Eric Clapton
Honestly, I feel pretty bad about listing Eric Clapton here. It's not that he doesn't belong on the list; if anyone does, it's the guitar god himself. But it's kind of a cheat code to mention Clapton. I'll just assume some younger fans aren't aware of the long and winding - sorry, wrong band; make that the path that Clapton took en route to his stellar solo career.
As is the case with about half of Britain's great musicians, Clapton began his career with the iconic blues-rock band, the Yardbirds. Hmmm... Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Yep, those guys can all play. Okay, technically, Clapton didn't begin with the group straight from the womb, but close enough. He was 18 when he took over as their lead guitarist. Beck and Page came after Clapton left, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Clapton spent two years with the group as the lead guitarist. What else, right? Their first album, 1964's Five Live Yardbirds, covers American blues and R & B songs, including songs by Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker. They followed it up in 1965 with For Your Love, featuring the title track, which had been released as a single earlier that year.
The album as a whole has a strong pop-rock feel. Predictably, the blues purist Clapton wanted no part of it and quit during the recording sessions. Beck stepped in and played lead on at least four of the tracks.
Meanwhile, Eric Clapton scampered off to a band more to his liking, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Their debut studio album, the imaginatively titled Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, was released in 1966. A combination of blues covers, like Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" and Robert Johnson's "Ramblin' On My Mind," along with original songs by Mayall and Clapton, it peaked at number 6 on the U.K. charts.
I'm sure you'll be shocked, but that was it for Clapton. He departed to join a new power trio, the iconic band Cream. Drummer Ginger Baker, formerly of Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation, was the driving force behind the new band.
He was joined by Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce, who was also briefly in the Blues Breakers and with Manfred Mann. Bruce was also in the GBO band. At least, I think it was a band; it might have been a hedge fund, for all I know.
Cream released three albums before tensions between Baker and Bruce ripped them apart. 1966's Fresh Cream charted well in the U.K. and in the States, and generated the hit single, "I Feel Free." In 1967, Cream wrote themselves into the annals of rock with Disraeli Gears.
It wasn't the first example of psychedelic rock, but it remains one of the finest. It charted in the top five on both sides of the Atlantic.
The single "Strange Brew" did well, but it was "Sunshine of Your Love" that defined the band's legacy. Artists as varied as Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Costello and the Police, Santana, and yes, even Ella Fitzgerald have covered the iconic hit. An important note: do not settle for the truncated 3:03 single version; only the 4:08 album masterpiece will do.
The band released the double album, Wheels of Fire, in 1968. It charted at number 3 in the U.K. and number 1 in the U.S., and was the first double album to be certified platinum. The first disc was recorded in a studio and featured the classic cuts "White Room" and "Born Under a Bad Sign."
The second disc was recorded live at the Fillmore West and features just four tracks in all. Robert Johnson's blues classic "Crossroads" has become a signature piece for Clapton, but there's no denying the virtuosity of the trio on the two long jam sessions, "Spoonful" and "Toad."
As I noted earlier, the band only released three albums before they split up in 1968. Cream did put out a fourth album with perhaps the most appropriate title ever, Goodbye. It was recorded in November of 1968, almost literally while the doomsday clock was counting down for the band.
It consists of three studio tracks and three live songs. Coupling blues standards like "I'm So Glad" and "Sittin' On Top of the World" with original material, it was an appropriate send-off for the often fractious group.
We return you now to a band you've met before: Blind Faith. Clapton got his first solo writer credit for "Presence of the Lord," so he got something out of it. I mean, other than a sold-out U.S. tour and more adulation. Don't worry about Eric, though. He toured with the band Delaney & Bonnie, the Plastic Ono Band. and recorded his first solo album, Eric Clapton.
It featured hits "Let It Rain" and a hard-driving soulful cover of J.J. Cale's "After Midnight". Between 1969 and 1970, Clapton recorded with a who's who of music: Dr. John, Billy Preston, Howlin' Wolf, Stephen Stills, and Ringo Starr, among others.
It's still just 1970. Clapton decided to launch his own band, but eschewed the all-star route. He recruited three members of Delany and Bonnie and Friends - basically, the Friends - and formed Derek and the Dominos. They went on a three-week club tour to hone their craft in the summer of 1970 and recorded their debut, the double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, in September.
"Layla," of course, is the treasure here, although it also includes the notable songs "Bell Bottom Blues" and a cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing." The band toured that fall and began recording a second album in the spring of 1971.
Before it was completed, the band dissolved due to various tensions that had been building from the beginning. The story of Derek and the Dominos could fill several volumes. For now, just know that Clapton retreated from music for three years.
Those who know Clapton's story also know why he took such a long sabbatical. That concert I mentioned several thousand words ago? That was the Rainbow Concert, celebrating his return. Next up was the 1974 solo album, 461 Ocean Boulevard.
His cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" was his first number-one single. Despite releasing 20 more solo albums and 91 singles in all, it would remain his only song to top the Billboard charts.
At this point, these gentlemen are a bit on the chronologically advantaged side of life, yet all three are still performing. And rock music is that much better for it.