haynes sang the vocal, Gregg Allman played the piano part, and Derek Trucks played Duane Allman's guitar parts during
6708-517: The Amnesty International benefit The Secret Policeman's Other Ball in London. Clapton accepted the invitation and teamed up with Jeff Beck to perform a series of duets – reportedly their first ever billed stage collaboration. Three of the performances were released on the album of the show, and one of the songs appeared in the film. The performances at London's Drury Lane theatre heralded a return to form and prominence for Clapton in
6880-676: The Fillmore East to see Johnny Winter and told Muscle Shoals guitarist Jimmy Johnson that in a year he would be on that stage. That December, the Allman Brothers Band indeed played the Fillmore. Coincidentally, the Fillmore East performances recorded for the Allman Brothers album At Fillmore East in March 1971—often considered the high water mark for the band—were on the same bill as Johnny Winter. When asked how
7052-640: The Layla sessions in Florida; he talked about Allman as the "musical brother I'd never had but wished I did". Although Radle remained Clapton's bass player until the summer of 1979 (Radle died in May 1980 from the effects of alcohol and narcotics), it was not until 2003 that Clapton and Whitlock appeared together again; Clapton guested on Whitlock's appearance on the Later with Jools Holland show. Another tragic footnote to
Layla - Misplaced Pages Continue
7224-863: The Party at the Palace concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace . On 29 November 2002, the Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall , a tribute to George Harrison, who had died a year earlier of lung cancer. Clapton was a performer and the musical director. The concert included Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne , Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers , Ravi Shankar , Gary Brooker , Billy Preston, Joe Brown and Dhani Harrison . In 2004, Clapton released two albums of covers of songs by bluesman Robert Johnson , Me and Mr. Johnson and Sessions for Robert J . Guitarist Doyle Bramhall II worked on
7396-485: The Rolling Stones , Winwood and Starr. Despite the superstar line-up, critic Cub Koda noted: "Even Eric Clapton, who usually welcomes any chance to play with one of his idols, has criticized this album repeatedly in interviews, which speaks volumes in and of itself." Other noted recordings from this period include Clapton's guitar work on "Go Back Home" from Stephen Stills' self-titled first solo album . With
7568-713: The Tsunami Relief Concert held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , in aid of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake . In May 2005, Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker reunited as Cream for a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Concert recordings were released on CD and DVD. Later, Cream performed in New York at Madison Square Garden . Clapton's first album of new original material in nearly five years, Back Home ,
7740-669: The Twisted Wheel Club in Manchester on 29 July 1966 before their full debut two nights later at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor . Cream established its enduring legend with the high-volume blues jamming and extended solos of their live shows. By early 1967, fans of the emerging blues-rock sound in the UK had begun to portray Clapton as Britain's top guitarist; however, he found himself rivalled by
7912-537: The best-selling musicians of all time . In 1998, Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict , founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua , a medical facility for those recovering from substance abuse. Clapton was born on 30 March 1945 in Ripley, Surrey , England, to 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton (1929–1999) and Edward Walter Fryer (1920–1985), a 25-year-old soldier from Montreal , Quebec. Fryer
8084-521: The blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood , and Ric Grech , recording one album and performing on one tour before they broke up. Clapton then toured with Delaney & Bonnie and recorded his first solo album in 1970, before forming Derek and the Dominos with Bobby Whitlock , Carl Radle and Jim Gordon . Like Blind Faith, the band only lasted one album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs , which includes " Layla ", one of Clapton's signature songs . Clapton continued to record
8256-458: The debut album by Taj Mahal , and a bottle of Coricidin pills. He left them on the front porch and rang the bell, as Duane was angry with him about the injury. "About two hours after I left, my phone rang," Gregg recalled. "'Baby brother, baby brother, get over here now!'" Duane had poured the pills out of the Coricidin bottle, washed off the label and was using it as a slide to play along with
8428-406: The overdub -heavy slide guitar solo, played by Allman. By placing his slide at points beyond the end of the fretboard , Allman was able to play notes at a higher pitch than could be played with standard technique. Dowd referred to this as "notes that aren't on the instrument." The second movement is commonly referred to as the "Piano Exit". Originally played in C major , the tape speed of the coda
8600-529: The "Piano Exit" that formed Part II) as a single, it charted at number seven in the United Kingdom and reached number 10 in the United States. With good sales figures, the Billboard magazine was able to rank the Rock single as the 60th best-selling song in 1972. In 1982, "Layla" was re-released as a single in the United Kingdom, and peaked at number four. This time the whole seven-minute single charted, containing
8772-473: The "White Album"). Harrison's debut solo album, Wonderwall Music (1968), became the first of many Harrison solo records to include Clapton on guitar. Clapton went largely uncredited for his contributions to Harrison's albums due to contractual restraints, and Harrison was credited as "L'Angelo Misterioso" for his contributions to the song "Badge" on Goodbye . The pair often played live together as each other's guest. A year after Harrison's death in 2001, Clapton
SECTION 50
#17327769113938944-530: The 1973 album Chronicles by Booker T. and Priscilla Jones. Whitlock's story was echoed by Coolidge herself in her 2016 autobiography. The claim is also repeated in Graham Nash 's 2014 autobiography Wild Tales . "Layla"'s second movement (the "Piano Exit") was recorded roughly a week after the first, with Gordon playing his piano part, Clapton playing acoustic guitar and slide guitar, and Allman playing electric and bottleneck slide guitar. After Dowd spliced
9116-414: The 31st of February , a folk rock outfit whose drummer was Butch Trucks . Gregg returned to California to fulfill Hour Glass obligations, while Duane jammed around Florida for months but did not get another band going. Duane began to learn to play slide guitar on his birthday in 1968. He was recovering from an injury to his left elbow, suffered in a fall from a horse. Gregg brought him a birthday present,
9288-560: The 35th best guitarist of all time. After playing in a number of different local bands, Clapton joined the Yardbirds from 1963 to 1965, and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1965 to 1966. After leaving Mayall, he formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce , in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop ". After four successful albums, Cream broke up in November 1968. Clapton then formed
9460-635: The Allman Brothers Band with his brother Gregg in Jacksonville, Florida , in 1969. The group achieved its greatest success in the early 1970s. Allman is best remembered for his brief but influential tenure in the band and in particular for his expressive slide guitar playing and inventive improvisational skills . A sought-after session musician both before and during his tenure with the band, Duane Allman performed with such established stars as King Curtis , Aretha Franklin , Herbie Mann , Wilson Pickett , and Boz Scaggs . He also contributed greatly to
9632-466: The Allman Brothers Band. Despite Clapton's later admission that the tour took place amid a blizzard of drugs and alcohol, it resulted in the live double album In Concert . Recording of a second Dominos studio album was underway when a clash of egos took place and Clapton walked out, thus disbanding the group. Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident on 29 October 1971. Clapton wrote later in his autobiography that he and Allman were inseparable during
9804-470: The Blind") is notable as he is clearly wearing a fake beard in some shots, the result of deciding to shave off his real beard after the initial takes in an attempt to force the director to remove his earlier scene from the film and leave the set. In 1974, Clapton started living with Boyd (they would not marry until 1979) and was no longer using heroin (although he gradually began to drink heavily). He assembled
9976-968: The Bramletts' backing group and an all-star cast of session players (including Leon Russell and Stephen Stills ), Clapton recorded his first solo album during two brief tour hiatuses, titled Eric Clapton . Delaney Bramlett co-wrote six of the songs with Clapton, also producing the LP, and Bonnie Bramlett co-wrote "Let It Rain". The album yielded the unexpected US No. 18 hit, J. J. Cale 's "After Midnight". Clapton also worked with much of Delaney and Bonnie's band to record George Harrison's All Things Must Pass in spring 1970. During this period, Clapton also recorded with artists such as Dr. John , Leon Russell , Billy Preston , Ringo Starr and Dave Mason . With Chicago blues artist Howlin' Wolf , he recorded The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions , that also included long-time Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin and members of
10148-578: The Century on 7 March 2001. Music critic Dave Marsh placed the tune at number two in his " Best Singles of the Year 1972 " compilation. With its reworking in 1992 for the Unplugged album, "Layla" became an all-time hit song, as it won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1993 , and was broadcast nonstop in 1992 and 1993 on the radio, in stores, and on television around the globe. In 1992, "Layla"
10320-454: The Cradle contained new versions of old blues standards , highlighted by his electric guitar playing. In 1995, Clapton for the first and only time appeared on a UK No. 1 single, collaborating with Cher , Chrissie Hynde , and Neneh Cherry on a solo to a cover of " Love Can Build a Bridge " released in aid of the British charity telethon Comic Relief . On 12 September 1996 Clapton played
10492-460: The D&B days I lived in John Garfield 's old house in the Hollywood Hills and there was a guest house with an upright piano in it. Rita and Jim were up there in the guest house and invited me to join in on writing this song with them called 'Time' ... Her sister Priscilla wound up recording it with Booker T. Jones ... Jim took the melody from Rita's song and didn't give her credit for writing it. Her boyfriend ripped her off." "Time" ended up on
SECTION 60
#173277691139310664-425: The Dominos story was the fate of drummer Jim Gordon , who had undiagnosed schizophrenia and years later murdered his mother during a psychotic episode . Gordon was confined to 16-years-to-life imprisonment, later being moved to a mental institution, where he remained for the rest of his life. Clapton's career successes in the 1970s were in stark contrast with the struggles he coped with in his personal life, which
10836-417: The Highclere Castle, in aid of the Countryside Alliance, playing two set pieces of " Wish You Were Here " and " Comfortably Numb ". Clapton, now a regular charity performer, played at the Live Aid concert at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia on 13 July 1985, playing with Phil Collins , Tim Renwick , Chris Stainton , Jamie Oldaker , Marcy Levy , Shaun Murphy and Donald 'Duck' Dunn . When offered
11008-517: The Money , on the tracks " Are You Hung Up? " and "Nasal Retentive Calliope Music". In 28 months, Cream had become a commercial success, selling millions of records and playing throughout the US and Europe. They redefined the instrumentalist's role in rock and were one of the first blues-rock bands to emphasise musical virtuosity and lengthy jazz-style improvisation sessions. Their US hit singles include " Sunshine of Your Love " (No. 5, 1968), " White Room " (No. 6, 1968) and " Crossroads " (No. 28, 1969) –
11180-430: The R&B crossover " Change the World ". In 1998, he released the Grammy award-winning " My Father's Eyes ". Since 1999, he has recorded a number of traditional blues and blues rock albums and hosted the periodic Crossroads Guitar Festival . His latest studio album, Meanwhile , was released in 2024. Clapton has received 18 Grammy Awards as well as the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004, he
11352-750: The RKO Theater. Clapton used the guitar for most of Cream's recordings after Fresh Cream , particularly on Disraeli Gears , until the band broke up in 1968. One of the world's best-known guitars, it symbolises the psychedelic era . They recorded Disraeli Gears in New York from 11 to 15 May 1967. Cream's repertoire varied from hard rock (" I Feel Free ") to lengthy blues-based instrumental jams (" Spoonful "). Disraeli Gears contained Clapton's searing guitar lines, Bruce's soaring vocals and prominent, fluid bass playing, and Baker's powerful, polyrhythmic jazz-influenced drumming. Together, Cream's talents secured them as an influential power trio . Clapton's voice can be heard on Frank Zappa 's album We're Only in It for
11524-453: The Rolling Stones and the Beatles , avidly attended Hendrix's early club performances. Hendrix's arrival had an immediate and major effect on the next phase of Clapton's career. Clapton first visited the United States while touring with Cream. In March 1967, Cream performed a nine-show stand at the RKO Theater in New York. Clapton's 1964 painted Gibson SG guitar – The Fool – a "psychedelic fantasy", according to Clapton, made its debut at
11696-463: The Top 5, and had been recorded in that same studio. He hired Allman to play on several sides, as he wanted a more rock sound. At the time, The Allman Joys were the house band at The Briar Patch in Nashville. Allman's playing on the two Hour Glass albums and an Hour Glass session in early 1968 at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama , caught the ear of Rick Hall , owner of FAME. In November 1968 Hall bought Allman's contract for $ 10,000. Allman, tired of
11868-432: The Yardbirds for a while, but Beck, Page, and Clapton were never in the group together. They first appeared together in 1983 on the 12-date benefit tour for Action for Research into multiple sclerosis with the first date on 23 September at the Royal Albert Hall. Clapton joined John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in April 1965, only to quit a few months later. In June, Clapton was invited to jam with Jimmy Page, recording
12040-414: The acoustic version of "Layla" felt natural to him and liked that the band was given some space to play during the body of the song and not just during the reprise like it is on the original recording. "It gave us a chance to interpret the song in our way and it did work out well and it gave it a rebirth I think", Leavell said. The acoustic version of "Layla" was produced by Russ Titelman . Clapton recorded
12212-413: The acoustic version of "Layla" on a C.F. Martin & Co. steel-string acoustic guitar in OOO-42 style from 1939 which was hand built in Nazareth, Pennsylvania (No. OOO-42/73234). Clapton called this guitar one of the finest instruments he has ever used and called its sound "incredible". The auction house Christie's noted, "the guitar became one of the most enduring images of recent music history" being
12384-656: The aftermath of the 1978 Lufthansa heist . Director Martin Scorsese planned out the sequence with the song specifically in mind, playing it on set to synchronise with the staging and camera movement. The song also plays during the film's ending credits, after a cover of " My Way " by Sid Vicious . American record producer DJ Khaled sampled the Derek and the Dominos' arrangement of "Layla" in his 2021 song " I Did It " featuring American rappers Post Malone , Megan Thee Stallion , Lil Baby and DaBaby . Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945)
12556-608: The age of 24, in a similar motorcycle crash with a city bus, three blocks from the site of Allman's fatal accident. Oakley was buried beside Allman in Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Georgia . The variety of Allman's session work and Allman Brothers Band bandleading can be heard to good effect on two posthumous Capricorn releases, An Anthology (1972) and An Anthology Volume II (1974). There are also several archival releases of live Allman Brothers Band performances from what
12728-423: The album track " Statesboro Blues " (on the recording, the slide guitar is played by Jesse Ed Davis ). "Duane had never played slide before," Gregg later said, but "he just picked it up and started burnin'. He was a natural." The song became a part of the Allman Brothers Band's repertoire, and Duane's slide guitar became crucial to their sound. Because of his use of the early-1970s-era Coricidin medicine bottle, which
12900-546: The album with Clapton (after opening Clapton's 2001 tour with his band Smokestack) and joined him on his 2004 tour. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Clapton No. 53 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" . Other media appearances include the Toots & the Maytals Grammy award-winning album True Love , where he played guitar on the track " Pressure Drop ". On 22 January 2005, Clapton performed in
13072-409: The annoyance of Clapton, who was devoted to the blues and not commercial success. He left the Yardbirds on the day that "For Your Love" went public, a move that left the band without its lead guitarist and most accomplished member. Clapton suggested fellow guitarist Jimmy Page as his replacement, but Page declined out of loyalty to Clapton, putting Jeff Beck forward. Beck and Page played together in
13244-506: The band calls "Duane's era". Shortly after Allman's death, Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd dedicated the song " Free Bird " to Allman's memory. Van Zant would sometimes allude to this in concert; in the band's 1976 performance of "Free Bird" in Knebworth , England, Van Zant said to pianist Billy Powell , "Play it for Duane Allman." The song was written well before Allman died and was not written with him in mind. ( Allen Collins wrote
13416-723: The band came together Duane stated: "Very slowly. I was in Muscle Shoals and I went down to Jacksonville and was jamming with Berry and Dickey. Jaimoe came with me from Muscle Shoals; he's originally from Macon. Gregg was in California and Butch was in Jacksonville where we all got together and jammed for a couple of months putting together songs and stuff. We just needed a singer and Gregg was the guy. Two weeks after Gregg got back from California we went up to New York and recorded there. We played live gigs before our first album
13588-616: The band once lived) and the H&;H Restaurant , where the band members often dined, crosses the Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge. Country singer Travis Tritt , in the song " Put Some Drive in Your Country " on his debut album, sings "Now I still love old country / I ain't tryin' to put it down / But damn I miss Duane Allman / I wish he was still around." Skydog , a seven-CD box set tracing
13760-609: The best song of the year. In 1972, "Layla" was one of the most performed songs of the year, and was already considered a "rock standard". With its re-release in 1982, the song was again praised. It is featured on a number of "greatest ever" lists. The song was chosen by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of its " 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll ", and Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 27 on their list of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ". The Recording Industry Association of America ranked "Layla" at number 118 on their Songs of
13932-535: The better guitarist of the two. The brothers started playing publicly in 1961, joining or forming a number of local groups. Around this time, Duane left school to focus on his guitar playing. His early band "The Escorts" opened for the Beach Boys in 1965 but disbanded, some of its members eventually forming the Allman Joys . After Gregg graduated from Seabreeze High School in 1965, the Allman Joys went on
14104-453: The ceremony inducting them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . A full reunion took place in May 2005, with Clapton, Bruce and Baker playing four sold-out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall , and three shows at New York's Madison Square Garden that October. Recordings from the London shows, Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005 , were released on CD, LP and DVD in late 2005. Clapton's next group, Blind Faith , formed in 1969,
14276-629: The clinic. After being discharged, it was recommended by doctors of Hazelden that Clapton not partake in any activities that would act as triggers for his alcoholism or stress. But it did happen. Clapton would go back to the Hazelden Treatment Center in November 1987. He has stayed sober ever since. A few months after his discharge from his first rehab, Clapton began working on his next album, against doctors' orders. Working with Tom Dowd, he produced what he thought as his "most forced" album to date, Money and Cigarettes . Clapton chose
14448-719: The coda. The performances were seen as a tribute not only to Allman, but also to producer Tom Dowd, who had died the previous year. Eric Clapton recorded yet a third version. "Layla" appears as track seven on Play the Blues: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center . Personnel on this version include Wynton Marsalis (vocals, trumpet), Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar), Victor Goines (clarinet), Marcus Printup (trumpet), Chris Crenshaw (trombone, vocals), Don Vappie (banjo), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Dan Nimmer (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), and Ali Jackson (drums). Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. In 1992, Clapton
14620-412: The compilation album, Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton , was released, which contained a new song, " Blue Eyes Blue ", that also appears in soundtrack for the film, Runaway Bride . Clapton finished the twentieth century with collaborations with Carlos Santana and B.B. King . Clapton looked up to King and had always wanted to make an album with him, while King said of Clapton, "I admire
14792-689: The cricket club's 25th anniversary celebrations in 2011, which were held at London's Grosvenor House Hotel. In 1988, he played with Dire Straits and Elton John at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley Stadium and the Prince's Trust rock gala at the Royal Albert Hall . In 1989, Clapton released Journeyman , an album that covered a wide range of styles, including blues, jazz, soul and pop. Collaborators included George Harrison, Phil Collins, Daryl Hall , Chaka Khan , Mick Jones , David Sanborn and Robert Cray . The song " Bad Love "
14964-431: The death of Jimi Hendrix; eight days previously the band had cut a cover of "Little Wing" as a tribute. On 17 September 1970, one day before Hendrix's death, Clapton had purchased a left-handed Fender Stratocaster that he had planned to give to Hendrix as a birthday gift. Adding to Clapton's woes, Layla received only lukewarm reviews upon release. The shaken group undertook a US tour without Allman, who had returned to
15136-474: The delay by doing what is called a "slow handclap". Clapton's nickname of "Slowhand" came from Giorgio Gomelsky , a pun on the slow handclapping that ensued when Clapton stopped playing while he replaced a string. In December 1964, Clapton made his first appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, with the Yardbirds. Since then, Clapton has performed at the Hall over 200 times, and has stated that performing at
15308-619: The edge of the world" and ran to the scene. The first person to offer condolences towards Clapton was friend and fellow guitarist Keith Richards , who himself had lost his young son Tara in 1976. Conor's funeral took place on 28 March at St Mary Magdalene's Church in Clapton's home village in Ripley, Surrey , with Conor buried in the church graveyard. After his son's death Clapton began attending AA meetings . In 1991, Clapton appeared on Richie Sambora 's album, Stranger in This Town , in
15480-486: The emergence of Jimi Hendrix , an acid rock -infused guitarist who used wailing feedback and effects pedals to create new sounds for the instrument. Hendrix attended a performance of the newly formed Cream at the Central London Polytechnic on 1 October 1966, during which he sat in on a double-timed version of " Killing Floor ". Top UK stars, including Clapton, Pete Townshend and members of
15652-813: The end. I had to know who that was immediately—right now." Allman's performance on "Hey Jude" impressed Atlantic Records producer and executive Jerry Wexler when Hall played it over the phone for him. Wexler immediately bought Allman's recording contract from Hall and wanted to use him on sessions with Atlantic R&B artists. While at Muscle Shoals, Allman played on recordings by numerous artists, including Clarence Carter , King Curtis , Aretha Franklin , Laura Nyro , Wilson Pickett , Otis Rush , Percy Sledge , Johnny Jenkins , Boz Scaggs , Delaney & Bonnie , Doris Duke and jazz flautist Herbie Mann . For his first sessions with Franklin, Allman traveled to New York where, in January 1969, he went as an audience member to
15824-619: The eulogy. Wexler praised Allman's musical achievements; his uncompromising dedication to Southern gospel, country, and blues music; and the place he attained alongside the great black musicians and blues singers from the South. The band, joined by others, played several tunes, concluding with a group rendition of the Southern spiritual "Will the Circle Be Unbroken", a band favorite. After Allman's funeral and some weeks of mourning,
15996-406: The family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida , where the boys attended Seabreeze High School . The boys returned to Nashville to spend summers with their grandmother, and there Gregg learned guitar basics from a neighbor. In 1960, he had saved enough money to buy his first guitar, a Japanese-made Teisco Silvertone, while Duane acquired a Harley 165 motorbike. Despite Duane being left-handed, he played
16168-484: The famous slogan " Clapton is God ", spray-painted by an unknown admirer on a wall in Islington , North London in 1967. The graffito was captured in a now-famous photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall. Clapton is reported to have been embarrassed by the slogan, saying in his The South Bank Show profile in 1987, "I never accepted that I was the greatest guitar player in the world. I always wanted to be
16340-407: The final name became "Derek and the Dominos". Clapton's close friendship with George Harrison brought him into contact with Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd , with whom he became deeply infatuated. When she spurned his advances, Clapton's unrequited affections prompted most of the material for the Dominos' album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). Heavily blues-influenced, the album features
16512-467: The five surviving members of the Allman Brothers Band carried on, resuming live performances and finishing the recording work interrupted by Allman's death. They named their next album Eat a Peach for Allman's response to an interviewer's question: "How are you helping the revolution?" Allman replied, "I'm hitting a lick for peace, and every time I'm in Georgia I eat a peach for peace. But you can't help
16684-423: The formation of Cream, Clapton was not well known in the United States; he left the Yardbirds before "For Your Love" hit the US top ten, and had yet to perform there. During his time with Cream, Clapton began to develop as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, though Bruce took most of the lead vocals and wrote the majority of the material with lyricist Pete Brown . Cream's first gig was an unofficial performance at
16856-486: The four-man band: Eric Clapton Live from Montreux and Eric Clapton and Friends . Clapton later remade "After Midnight" as a single and a promotional track for the Michelob beer brand, which had also used earlier songs by Collins and Steve Winwood . Clapton won a British Academy Television Award for his collaboration with Michael Kamen on the score for the 1985 BBC television thriller series Edge of Darkness . At
17028-421: The four-piece Dominos recorded "I Looked Away", " Bell Bottom Blues " and "Keep on Growing". Allman returned to record "I Am Yours", " Anyday " and "It's Too Late". On 9 September, they recorded Hendrix's " Little Wing " and the title track. The following day, the final track, "It's Too Late", was recorded. Tragedy dogged the group throughout its brief career. During the sessions, Clapton was devastated by news of
17200-542: The greatest guitar player in the world, but that's an ideal, and I accept it as an ideal". Clapton left the Bluesbreakers in July 1966 (replaced by Peter Green ) and was invited by drummer Ginger Baker to play in his newly formed band Cream , one of the earliest supergroups , with Jack Bruce on bass (Bruce was previously of the Bluesbreakers, the Graham Bond Organisation and Manfred Mann ). Before
17372-586: The group as "the best damn rock and roll band this country has produced in the past five years." After months of nonstop rehearsing and gigging without Gregg, including free shows in Central City Park in Macon and Piedmont Park in Atlanta, all they needed was a singer/organist and Duane knew who he wanted. When Gregg got back from California the group settled on the name of the band and was ready to record. Their debut album, The Allman Brothers Band ,
17544-559: The guitar right-handed. Duane began to take an interest in the guitar, and the boys would sometimes fight over it, until Duane wrecked the motorbike and traded it for a Silvertone of his own. His mother eventually bought Duane a Gibson Les Paul Junior . It was also in Nashville that the boys became musically inspired by a rhythm-and-blues concert where they saw blues guitarist B.B. King perform. Duane told Gregg, "We got to get into this." Duane learned to play very quickly and soon became
17716-495: The hit " Can't Find My Way Home ". Another, "Presence of the Lord", is the first song credited solely to Clapton. The album's jacket image of a topless pubescent girl was deemed controversial in the US and was replaced by a photograph of the band. Blind Faith dissolved after less than seven months. Clapton subsequently toured as a sideman for an act that had opened for Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends . He also performed as
17888-594: The hit " It's in the Way That You Use It ", appeared in the Tom Cruise – Paul Newman film The Color of Money . The songs "Tearing Us Apart" (with Tina Turner ) and "Miss You" continued Clapton's more angry sound. This rebound kicked off Clapton's two-year period of touring with Collins and their August collaborators, bassist Nathan East and keyboard player/songwriter Greg Phillinganes . While on tour for August , two concert videos were recorded of
18060-450: The inexpensive steel-stringed instrument was difficult to play and he briefly lost interest. Two years later he picked it up again and started playing consistently. He was influenced by blues music from an early age, and practised long hours learning the chords of blues music by playing along to the records. He preserved his practice sessions using his portable Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder, listening to them over and over until he
18232-451: The intention of counteracting the "star" cult faction that had begun to form around him, Clapton assembled a new band composed of Delaney and Bonnie's former rhythm section , Bobby Whitlock as keyboardist and vocalist, Carl Radle as the bassist, and drummer Jim Gordon , with Clapton playing guitar. It was his intention to show that he need not fill a starring role, and functioned well as a member of an ensemble. During this period, Clapton
18404-500: The making of his biographical film Tom Dowd & the Language of Music , he remixed the original master tapes of "Layla", saying, "There are my principles, in one form or another." Clapton originally wrote "Layla" as a ballad, with lyrics describing his unrequited love for Boyd, but the song became a "rocker" when, according to Clapton, Allman composed the song's signature riff . With the band assembled and Dowd producing, "Layla"
18576-536: The man. I think he's No. 1 in rock 'n' roll as a guitarist and No. 1 as a great person." Clapton released the album Reptile in March 2001. One month after the 11 September attacks , Clapton appeared at the Concert for New York City , performing alongside Buddy Guy . An event marking the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in June 2002, Clapton performed "Layla" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at
18748-418: The melody. The song ends with Allman playing his signature high-pitched "bird call" on his slide guitar. This portion is featured prominently in the film Goodfellas . Clapton commented on the song: "Layla" is a difficult one, because it's a difficult song to perform live. You have to have a good complement of musicians to get all of the ingredients going, but when you've got that ... It's difficult to do as
18920-413: The musical voice of what would come to be known as Southern rock , being picked up by other slide guitarists, including his bandmate Dickey Betts (after Allman's death), Derek Trucks , Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd , and Joe Walsh . Duane also taught a young Don Felder to play slide. Allman had a daughter, Galadrielle Allman, with Donna Roosman in 1969. In 2014, Galadrielle Allman published
19092-498: The name of the album "because that's all I saw myself having left" after his first rehabilitation from alcoholism. In 1984, he performed on former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters ' solo album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking , and participated in the supporting tour. Since then Waters and Clapton have had a close relationship. In 2005, they performed together for the Tsunami Relief Fund. In 2006, they performed at
19264-480: The new decade. Many factors had influenced Clapton's comeback, including his "deepening commitment to Christianity", to which he had converted prior to his heroin addiction. After calling his manager and admitting he was an alcoholic, Clapton flew to Minneapolis–Saint Paul in January 1982 and checked in at Hazelden Treatment Center , located in Center City, Minnesota . On the flight over, Clapton indulged in
19436-422: The only studio album by Derek and the Dominos , Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). Allman died following a motorcycle crash on October 29, 1971, at the age of 24. In 2003, he was ranked number 2 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, second only to Jimi Hendrix . In 2011, he was ranked number 9 and in 2023 he was ranked 10th. His guitar tone (achieved with
19608-436: The original riff and dispensed with the piano coda. Because Clapton changed the arrangement so much, he decided to introduce this version to the unsuspecting live audience by stating: "See if you can spot this one." AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that "Layla" seemed to be the Unplugged album's hit; he describes it as a "slow crawl through Derek & the Dominos' version, turning that anguished howl of pain into
19780-408: The other reacted instantaneously. Never once did either of them have to say, 'Could you play that again, please?' It was like two hands in a glove. And they got tremendously off on playing with each other." Dowd was already famous for a variety of work and had worked with Clapton in his Cream days (Clapton once called him "the ideal recording man"); his work on the album would be another achievement. For
19952-479: The period include No Reason to Cry (a collaboration with Bob Dylan and The Band ); Slowhand , which contained " Wonderful Tonight " and a second J. J. Cale cover, " Cocaine ". In 1976, he performed as one of a string of notable guests at the farewell performance of The Band, filmed in a Martin Scorsese documentary titled The Last Waltz . In 1981, Clapton was invited by producer Martin Lewis to appear at
20124-709: The permission to delete the limited album production. For the album, Clapton decided to record both new material like "Lonely Stranger" and old songs he grew up with such as " Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out " or enjoyed listening to or had written as an adult, like " San Francisco Bay Blues " and "Layla". Clapton, who plays acoustic guitar and sings on the live track, was backed by Andy Fairweather Low who played acoustic rhythm guitar, Nathan East on acoustic bass guitar and background vocals, Ray Cooper on percussion, Steve Ferrone on drums, Katie Kissoon and Tessa Niles on background vocals as well as Chuck Leavell on piano. Pianist Chuck Leavell recalled that recording
20296-610: The piano part for the melody, which he claimed to have written (though Bobby Whitlock stated that Rita Coolidge wrote it). The Layla LP was actually recorded by a five-piece version of the group, thanks to the unforeseen inclusion of guitarist Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band . A few days into the Layla sessions, Dowd – who was also producing the Allmans – invited Clapton to an Allman Brothers outdoor concert in Miami. The two guitarists met first on stage, then played all night in
20468-602: The proceeds going to the Bunbury Cricket Club in Cheshire, which plays exhibition cricket matches to raise money for nonprofit organisations in England. The Bunburys recorded three songs for The Bunbury Tails : "We're the Bunburys", "Bunbury Afternoon" and "Fight (No Matter How Long)". The last song also appeared on The 1988 Summer Olympics Album and went to No. 8 on the rock music chart. Clapton played at
20640-626: The recording of most of the album's tracks, contributing some of his best-known work. He never left the Allman Brothers Band, though, despite being offered a permanent position with Clapton. Allman never toured with Derek and the Dominos, but he did make at least two appearances with them, on December 1, 1970, at the Curtis Hixon Hall in Tampa ( Soulmates LP), and on the following day at Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse, New York. It
20812-603: The recording of the Layla album, Duane Allman joined Clapton's fledgling band as a guest. Clapton and Allman, already mutual fans, were introduced by Tom Dowd at an Allman Brothers concert at the Miami Beach Convention Center on 26 August 1970. The two hit it off well and soon became good friends. Dowd said of their guitar-playing chemistry: "There had to be some sort of telepathy going on because I've never seen spontaneous inspiration happen at that rate and level. One of them would play something, and
20984-579: The revolution, because there's just evolution. I'm a player. And players don't give a damn for nothing but playing...." Released as a double album in February 1972, it contains a side of live and studio tracks with Allman, two sides of " Mountain Jam ", recorded with Allman at the same time as At Fillmore East in March, and a side of tracks by the surviving five members of the band. Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley died less than 13 months later, also at
21156-531: The road, performing throughout the Southeast, and eventually were based in Nashville. The Allman Joys became Hour Glass and moved to Los Angeles in early 1967. There Hour Glass recorded two albums for Liberty Records , but the band was unsatisfied. Liberty tried to market them as a pop band, ignoring the band's desire to play more blues-oriented material. Hour Glass broke up in early 1968. Duane and Gregg went back to Florida, where they played on demo sessions with
21328-429: The same two-input Fender Champ amplifier. Shortly afterwards, Clapton returned to the studio, where he heard Jim Gordon playing a piano piece he had composed separately. Impressed by the piece, Clapton convinced Gordon to allow it to be used as part of the song. Though only Gordon has been credited with this part, according to Whitlock, "Jim took that piano melody from his ex-girlfriend Rita Coolidge . I know because in
21500-460: The second 20 years later as an acoustic Unplugged performance by Clapton. In 2004, "Layla" was ranked number 27 on Rolling Stone ' s list of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ", and the acoustic version won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song . In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame . In 1966, Beatles guitarist George Harrison married Pattie Boyd ,
21672-406: The sessions in Florida; he talked about Allman as the "musical brother I'd never had but wished I did." The Allman Brothers went on to record At Fillmore East in March 1971. Meanwhile, Allman continued contributing session work to other artists' albums whenever he could. According to Skydog: The Duane Allman Story, he would spontaneously drop in at recording sessions and contribute to whatever
21844-592: The song after his then girlfriend asked him the question "if I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?") In 1973, four boys who were Hinds Junior College students living in Vicksburg, Mississippi carved the very large letters "REMEMBER DUANE ALLMAN" into a vertical excavation face beside Interstate Highway 20 between Vicksburg and the school's campus in Raymond on the route they travelled together while commuting between their homes and campus. A photograph
22016-471: The spring of 1970, he was told that some members of Delaney & Bonnie's back-up band, including bassist Carl Radle , drummer Jim Gordon and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock , were leaving the group. Seizing the opportunity, Clapton formed a new group with Whitlock, Radle and Gordon. Naming themselves Derek and the Dominos, the band "made our bones", according to Clapton, while backing Harrison on his first post-Beatles solo album, All Things Must Pass . During
22188-399: The studio limitation, was able to play on his first album as a sessions ace with Wilson Pickett . Allman's work on that album, Hey Jude (1968), got him hired as a full-time session musician at Muscle Shoals and brought him to the attention of other musicians, notably Eric Clapton , who later said, "I remember hearing Wilson Pickett's 'Hey Jude' and just being astounded by the lead break at
22360-526: The studio, and became friends. Duane first added his slide guitar to " Tell the Truth " and " Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out ". In four days, the five-piece Dominos recorded " Key to the Highway ", " Have You Ever Loved a Woman " (a blues standard popularised by Freddie King and others) and "Why Does Love Got to be So Sad?" In September, Duane briefly left the sessions for gigs with his own band, and
22532-446: The time. The song was inspired by a love story that originated in 7th-century Persian literature and later formed the basis of The Story of Layla and Majnun by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi , a copy of which Ian Dallas had given to Clapton. The book moved Clapton profoundly, because it was the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful young girl, went crazy and so could not marry her. The song
22704-499: The trailing two-thirds which is instrumental only. Critical opinion since has been overwhelmingly positive. Dave Marsh , in The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll , wrote that "there are few moments in the repertoire of recorded rock where a singer or writer has reached so deeply into himself that the effect of hearing them is akin to witnessing a murder or a suicide... to me 'Layla'
22876-424: The tune as the mega hit off the Unplugged album. The critics especially liked Leavell's piano work on the song, saying that it "adds a smoky-jazz-joint torch-song ambience that's both expectation shattering and emotionally compelling to the tune". Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. In 1970, Jamrock Entertainment listed "Layla" as
23048-449: The twin lead guitars of Clapton and Duane Allman, with Allman's slide guitar as a key ingredient of the sound. Working at Criteria Studios in Miami with Atlantic Records producer Tom Dowd , who had worked with Clapton on Cream's Disraeli Gears , the band recorded a double album. The album contained the hit love song " Layla ", inspired by the classical poet of Persian literature , Nizami Ganjavi 's The Story of Layla and Majnun ,
23220-455: The two movements together, "Layla" was complete. The opening five bars to the guitar part of "Layla" Due to the circumstances of its composition, "Layla" is defined by two movements , each marked by a riff. The first movement, which was recorded in the key of D minor for choruses and C-sharp minor for verses, is centred on the "signature riff", a guitar piece using hammer-ons , pull-offs and power chords . The first section contains
23392-462: The venue is like "playing in my front room". In March 1965, Clapton and the Yardbirds had their first major hit, " For Your Love ", written by songwriter Graham Gouldman , who also wrote hit songs for Herman's Hermits and the Hollies (and later achieved success of his own as a member of 10cc ). In part because of its success, the Yardbirds elected to move toward a pop-orientated sound, much to
23564-399: The verses and a slide solo during the outro), and one track with both Allman and Clapton playing duplicate solos (the 7-note "signature" riff doubled in two octaves and the 12-note "signature" riff doubled in unison). According to Clapton, Allman played the first seven notes of the 12-note "signature" riff fretted and the last five notes on slide in standard tuning. Each player used one input of
23736-427: The virtuosity of Allman on the guitar, was released in 2013 with the help of his daughter, Galadrielle Allman. A March 16 interview with her on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday by Scott Simon runs over eight minutes, includes many details, and is highlighted with clips of his playing, including links to an audio file prepared for the broadcast. Duane Allman was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 as
23908-416: The western part of Macon. As he approached Bartlett Street, a flatbed boom truck stopped suddenly in the intersection, forcing him to swerve sharply. He struck either the back of the truck or the ball on the crane and was thrown from the motorcycle, which landed on top of him and skidded another 90 feet (27 m) with him pinned underneath it, crushing his internal organs . He was alive when he arrived at
24080-569: Was Clapton's first number one hit. The 1975 album There's One in Every Crowd continued this trend. The album's original title, The World's Greatest Guitar Player (There's One in Every Crowd) , was changed before pressing, as it was felt its ironic intention would be misunderstood. The band toured the world and subsequently released the 1975 live LP E. C. Was Here . Clapton continued to release albums and toured regularly. Highlights of
24252-468: Was a band I really liked – and it's almost like I wasn't in that band. It's just a band that I'm a fan of. Sometimes, my own music can be like that. When it's served its purpose to being good music, I don't associate myself with it any more. It's like someone else. It's easy to do those songs then. Pattie Boyd later reflected: "I think that he was amazingly raw at the time ... He's such an incredible musician that he's able to put his emotions into music in such
24424-510: Was among the dozens of artists performing at Bob Dylan 's 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration . Recorded at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the live two-disk CD/DVD captured a show full of celebrities performing classic Dylan songs, with Clapton playing the lead on a nearly 7-minute version of Dylan's " Knockin' on Heaven's Door " as part of the finale. While Clapton played acoustic guitar on Unplugged , his 1994 album From
24596-510: Was awarded a CBE for services to music. He has received four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors , including the Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream. In his solo career, he has sold 100 million records worldwide, making him one of
24768-500: Was being taped that day. He received cash payments but no recording credits, making it virtually impossible to compile a complete discography of his works. Allman was well known for his melodic, extended and attention-holding guitar solos. During this period two of his stated influences were Miles Davis and John Coltrane . He said that he had listened intently to Davis's Kind of Blue for two years. As Allman's distinctive electric bottleneck sound began to mature, it evolved into
24940-635: Was born on December 8, 1947. On December 26, 1949, when the family was living near Norfolk, Virginia , where he was stationed, Willis Allman was murdered during an armed robbery by Michael Robert "Buddy" Green (1923-2024), an Army veteran that Allman and another recruiting officer had befriended earlier that day. Green was captured, convicted, sentenced and paroled in 1972. So that she could retrain as an accountant, Geraldine "Mama A" Allman sent Duane and Gregg to Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tennessee , which they both disliked intensely. In 1957,
25112-488: Was composed of Cream drummer Ginger Baker , Steve Winwood of Traffic , and Ric Grech of Family , and yielded one LP and one arena-circuit tour. The supergroup debuted before 100,000 fans in London's Hyde Park on 7 June 1969. They performed several dates in Scandinavia and began a sold-out American tour in July before their only album was released. The LP Blind Faith consisted of just six songs, one of them
25284-783: Was drafted to war before Clapton's birth and then returned to Canada. Clapton grew up believing that his grandmother, Rose, and her second husband, Jack Clapp, Patricia's stepfather, were his parents, and that his mother was actually his older sister. The similarity in surnames gave rise to the erroneous belief that Clapton's real surname is Clapp (Reginald Cecil Clapton was the name of Rose's first husband, Eric Clapton's maternal grandfather). Years later, his mother married another Canadian soldier and moved to Germany, leaving Eric with his grandparents in Surrey. Clapton received an acoustic Hoyer guitar , made in Germany, for his thirteenth birthday, but
25456-506: Was estimated to sell for between $ 60,000 and $ 80,000 but was in the end sold for $ 791,500. Rhythm acoustic guitar player Andy Fairweather Low was invited by Clapton to his flat in Chelsea, London, to work out the songs to be recorded for the Unplugged album in January 1992. During the process, Clapton suggested that it would be a good idea to do another version of "Layla". Fairweather Low agreed because he had wanted to release one himself as
25628-471: Was expressed in the song " Tears in Heaven ", which was co-written by Will Jennings . At the 35th Annual Grammy Awards , Clapton received six Grammys for the single "Tears in Heaven" and his Unplugged album, for which Clapton performed live in front of a small audience on 16 January 1992 at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, Berkshire , England. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 , and
25800-415: Was further inspired by Clapton's secret love for Pattie Boyd , the wife of his friend and fellow musician George Harrison . After Harrison and Boyd divorced, Clapton and Boyd eventually married. "Layla" has, since its release, experienced great critical and popular acclaim, and is often hailed as being among the greatest rock songs of all time. Two versions have achieved chart success, the first in 1972 and
25972-403: Was increased slightly during mixing. The resulting pitch is somewhere between C and C sharp. The piano interlude at the end of the song is augmented by an acoustic guitar, and is also the accompaniment to the outro-solo . The same melody is also played on Allman's slide guitar an octave higher. Gordon does not improvise or deviate from the piano part; Clapton and Allman are the ones who improvise
26144-580: Was increasingly influenced by The Band and their 1968 album Music from Big Pink , saying: "What I appreciated about the Band was that they were more concerned with songs and singing. They would have three- and four-part harmonies, and the guitar was put back into perspective as being accompaniment. That suited me well, because I had gotten so tired of the virtuosity – or pseudo -virtuosity – thing of long, boring guitar solos just because they were expected. The Band brought things back into perspective. The priority
26316-537: Was inspired by the story of Layla and Majnun , which Clapton had been told by his friend Ian Dallas , who was in the process of converting to Islam . Nizami's tale, about a moon princess who was married off by her father to a man she did not love, resulting in Majnun's madness, struck a deep chord with Clapton. Boyd divorced Harrison in 1977 and married Clapton in 1979 during a concert stop in Tucson, Arizona . Harrison
26488-633: Was invited to play for the MTV Unplugged series. On 16 January 1992, he recorded an acoustic album , accompanied by a concert film, at the Bray Studios in Bray, Berkshire . Although the production team and Clapton's staff liked the recordings, Clapton did not want to release either the album or the concert film. Finally, Clapton agreed to release the album in a limited edition. When Unplugged sold out, Clapton gave Warner Bros. and Reprise Records
26660-422: Was musical director for the Concert for George . In January 1969, when the Beatles were recording and filming what became Let It Be , tensions became so acute that Harrison quit the group for several days, prompting John Lennon to suggest they complete the project with Clapton if Harrison did not return. Michael Lindsay-Hogg , television director of the recording sessions for Let It Be , later recalled: "I
26832-422: Was not bitter about the divorce and attended Clapton's wedding party with his former bandmates Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney . During their relationship, Clapton wrote another love ballad for Boyd, " Wonderful Tonight " (1977). Clapton and Boyd divorced in 1989. After the break-up of Cream, Clapton tried his hand with several groups, including Blind Faith and the husband-and-wife duo Delaney & Bonnie . In
27004-409: Was not released until he had left the band for the last time in July 1966. The album itself is often called The Beano Album by fans because of its cover photograph showing Clapton reading the British children's comic The Beano . Having swapped his Fender Telecaster and Vox AC30 amplifier for a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar and Marshall amplifier , Clapton's sound and playing inspired
27176-581: Was published in Rolling Stone magazine and in the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll ; the carving lasted for over 10 years. In 1998, the Georgia State Legislature passed a resolution designating a stretch of State Highway 19, U.S. Route 41 , within Macon, as Duane Allman Boulevard in his honor. The route, which passes near The Allman Brothers Band Museum (at "The Big House", where
27348-410: Was recorded in New York in September 1969 and released a few months later. In the midst of intense touring, work began in Macon and Miami (at Atlantic South–Criteria Studios), and a little bit in New York, on the band's second album, Idlewild South . Produced mostly by Tom Dowd , Idlewild South was released in August 1970 and broke new ground for them by getting into the Billboard charts. After
27520-404: Was recorded in its rock form. The recording of the first section consisted of sixteen tracks of which six were guitar tracks: a rhythm part by Clapton, three tracks of harmonies played by Clapton (the main power chord riff on both channels and two harmonies against that main riff, one on the left channel and one on the right channel), a track of solos by Allman (fretted solos with bent notes during
27692-576: Was released as a single and later won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance . The 1990s brought a series of 32 concerts to the Royal Albert Hall, such as the 24 Nights series of concerts that took place around January through February 1990, and February to March 1991. On 30 June 1990, Dire Straits, Clapton and Elton John made a guest appearance in the Nordoff-Robbins charity show held at Knebworth in England. On 27 August 1990, fellow blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan , who
27864-445: Was released in November [of 1969]." While visiting St. Louis, Allman met Donna Roosman, who bore his second child, Galadrielle. The couple's relationship soon ended. He had an earlier relationship with Patti Chandlee which resulted in the birth of a daughter who was born deaf. The Allman Brothers Band went on to become one of the most influential rock groups of the 1970s. George Kimball, writing in Rolling Stone in 1971, described
28036-420: Was released on Reprise Records on 30 August . Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock and blues guitarist and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band , for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Born in Nashville, Tennessee , Allman began playing the guitar at age 14. He formed
28208-571: Was released shortly after Cream disbanded. It also spawned the studio single " Badge ", co-written by Clapton and George Harrison (Clapton had met and become close friends with Harrison after the Beatles shared a bill with the Clapton-era Yardbirds at the London Palladium ). In 1968, Clapton played the lead guitar solo on Harrison's " While My Guitar Gently Weeps ", from the Beatles' self-titled double album (also known as
28380-516: Was revived, and managed to finish his performance. In January 1973, the Who 's Pete Townshend organised a comeback concert for Clapton at London's Rainbow Theatre , titled the " Rainbow Concert ", to help Clapton kick his addiction. Clapton returned the favour by playing "The Preacher" in Ken Russell's film version of the Who's Tommy in 1975. His appearance in the film (performing "Eyesight to
28552-619: Was satisfied. In 1961, after leaving Hollyfield School in Surbiton , he studied at the Kingston College of Art but was expelled at the end of the academic year because his focus had remained on music rather than art. His guitar playing was sufficiently advanced that, by the age of 16, he was getting noticed. Around this time, he began busking around Kingston , Richmond , and the West End . In 1962, he started performing as
28724-576: Was taped and the footage was released both on VHS video cassette and later, on DVD. Clapton's 1996 recording of the Wayne Kirkpatrick / Gordon Kennedy / Tommy Sims tune "Change the World" (on the soundtrack of the film Phenomenon ) won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1997, the same year he recorded Retail Therapy (an album of electronic music with Simon Climie under the pseudonym TDF ). On 15 September 1997, Clapton appeared at
28896-456: Was the most performed song of the year, and won a BMI Broadcasting Award for radio and television appearances of the 1992 "Layla" for more than two million times in summer of 1994. As of 2011, "Layla" had attained more than six million broadcasts on television and the radio or performances on other records and during live concerts. "Layla" was used in Goodfellas during the scene portraying
29068-477: Was the song." The band was originally called "Eric Clapton and Friends". The eventual name was a fluke that occurred when the band's provisional name of "Del and the Dynamos" was misread as Derek and the Dominos. Clapton's biography states that Tony Ashton of Ashton, Gardner and Dyke told Clapton to call the band "Del and the Dominos", since "Del" was his nickname for Eric Clapton. Del and Eric were combined and
29240-506: Was there when John mentioned Clapton – but that wasn't going to happen. Would Eric have become a Beatle? No. Paul [McCartney] didn't want to go there. He didn't want them to break up. Then George came back." Clapton was on good terms with all four of the Beatles; in December 1968 he had played with Lennon at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus as part of the one-off group the Dirty Mac . Cream briefly reunited in 1993 to perform at
29412-484: Was touring with Clapton, and three members of their road crew were killed in a helicopter crash between concerts. Then, on 20 March 1991, Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor, died after falling from the 53rd-floor window of his mother's friend's New York City apartment at 117 East 57th Street. Clapton was informed of his son's death through a hysterical phone call by the boy's mother Lory Del Santo . Once comprehending what had happened he described feeling like he "went off
29584-453: Was troubled by romantic longings and drug and alcohol addiction. Still infatuated with Boyd and torn by his friendship with Harrison, he withdrew from recording and touring to isolation in his Surrey residence as the Dominos broke up. He nursed a heroin addiction , which resulted in a lengthy career hiatus interrupted only by performing at Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh benefit shows in New York in August 1971; there, he passed out on stage,
#392607