did eric clapton tour with roger waters

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When Roger Waters Returned to the Stage With Eric Clapton

The year 1984 wasn’t exactly a time for dark, introspective prog-rock tales of adultery and fever dreams, as laid out on Roger Waters 's first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking .

MTV was broadcasting a steady stream of Michael Jackson , Prince , Madonna , Duran Duran and Culture Club while Waters completed an album originally conceived concurrently with his equally bleak opus  The Wall . Both were offered up to the other members of Pink Floyd , leaving the shelved Pros and Cons for Waters to release after the band’s breakup.

“I made demo tapes of them both, and in fact presented both demo tapes to the rest of the Floyd, and said, ‘Look, I'm going to do one of these as a solo project and we'll do one as a band album, and you can choose,’” Waters told the Source in 1984. “So, this was the one that was left over. Um ... I mean, it's developed an awful lot since then, I think.”

Eric Clapton plays lead guitar on the record and joined Waters for the 1984 portion of the Pros and Cons tour, which marked Waters’ first shows since he wrapped up The Wall tour with Pink Floyd in 1981.

The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking tour started in Stockholm on June 16, 1984, and included a nine-concert European run that stopped in Paris, Birmingham, London, Rotterdam and Zurich. The first North American leg included just 10 shows and debuted on July 17, 1984, with two nights in Hartford, Conn., both of which included many empty seats. Three shows at New Jersey’s Brendan Byrne Arena sold out, as did a show at Philadelphia’s Spectrum. The run wrapped up with dates in Rosemont, Ill., outside of Chicago, two at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens and at Montreal’s Forum.

Ticket sales lagged overall for the 1984 leg and reviews were mixed, if not downright savage. Waters has said the tour lost money, costing him almost half a million dollars. The band also included guitarist and bassist Tim Renwick, drummer Andy Newmark, bassist and organist Chris Stainton, keyboardist Michael Kamen, saxophonist Mel Collins and backup singers Katie Kissoon and Doreen Chanter. A second leg of the tour in 1985 included 17 dates with Jay Stapley taking over for Clapton.

Waters' 11-song performances touched on Pink Floyd staples from several albums, including Wish You Were Here , The Wall , Animals and The Dark Side of the Moon . He notably included “The Gunner’s Dream,” a rare live performance from The Final Cut . The second set was a performance of The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking in its entirety, with visuals from longtime Waters collaborator Nicolas Roeg and animation from The Wall wizard Gerald Scarfe.

“It was clear that Waters’ heart was in the Hitchhiking segment, and that part of the concert showcased his most impassioned singing,” Boston Globe critic Jim Sullivan said of the first show at Hartford. But Sullivan, like many others at the time, dismissed Pros and Cons as bleak, meandering and mediocre.

“ The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking is a colossal failure,” he wrote. “On record, it’s a disjointed, static bore. In concert it was a disjointed, static bore augmented by surreal visuals.” While Sullivan hailed the Pink Floyd portion of the show, he blasted Waters' new music, calling it “convoluted and dull.”

Liam Lacey of the Toronto Globe and Mail was equally harsh after the first Maple Leaf Gardens performance, adding that “Roger Waters’ music was really such an utter crock, a middle-brow and inept attempt to make a Big Statement. The all-star band did its best to keep the musical weaknesses from becoming too obvious. Looking at the faces of the players, though – and the face of Waters himself – it was obvious that no one seemed to be having much fun with the music.”

Lacey even blasted Clapton, writing that he “seemed positively bored. Although his stylish, technically perfect guitar solos were the most interesting musical portions of the show, there was never any indication of passion in his playing.”

Stephen Holden of the New York Times was a bit kinder, hailing the first New Jersey show as a “multimedia spectacle” that was “one of the year's most imposing displays of rock theatrics and technology.” Holden described Waters' latest song cycle as an “impenetrable dreamlike allegory” that included “only one solid melody ... but the melange of sound effects and surreal, occasionally gory visuals effectively maintained an atmosphere of theatricalized paranoia and alienation."

Not much footage is publicly available from the tour and what exists is low quality . Still, despite featuring one of Waters' less popular albums, the tour featured guitar work by Clapton that is nothing short of stellar – and The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking is nevertheless defended in some corners.

It was a difficult and dark time for Waters personally as he rebounded from the messy demise of Pink Floyd. Coupled with the shiny, happy pop landscape of the time, and the massive burden of The Wall 's success, it’s not surprising critics were hard on his first foray back onto the world stage.

Regardless, it was an historic and bold return for Waters. To have Clapton along for the ride secured a visually and musically stunning performance, even if not everyone agreed on the results.

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Keyboardist Chris Stainton on His Years With Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, and the Who

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

He performed at Woodstock , even though he took so much LSD that morning that he puked on the helicopter ride over. A year later, he barnstormed the country as part of Joe Cocker ‘s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. He played in front of a global audience of 2 billion at Live Aid alongside Eric Clapton and Phil Collins, and then was onstage at the 2002 Concert for George where he sat about five feet from Paul McCartney and helped out with one of the all-time great renditions of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

But unless you’re a true classic-rock aficionado, you’ve probably never heard of keyboardist Chris Stainton. That’s because despite playing on landmark albums like the Who ‘s Quadrophenia and 40 years’ worth of gigs with Eric Clapton, where he’s likely logged more time onstage with the guitarist than any other musician in history, he’s deliberately kept an extremely low profile.

“I’d be quite happy to be like Ian Stewart of the Stones,” Stainton tells Rolling Stone . “They used to hide him behind a curtain. It’s nice being onstage, but I don’t want to be a star. I’m not a star. There are frontmen and there’s backing men. I’m a backing man.”

We phoned up the quintessential backing man at his home in Camberley, England, to hear how he went from a kid in Sheffield who loved Elvis Presley and Fats Domino to the Woodstock stage and the recording studio with the likes of the Who and David Gilmour, and how he’s managed to last in Clapton’s touring and recording band for all these years.

How has your pandemic year gone? It’s the same for everyone, I think. You’re stuck home. You just go to the shops and come back. That’s it.

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You were still playing when this thing hit. Yeah. We had everything canceled. The last show that I did was February 2020, which was a tribute to Ginger Baker that we did in London. After that, the whole pandemic hit. They canceled last year’s tour of Europe and America. They tried to put the Europe tour for Eric back on sale for this year, but it got canceled again. They are looking to get an American tour for the fall. So, we’re waiting.

I want to go back here and talk about your life. What was the first music you remember that really left an impression on you? I was born in Sheffield, up in the north of England. The first thing I can remember is that my mom and dad used to listen to New Orleans jazz records. They had a lot of stuff like that. I used to listen to that. I must have been five or six. They had a record player and I’d put the records on and listen to all their stuff.

My dad had a clarinet, an accordion, and a banjo. He played stuff himself. Unfortunately, he got multiple sclerosis, so that put an end to that. He was quite musical. My mom used to sing a lot. And every home in the north of England had a piano in the front room. We always had a piano there.

How young were you when you learned to play the piano? Five or six, I would say. We used to also listen to the radio, and the thing I would listen to the most was the bass. That was what I was interested in. I eventually caught up and became a bass player.

What was the attraction of the bass to you? I just loved the deep tone of it, the sound of it. Every record, I’d listen to the bass more than anything.

I do remember the early Elvis and early Jerry Lee Lewis and all those things, Fats Domino. They all used to have double bass on them in the Fifties. Eventually, the electric came in on songs like “Jailhouse Rock” and “Around and Around” by Chuck Berry. They were some of the first records to ever have electric bass on them. I was fascinated by this. Eventually, I got a Fender Precision Bass.

How old were you when you realized you wanted this to be your career? I was in school. I left school at 16 and had a couple of jobs booked, but by 17 I was professional and in a band in Sheffield.

Were you playing bass? Yeah. I played bass up until 1968. My first band was in 1961. It was a local Sheffield band.

Were you influenced by Cliff Richard and the Shadows? I was at first. But I always thought Cliff Richard was a bit wimpy. He wasn’t the real deal. After listening to Elvis Presley and the American bands, I was more interested in that stuff.

Do you recall first hearing the Beatles in 1962? Oh yeah. I went through all of that. Everyone was nuts for them. The bands that I was in, we did all their songs in the early Sixties.

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Was Paul McCartney a big inspiration to you as a bass player? Yes. He did quite a few really good things in the early days. He did some amazing bass lines. I probably learned them all, I think. I would rate him as one of the best bass players around.

How did you eventually team up with Joe Cocker and form the Grease Band? Well, as I said, I was in a local band in Sheffield and it petered out. I then went to Germany and did a couple of tours there. I then came back home, gave up, and got a job.

What was the job? I was a television engineer and doing quite well, but I was playing in a local Sheffield band at the same time. But I was playing at a gig in Sheffield and Joe Cocker suddenly appeared and asked me to join his band. He had a band called Joe Cocker’s Big Blues. He asked me to join that. And so I joined, playing the bass.

What kind of venues did you play? Pubs, clubs, anywhere, all over the place. This was 1966, ’67. We did a couple of years doing that.

His talent must have been apparent even then. Oh, yeah. He was destined to be somebody. But nothing happened until we went into the studio. And [producer] Denny Cordell was the guy. He was doing groups like the Move and Procol Harum. They were looking for a different kind of act and somehow Joe found out about it. We made a demo. It was called “Marjorine.” It was an instrumental of mine that I’d written and Joe put words to it. We sent it down to London and they liked it. They decided to have us down to do some tracks in the studio.

Why did you switch from bass to piano and organ? That happened in England in 1968 because the Grease Band lineup changed quite a lot. It went from the Sheffield one, when I was playing the bass, and we had Tommy Eyre, who went on to play with George Michael. We had him on organ and I was on bass. He was a great, great player.

We changed bands and Joe decided he liked my piano playing since I played piano on a few tracks on the first album as well as bass. He wanted me on piano and was like, “We’ll get a bass player and drummer.” We got Bruce Rowland and Alan Spenner from another band and they came in. That’s how it started. It was because he liked my piano playing so much and I was thrust onto piano.

Tell me about coming up with that arrangement of “With a Little Help From My Friends.” That was Joe. He thought of it at home in Sheffield. Apparently, according to the legend, he was on the toilet. In those days, we had outside toilets in Sheffield. There’s now a plaque on this toilet to the effect of, “That’s where it was conceived.” But I don’t know if that’s true or not.

It’s such a radically different approach to the song. It was Joe. He was always a fan of Ray Charles and Aretha [Franklin] and that kind of soul, the Atlantic Records stuff. He loved the 6/8 swing beat, the way the girls sang. He envisioned it. I don’t know how he came across it, but he said to me, “Why don’t we try this this way?” We had a band and we ran through it and it came together. It was a combination. I thought of a few bits, but it was Joe’s idea, mainly.

I can’t think of many Beatles covers that improve on the original, but that’s one of the few. Yeah. The original was a bit of a silly song. It was amazing what Joe did with it.

How was the first American tour? That was early 1969. It was an eye-opener for me. I’d never been to America. We landed up in New York and there was all the craziness and yellow cabs everywhere. It was just a complete shock to me. We stayed at a place called Loews Midtown on Eighth Avenue and 48th. Joe and I stayed in a room together.

What were the early gigs like? Did it take a little while to build an audience? Well, we did good straight from the start. We had a hit with “With a Little Help From My Friends.” It was becoming a big hit in America. I remember we did one gig at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, which I think is now lying derelict. But we did a gig there and when we started playing “With a Little Help From My Friends,” the audience rushed the stage. They went berserk. I don’t think they’d ever seen anything like Cocker.

Do you recall first hearing about this big music festival that was going to happen in Upstate New York? Woodstock. Yeah. I didn’t really pay much attention at the time. But we all went up there by helicopter. They couldn’t get us in any other way. They flew us in and we did our set and they flew us back out with a helicopter.

What was it like to fly in on the helicopter and see the crowds below? It was ridiculous. I had some acid just before I went into the helicopter and I threw up in the helicopter. I just remember it being so noisy and everything. It was colossal. It was a colossal experience to see the crowd, but it was a good feeling. There wasn’t any bad vibes or anything. It was all good. Everybody was being really great.

Backstage, did you meet CSNY or the Band or anyone else that played on your day? No. We never saw anyone. We were flown in. We went to some weird tent they had. We didn’t see anybody. We went onstage, did the gig, and then were flown right out. Right after we finished the set, a storm came up and we had to get out real quick.

Was that an especially good night for the band or just a typical one? It was pretty good. Joe did really, really well. He came over fantastically. That helped him in his career at that point.

In the movie, they show a lot of Joe and not a lot of you beyond your hands at the very beginning of the song. I don’t know how I played because I was out of my brains on acid. I stopped thinking and just went along with it and everything was fine.

When did you meet Leon Russell? That came the next year. I’m not actually sure of the date, maybe the end of 1969. He was doing an album in London and I met him there. It all started when we went over to New York and then Joe went over to L.A. to meet Leon. He asked Leon to get a band together for him, which he did, with all the guys who were on the Mad Dogs tour.

I was in New York and I drove over there with our roadie, Pete Nichols. We hired a van and drove from New York to L.A. It took us about seven days. We arrived at Leon’s house and everyone was there, like [bassist] Carl Radle and [drummer] Jim Gordon and [trumpet player] Jim Price. It was the whole lot of them.

Did it become apparent very quickly that this was a really good bunch of musicians that could put on an amazing live show? Well, I was in awe of Leon Russell. He was my idol as a piano player. I thought, “I won’t be able to play anything as good as him.” And so I wound up playing a lot of Hammond organ. When he went on guitar, I played piano.

What’s your favorite memory from that tour? That’s a good question. It wasn’t as great as it seemed. It was a lot of drugs, too many. There were too many drugs floating around and people were giving Joe drugs all over the place and messing him up big time. I don’t have too many good memories of it, but we had some great gigs. We did the Fillmore East a couple of nights and that was really great.

Were drugs a big issue for everyone on that tour? I don’t know how people managed to stay together, but it wasn’t everybody. I know Joe and I did quite a few, but there were people that didn’t. Carl Radle was Mr. Clean. Jim Keltner was with us for a while and he didn’t do anything. Quite a few people were clean and healthy, but we made up for that.

You’re credited on “Dixie Lullaby” on Leon Russell’s first album. I wrote the chords to that, I would say. I was in Leon’s studio and I just bashed out some chords and played it to him and he said, “I can do a song to that.” And so that’s how that came about.

That album was a hit. The publishing must have been decent for you. I still get stuff from that, yeah. This is fast-forwarding a couple of years, but we did a tour with Joe in 1972 and we rehearsed in Westport, Connecticut. It was just my band, all English musicians. We were rehearsing and trying out singers and nothing was working out. And so I give Joe a call and he came out and joined us and we had a good band.

What happened was while we were rehearsing, we wrote this song. I started playing out this riff, which just went [ hums it ] and it was “Woman to Woman.” Joe made a song out of it. It was on some obscure album [1972’s Joe Cocker ] that never really did anything. But it got picked up by all the rappers. Everybody has sampled it. There’s been about 20 different people that have sampled it. Most famously was Tupac Shakur when he did “California Love.”

That wasn’t just a big hit, but really one of the defining rap songs of the Nineties.  And it was my riff. I’ve made more out of that than anything else I’ve done.

Why did you leave Joe Cocker’s band before I Can Stand a Little Rain ? Well, we did a tour in 1972 for about a year. We went everywhere: America, Europe, and we wound up in Australia. And we got busted for grass in Sydney. Joe and I got arrested. My wife Gail got arrested, the poor thing. She had nothing to do with it.

I forgot to mention that in 1969 I met my wife Gail in Chicago. She was with me through the whole thing, through Mad Dogs. We got married in June 1970 in Los Angeles and then moved to England. We were back in England.

Anyway, I didn’t do much until 1972 when we did that tour where I got busted. After that, to avoid being deported out of Australia, we snuck off. We went to a safe house with the manager at the time, Nigel Thomas. He got us out of Australia without being deported. We went home and went our separate ways. I lost touch with Joe completely. He was well into all sorts of drugs, acid, everything. He just disappears off the radar for a couple of years.

Do you think he could have had a much more productive Seventies had he stayed clean? I think most definitely. He was a very constant guy. He would have kept on doing albums and tours. It’s a great shame. But then he did his famous thing where he completely blew it on some gig, some place in Los Angeles, where he collapsed and laid down onstage. It was the most embarrassing time of his life. But he eventually clawed his way back and did “Up Where We Belong” and “You Are So Beautiful.”

How did you wind up playing on the Who’s Quadrophenia in 1973? Pete Townshend came to see us. We did a tour with the Who and Buddy Rich in 1969, believe it or not. The Who were top of the bill, and then it was Cocker, and then the Buddy Rich Band. We used to do a song called “Hitchcock Railway,” which had a piano introduction. Pete Townshend heard me playing this and he went berserk. He absolutely loved it. It always stuck with him.

At some point, he got in touch with me when he was doing Quadrophenia because he wanted something similar to that. He called me up and I went down and did a few tracks on that.

You’re on “Dirty Jobs,” “5:15,” and “Drowned.” That’s right. You know more than I do.

Did they require many takes? Did you get them quickly? Just the normal thing. Two or three takes before we got them right.

They usually used Nicky Hopkins as their pianist. He lived a sort of parallel life to yours in the Seventies. Did you know him well? I met him a couple of times, but everyone said I reminded them of him and looked a bit like him. He was another of my idols because he was playing the blues way before everyone else. He was absolutely brilliant, but a tormented character. He had a lot of problems with booze, I think.

Tell me about the Tundra record you made with Glen Turner. That was in 1974. I was trying to form a band and I had all sorts of people over to the house. I had a little studio and we just sort of auditioned people and tried to to form bands. I brought over this guy named Henry Spinetti, a drummer and [actor] Victor Spinetti’s brother. We got along well and got a bass player, Charlie Harrison, and then we found Glen Turner from Sheffield. He played guitar and wrote songs and sang. We had him in the band.

My former manager, Nigel Thomas, got us a record deal with somebody. He took us over to Nashville and we made an album. I don’t think you can even still get it. It didn’t do very much, but there were decent songs.

Who had the idea for the cover image of a naked woman with the legs of a leopard? Aren’t you thinking of Boxer? I can’t remember the cover, but the album disappeared without a trace. And then I was with Leo Sayer for a while in 1975. I did a tour with him that was another band with different people. Charlie Harrison the bass player was in that, and a couple of other people.

We did a tour of America and we played the Troubadour. We played the whole States. That was interesting. He had a few hits. I didn’t do anything through 1976. And in 1977, I joined another band called Boxer. That had in it [bassist] Tim Bogert and Eddie Tuduri, a drummer from L.A. We recorded that in L.A. That’s the one that had a picture on the front of a naked woman with a boxing glove between her legs.

I see that one too, but the Tundra one is a naked woman with the legs of a leopard. Maybe that was the American cover. I don’t remember. Just trying to catch people’s attention I guess. [ Laughs ]

So, tell me how you met Eric Clapton. He called me. I was sitting at home doing nothing after the Boxer thing in 1977 and 1978. Well, I did a couple of things with a girl called Maddy Prior, who used to be in this English band Steeleye Span. But it didn’t amount to anything. In 1979, I was just sitting at home doing nothing and Eric Clapton rang me up. He just fired his American band he’d been with in 1977 and 1978. He got rid of them and wanted an English band.

He got an English bass player, Dave Markee, and Henry Spinetti, the drummer. Henry recommended me because he worked with my previously. He said, “You oughta try Chris Stainton.” Eric rang me up and asked me to come down for an audition.

I went to an audition at Eric’s house and we just sat around with little amps and I played his upright piano and that was it. I think he already decided he wanted me in the band before we played more than two songs.

Were you a big fan of Cream and all his past work? Oh, yes. Absolutely. It was my kind of stuff. I remember when I first heard “I Shot the Sheriff,” I went nuts. I was like, “That’s it. That’s brilliant.” I’ve always been a fan of his.

Just One Night is a great document of that era. It was. It was quickly done in Japan and that was it.

I bet you didn’t realize the Clapton gig would be so long-term. My God, no. It’s coming on 42 years now.

It’s got to be flattering that he could have anyone he wants up there, and the members of his group change a lot, but he keeps picking you. Much of the time. I was with him at first for about six years. But then he was battling alcohol addiction in the mid-Eighties and he came back and contacted me again in 1992 and I re-joined him then. I was with him until about 1997 and then he got a real slick band with Nathan East and that incredibly good keyboard player, who should be murdered. [ Laughs ] What’s his name?

Greg Phillinganes? There you go.

He briefly took your job. Yeah. He impressed Eric because he’s so talented everywhere. He could do everything. He’s like a Stevie Wonder — sings, plays, everything.

To go back a bit here, tell me about the Roger Waters tour in 1984 with you and Clapton. That came out of the blue. We were in Japan and Eric came to me and said, “I’m going to do a tour with Roger Waters. Do you want to do it?” I said, “OK.” It was him and he brought me. I think he said to Roger he didn’t want to do it without me on keyboards. We rehearsed with Roger. It was me, [guitarist] Tim Renwick, [keyboardist] Michael Kamen, another genius that disappeared from earth. And Andy Newmark on drums.

Was that a fun tour? It was great because I got to play a lot of sound effects. I had this synthesizer that did sound effects. I had to look at the screen and synchronize it with all the action on the screen. It was a lot of fun. I also got to play bass on a few songs.

Was Roger a good bandleader? Yeah. He was a good bandleader. He used to lose his temper sometimes when he got frustrated. We used to call him General Waters. He was a little military-like and quite demanding in his approach with the band. He liked things exactly the way he liked them. But that’s good. It got a good result.

How was it playing Live Aid with Eric Clapton in 1985? That was really good fun. We were in Philadelphia. That was a lot of fun. It was good because we had [bassist] Duck Dunn in the band and Jamie Oldaker was on drums. Phil Collins was there too. He was everywhere. That was good for me because Eric bought me this Kurzweil piano and it was the first time I’d actually had a brilliant, natural-sounding piano. I used it there.

Do you feel extra pressure at a gig like Live Aid where you know the entire world is watching? No. I don’t get like that. I’m not in the front line and so it doesn’t bother me too much.

You reconnected with Joe Cocker in the late Eighties and began touring with him again. Yeah. I was doing Eric and Joe for a while, all through the Nineties. Inevitably, there was a clash and there were tours booked at the same time. I had to turn Joe down, unfortunately, because Eric was paying considerably more money. [ Laughs ]

I’m sure with Eric it’s private planes and five-star hotels. Yes. Absolutely. With Joe, unfortunately, it was the bus and cheap hotels. But the music with Joe was great and so it was worth it in a way.

It’s going back to the beginning of your career, playing songs like “Feeling Alright” again. Yeah. We did all the old stuff, which I enjoyed, but we also did the new stuff like “Up Where We Belong” and “You Are So Beautiful,” which I got to play and was great. But we had two keyboard players. We also had a guy called Jeff Levine from New York.

Did you ever get tired of being on the road? There were so many tours when you factor in Clapton and Cocker. Yeah. Everybody does. It gets tedious after a while, doesn’t it? It wasn’t much fun for Gail, my wife. She had to stay home and look after everything while I was away. She did it all. We’ve been married now almost 51 years.

That’s like 500 years for rock & roll. [ Laughs ] I know. My daughter is 50 and my grandson is 30.

Incredible. So, how did you avoid all the pitfalls of the road? Many people on the road become drug addicts or lose their minds or watch their marriages fall apart. I think I got a strong wife. She kept me in check. Gail gradually weaned me off all this shit. The reason I’m here now is because of her. I’m very glad. A lot of people have been casualties, obviously.

You basically rejoined Clapton’s band in the early 2000s on a permanent basis. Yeah. He called me up in 2002 and said, “I’m doing a George Harrison tribute.” He’d just died and he asked me to do that. I was like, “Yeah, great.” I did that at the end of 2002, November. That was fabulous.

It was Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Billy Preston … There were four drummers, including Ringo. And Michael Kamen was conducting an orchestra. It was very exotic. Anyway, after that I was back in the band.

It’s been nearly 20 years. Did you hold your breath before every tour about whether or not he would call you, or did you eventually accept that you’d always be there? I don’t accept it. You never really know. He has not called me now and then, at times. You can’t get over-confident. He does seem to have used me for a long time, from 2003 to now.

Tell me about working in the band with Billy Preston. Oh, it was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. What a guy. Fantastic. He was so talented and so quick. You could play something, no matter how intricate it was, and he’d just play it straight away, copy what you did. He was so fast, so musical, so brilliant.

He was a great showman as well. We worked good together. He was basically on the Hammond with a bit of piano. And I’d do piano and some synth. It all blended in perfectly. It was great. And it was such a shame. He’d probably still be in the band now.

I read that he would get dialysis treatments on the road. Yes. He had no kidney function. Every couple of days, every couple of towns, he’d have to go into a hospital and get dialysis. He would be in such pain. He’d be crying out in pain when we got back to the hotel sometimes. But he was crazy. He just wouldn’t give up. I was told that he was into crack and stuff. He would take that stuff and then play like crazy. Everyone was saying he had to stop and he just didn’t. He finally kicked it in 2006.

Tell me how you share keyboard duties in the band, whether it’s with Paul Carrack or Gary Brooker or somebody else. What’s the division of labor? Paul Carrack is basically a Hammond player and he does vocals. He does brilliant Hammond. He did play a bit of piano, but he gave it up and let me do the piano. I do the piano and some synths and he does the vocals and the Hammond.

The other arrangement was that Eric used to sometimes have Stevie Winwood in the band. In that case, Stevie would always do the Hammond, of course, and a bit of piano. But when Stevie was playing guitar, I’d do a lot of Hammond on my side, and synths and piano, but mostly piano.

On some tours, you were the only keyboardist. Yeah. I remember doing a tour of Japan where it was just me, Eric, Steve Gadd, and Dave Bronze on bass. It was very sparse.

How many times do you think you’ve heard the song “Layla” in your life? [ Laughs ] I don’t know. You tell me. It’s in the thousands. I don’t know. My favorite always was the original one, the electric “Layla,” they call it. It was great for me to get to play the piano bit at the end.

He brought that back recently. It was the acoustic one for years and years prior to that. Yeah. He was a bit nervous about playing the actual riff. [ Hums the intro to the song ] He got a bit nervous that he couldn’t play it anymore, but he got over it and we did it a few times.

How were the Jeff Beck shows? They were brilliant. That was great. It was quite tense because they are equal in a way. Jeff is as brilliant in his way as Eric is in his, although they are different. I could see the sparks flying sometimes.

Sparks of what sort? You could feel the tension. Nothing was ever said. They get on great, but you could feel the ego going on with it.

How did you wind up playing in the Who in 2012 when they performed at the Olympics? Pete Townshend wanted me to join the band. They were having problems with Rabbit [Bundrick], the keyboard player. He was the sort of guy that shoots himself in the foot. He says things he shouldn’t say and apparently he insulted them somehow and they threw him out. Pete said, “Oh, we’ll try Chris Stainton.” Pete always liked me because of the “Hitchcock Railway” thing. He asked me to join and they made me all these great offers of good money.

I don’t know what happened, but they had to do the set at the Olympics. We rehearsed at a studio in London, British Grove Studios, one of the best big, old studios left in the world. We rehearsed there and we recorded it. And at the actual Olympics, we mimed it. It was mimed.

I did that. And after that, they seemed to cool off on me. I was all set to do a tour with them and all of a sudden, they fell through and they didn’t ask me. And so God knows that happened. I couldn’t find out what happened. Nobody seemed to know.

I can’t think of a better keyboardist for the Quadrophenia tour than the guy that plays on the actual album. Well, yeah. [ Laughs ] I don’t know.

But you have a pretty good fall-back plan if you’re in Eric Clapton’s band. You weren’t struggling for work. Yeah. I was doing OK.

Did you see Joe Cocker much in the final years of his life? We sort of drifted apart. I did my last tour with him in 2000 and I never actually did see him again. We emailed a couple of times and he used to send pictures of his tomatoes. He would grow tomatoes. The next thing I found out was that he was gone.

What are your favorite Clapton songs to play in concert? “I Shot the Sheriff” is one of the favorites. “Layla” is always good whenever he does it. Songs like “Cocaine” get a bit boring after a while. I don’t know. I like most of them. I like the uptempo stuff, I have to admit. But I like slow ones like “Bell Bottom Blues.” I love that. The biggies like “Tears in Heaven,” that’s nice to play because I get to play steel guitar on that. Not a real one. It’s a synth program, but it’s interesting to play that style.

I’ve seen Eric say a few times that he’s going to retire from touring, but he always seems to keep going. They all say that, don’t they? I don’t know what we’re going to do now. It just looks like a series of variants and lockdowns forever now.

What’s the secret to your longevity in his band? He’s gone through so many players. Why have you managed to stick around? I don’t know. I think when we first met, when I went over to his house, I looked at him and I liked his look. And he must have liked the look of me. I don’t know. You can’t explain it really. We have a sort of thing. I know what he’s going to play and I’m always there, so I guess he appreciates it.

Tell me about playing on the David Gilmour record On an Island. That was a surprise. What happened was we did a tribute to Scotty Moore and we had all guitarists. We had Ron Wood, Eric [Clapton], and Scotty Moore was on it and a few other guys. David Gilmour was one of them and that was when I met him. He must have liked my playing because after that gig, he asked me to play on his album. He had me over. It was at Abbey Road studios. It was Jools Holland on piano and I played Hammond. He’s great. I like Dave Gilmour.

How was the Ginger Baker tribute show last year? That was really good. Ginger Baker’s son [Kofi] played on it and we got to do “I Feel Free.” I got to play all the bright piano bits and everything he played brilliantly. It was the exact solo, the right way. It was brilliant. No one else can play like that. It was great. It was really, really good. We had Paul Carrack doing one part of “I Feel Free,” [backup singer] Katie Kissoon doing another and Sharon White doing the other part. We had all three parts going. It was really good.

Tell me your goals for the next few years. What I’m doing at the moment is I have a little songwriting team with myself and my wife, Gail. We write songs together. They’re on my Chris Stainton YouTube channel. They are all on there. We’re writing songs hoping to get some recognition and hoping to get someone to use them. I have a home studio with ProTools and a bunch of keyboards and drum machines and stuff. I’m quite happy to just compose things, and Gail writes great lyrics and sings on stuff. We’ve got a thing going there.

Do you want to be 80 and still doing this? If I make it to 80 and I’m still doing it, that will be great.

There are a lot of advantages to what you do. You get many perks of the rock-star life, but you’re able to go to restaurants and whatnot and nobody bothers you. Oh, yeah. It’s nice. Nobody bothers me. [ Laughs ]

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The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking by Roger Waters

Album Reviews 1984 Albums , 2014 Reviews , Album Reviews by Ric Albano , British Artists , Eric Clapton , Roger Waters 5

Buy The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking

The concept of The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking was developed by Waters in 1977 and presented to Pink Floyd along with an alternate concept. Ultimately, the group chose the alternative, which was developed into Pink Floyd’s The Wall in 1979. Waters had decided early on to use whichever was not chosen by the band as a solo project and, in 1983, he revisited this concept. The story focuses on a man’s dreams in real time during the early morning hours of a day, which weave in and out of interlocking stories.

Musical conductor and pianist Michael Kamen co-produced the album with Waters and together they put together a talented ensemble of musicians and singers. This started with drummer Andy Newmark , who Waters used on a track of The Final Cut , and climaxed with legendary guitarist Eric Clapton . Brought in after the basic tracks had been recorded, Clapton nonetheless has a strong presence throughout this album and even shines brightest during a few brilliant musical moments.

While it is hard to compare the musical style of this album to anything else, there are a lot of the same elements as The Wall on this album. While the narrative is hard to decipher, the story is about an English man who’s married to an American wife (just like Waters) and begins with the man having a nightmare and we follow his dreams and reality for 45 minutes of real time. “4:30 AM (Apparently They Were Traveling Abroad)” enters with plenty of sound effects and distant, theatrical guitar chords. There is a distant sound of a newsreader saying “Apparently they were traveling abroad and they picked up some hitchhikers…”, which seems to be the catalyst for many of the dream-stories about traveling and hitchhikers. On this track Waters establishes a melody that recurs throughout the album. “4:33 AM (Running Shoes)” is much stronger musically with tension-filled drums, screams of backing chorus, and wailing saxophone by David Sanborn .

In the dream narrative, the main character has an affair with a young female hitchhiker but wakes next to his wife with a strong feeling of guilt. This guilt materializes into another nightmare where Arab terrorists threaten him because of his infidelity. In “4:39 AM (For the First Time Today, Part 2)”, the character straddles a desperate state between dream and reality, with the most panicked, dream-induced screams. “4:41 AM (Sexual Revolution)” is the most Pink Floyd-like track thus far, with everything being at maximum intensity and Clapton’s blues guitars throughout to accompany the great chorus passages with backing vocals. This song devolves to very quiet mid-section, where only Clapton’s guitar persists before everything eventually kicks back in. “4:47 AM (The Remains of Our Love)” closes the first side by again returning to the opening theme, as a soft singer/folk track. The story twists again as the scene changes from Europe to America (Wyoming) and the song slowly dissolves, some great honky-tonk piano by Kamen, which perfectly compliments Clapton’s slide acoustic.

Side Two is far superior musically and the tracks are far more diverse melodically. “4:50 AM (Go Fishing)” is the best song on the album and a bona fide classic. The moods are perfectly illustrated and, unlike many other tracks, the story doesn’t alternate between dream and reality. The story talks about an experimental move to a simple life in the wilderness that eventually falls apart and breaks up the family, with the protagonist now finding himself as a hitchhiker. The outro has strong, slow rock with the best sax lead by Sanborn and an animated organ by Andy Bown .

Moving forward, we have the link song “4:56 AM (For the First Time Today, Part 1)” with a slight, bluesy and jazzy piano. “4:58 AM (Dunroamin, Duncarin, Dunlivin)” is moody and moderate with some spoken effects in the background and melodic vocals out front, leading to the climatic “5:01 AM (The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, Part 10)”, the most upbeat and very entertaining rock song with a steady beat and many cool guitar licks. Lyrically, it breaks out of regular narrative to do an overview of everything.

The album’s closing sequence begins with the soft ballad “5:06 AM (Every Stranger’s Eyes)”. Clapton’s guitar and Kamen’s piano notes are in perfect sync after the song proper tells a story of sympathy in the face of turmoil. Starting as simple acoustic ballad by Waters, this song becomes Clapton’s finest track on the album. “5:11 AM (The Moment of Clarity)” is a slow acoustic folk waltz, which utilizes the opening predominant theme to bookmark the album at its close.

The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking reached the Top ten in several countries, but did not fare as well in the U.S. . Waters, Kamen, Clapton and Newmark did go on a short tour to support the album, but the elaborate stage and effects ended up losing a large sum of money for Waters. A film based on this concept was proposed and some footage and animation completed by 1985, but this is yet to officially see the light of day.

Part of Classic Rock Review’s celebration of 1984 albums.

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Great synopsis. One of my all time favorite compositions. The pros and cons of hitchhiking evolves with each listening. New sounds and hidden shuttle backtracks reveal themselves to the listeners. Sadly, it has not been credited with the brilliance and mastery for which it so rightly has deserves and has achieved. It has a very intelligent design and allows the listener to play out the visual scenes in their own minds as they Invision each moment. The experience is transcending and upon it’s conclusion it gives the listener a feeling of participation, if only as an observer to the events.

Spot on, nothing better for driving at night, on a long empty A road, you can really “FEEL” this album at volume.

Agree fully with the above mentioned. Even after so many years, I enjoy listening to it from beginning to the end. This record is truly a master piece. Excellent indeed when traveling; you are soaked up in the music. Like all (classic) briljant music you need to invest the time to listen to it and appreciate all the layers it has.

Clapton at his finest. I saw the show in 84. First half was classic Floyd songs, second half was Pros and Cons. I bought the album the next day.

Really ! I bought this when it first came out . Threw it overboard, on are way to England. Everything is cool with this album Eric Clapton, the back up, everything but Roger Waters and his ego that’s laid out on this album. It’s horrible

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Concert Details

16 jun 84 - eric clapton.

Venue: Isstadion

City: Stockholm

Country: Sweden

Band Lineup:

Eric Clapton – guitar Roger Waters – bass / guitar / vocals Tim Renwick – guitar / bass Chris Stainton – bass / keyboards Andy Newmark – drums Michael Kamen – keyboards Mel Collins – saxophones Doreen Chanter – backing vocals Katie Kissoon – backing vocals  

Show Notes:

Opening night of Roger Waters’ Pros & Cons Of Hitch-Hiking European Tour and the first of two nights at the venue. EC had played on the Pros & Cons Of Hitch-Hiking album and then signed on as the lead guitarist for Waters’ 1984 Tour. In later months, they would also tour America. 

01. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun 02. Money 03. If 04. Welcome To The Machine 05. Have A Cigar 06. Wish You Were Here 07. Pigs On The Wing 08. In The Flesh 09. Nobody Home 10. Hey You 11. The Gunner’s Dream 12. 4:30AM (Apparently They Were Traveling Abroad) 13. 4:33AM (Running Shoes) 14. 4:37AM (Arabs With Knives And West German Skies) 15. 4:39AM (For The First Time Today – Part 2) 16. 4:41AM (Sexual Revolution) 17. 4:47AM (The Remains Of Our Love) 18. 4:50AM (Go Fishing) 19. 4:56AM (Fort The First Time Today – Part 1) 20. 4:58AM (Dunroamin Duncarin Dunlivin) 21. 5:01AM (The Pros And Cons Of Hitch-Hiking) 22. 5:06AM (Every Stranger’s Eyes) 23. 5:11AM (The Moment Of Clarity) 24. Brain Damage 25. Eclipse 

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Eric Patrick Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England

Eric got his first guitar.

It was a German-made Hoyer Spanish-style acoustic. It had steel strings and cost around £2.

Eric got his first electric guitar

It was a double cutaway Kay, which was a close of Gibson’s ES335. He purchased it with financial assistance from his grandparents for £100.

January - August

Eric joined his first band, The Roosters, at age 17. They played mostly in the Greater London area. Venues included the Carfax Ballroom in Oxford, the Ricky-Tick Clubs in Kingston, Reading, West Wickham and Windsor, the Wooden Bridge Hotel in Guildford, The Jazz Cellar in Kingston, The Scene in Ham Yard, Soho and Uncle Bonnie’s Chinese Jazz Club in Brighton.

The Roosters: Eric Clapton – Guitar  Terry Brennan – Vocals  Tom McGuinness – Guitar  Ben Palmer – Piano  Robin Mason – Drums

Eric joined Casey Jones & The Engineers and toured for the first time. He played seven gigs over several weeks on the Northern Beat and Cabaret Circuit. The first show took place at the Civic Hall in Macclesfield, Cheshire. Performances followed at The Oasis and the Belle Vue Amusement Park, both in Manchester. At the Civic Hall and The Oasis gigs, The Engineers were also required to back cabaret singer Polly Perkins

Casey Jones & The Engineers Brian Casser – Vocals (formerly of Cass & The Cassanovas, Liverpool’s first notable beat group) Eric Clapton – Guitar Dave McCumisky – Guitar Tom McGuinness – Bass Ray Stock – Drums

Eric saw The Yardbirds at the Crawdaddy Club at the Athletic Association Grounds in Richmond, Surrey and accepted their invitation to join the band

The Yardbirds Eric Clapton – Lead Guitar Keith Relf – Vocals / Harmonica Chris Dreja – Rhythm Guitar Paul Samwell-Smith – Bass Jim McCarty – Drums

Eric’s first live gig as a full-time professional musician took place with The Yardbirds at Studio '51 in Leicester Square, London 

13 November

Eric’s first recording session took place with The Yardbirds at Morden Park Sound Studios in Surrey

The Yardbirds performed their standard set with Sonny Boy Williamson at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Surrey. The show was recorded in its entirety

16 December

The Yardbirds recorded "I Wish You Would," "A Certain Girl" and "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover" at Morden Park Sound Studios in Surrey

Eric played his first studio guest session for Otis Spann. Muddy Waters, one of Clapton’s blues heroes was also present and played rhythm guitar on the tracks

The Yardbirds recorded the backing track for "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and several takes of "Got To Hurry" at Olympic Sound Studios in London

19 September

The Yardbirds’ first package tour started at Colston Hall in Bristol. They were one of several support acts for headliners Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas.

The Yardbirds were one of the bands on the Top Beat Show at the Royal Albert Hall which was recorded and aired on BBC-2 TV on 9 December

24 December

Opening night for Another Beatles Christmas Show at the Hammersmith Odeon, London. The Yardbirds were one of the support acts for shows thru 16 Jan 1965. During the run, Eric met and became lifelong friends with George Harrison

The Yardbirds recorded "For Your Love" at IBC Studios in Portland Place, London. Eric left the band a few weeks later as he disliked the pop-oriented direction the music was taking

Eric’s last gig with The Yardbirds took place at the Bristol Chinese R&B and Jazz Club at the Corn Exchange in Bristol, Gloucestershire

Eric’s first appearance with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers took place at the King Mojo Club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers John Mayall - Organ / Harmonica / Vocals Eric Clapton - Guitar John McVie - Bass Hughie Flint - Drums

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers backed Bob Dylan at a recording session at CBS Studios in London. The material remains unreleased.

Eric left The Bluesbreakers for the first time to travel the world playing in a blues band they formed called The Glands. After driving through Europe, they arrived in Athens, Greece on 29 September

Eric and his friends secured a contract for their band, The Glands to play at the Igloo Club in Athens, Greece. Within days, Clapton did double duty and played with the house band, The Juniors

Eric played his last gig with The Juniors at Cine-Terpsithea in Athens, Greece before returning home to England

Eric rejoined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. They played a session for Champion Jack Dupree at Decca Studios in West Hampstead and had an evening gig at the Blue Triangle Club in Ealing

21 November

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers played an early evening at the Red Cross Hall in Sutton, Surrey then traveled to Hayes, Middlesex for a late night show at the Blue Moon Club

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers recorded “On Top Of The World” and "Double Crossing Man" at Pye Studios at ATV House in London.

Eric along with Steve Winwood, Jack Bruce, Ben Palmer and Paul York recorded tracks for "What's Shakin'" at Olympic Sound Studios in London

Recording sessions for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton began at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, London

Eric jammed with his former band, The Yardbirds, (now featuring Jeff Beck on guitar) at the Marquee Club in London

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers had a gig at Town Hall, Oxford and Ginger Baker sat in. Ginger proposed forming a band to Eric while giving him a ride back to London

Melody Maker broke the news about a "sensational new group" featuring Eric, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce called Cream

Eric’s last scheduled gig with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers was at the Black Prince in Bexley

Cream began rehearsals at St Anne's Brondesbury Church Hall in West Kilburn, London to prepare for their debut at the end of July

Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton was released on LP and reel-to-reel tape

Cream's unofficial debut took place at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester

Cream's official debut took place at the 6th Annual National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor, Berkshire

Cream went into the studio for the first time at Rayrik Sound Studios in Chalk Farm, London. They tried several songs but a take of "Wrapping Paper" became their first single

Cream went to Ryemuse Studios in Mayfair, London to record tracks for their first album, Fresh Cream. The sessions continue into early November

15 September

Cream supported The Who at the Gaumont Cinema in Hanley, Staffordshire

Jimi Hendrix jammed with Cream at Regent Street Polytechnic, London and played "Killing Floor"

Cream's debut album, Fresh Cream , was released. The band also pre-recorded their 9 January 1967 appearance on the BBC World Service radio show, Alexis Korner's Rhythm and Blues at BBC Maida Vale Studios. They ended the day with an evening gig at Bluesville at The Manor House in Harringay, London

January - December

Cream performed "I Feel Free" on Top of Pops on BBC Television at Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush, London

Cream's US concert debut took place at the RKO Theater in New York City as part of Murray the K’s “Music in the 5th Dimension.” There were 5 shows daily from 10:15 am through 2 April

Cream had a recording session at Atlantic Studios in New York City. That night, Eric headed to the Café Au Go Go and jammed with the Butterfield Blues Band, Mitch Ryder and some of the Mothers of Invention joined in

Cream played part of the 15th Annual New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool and Sports Arena in Wembley, London. That night, they went to Birmingham for a gig at The Swan

Recording session for Cream's Disraeli Gears at Atlantic Studios in New York City

Cream performed “I Feel Free” on ARD-TV’s Beat Club

Eric jammed with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Peter Green at Brasenose College in Oxford. He then played at the Exeter Eights Week Ball at Exeter College in Oxford with Cream

Eric and Jack Bruce jammed at The Speakeasy in London with Jimi Hendrix, Jose Feliciano and Graeme Edge

Eric was one of The Beatles' guests at EMI Abbey Road Studios in St Johns Wood, London for the Our World television broadcast

Cream's "Strange Brew" peaked at #17 on Britain's Top Fifty singles chart. The band also had a gig at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen, Scotland

Cream began recording Wheels of Fire at IBC Studios in London. The studio sessions continued in London and New York through June 1968

Cream launched their first US Tour with 12 nights at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California. On the tour, they played 3 nights at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, 9 nights the Psychedelic Supermarket in Boston, gigs around the New York Area including 12 nights at the Café Au Go Go, 2 nights at The 5th Dimension in Ann Arbor and 3 nights at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, where the tour wrapped up on 15 October

22 September

After Cream's gig at the Auction House in New York, Eric jammed with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and for the first time, one of his blues idols, BB King at the Café Au Go Go

Cream's second album, Disraeli Gears , was released on mono / stereo LP. The band also played at Romano's Ballroom in Belfast

22 November

Eric played on a session for George Harrison at EMI Abbey Road Studios for the track “Skiing” off of Wonderwall

Eric played on Aretha Franklin's song "Good To Me As I Am To You" at Atlantic Studios in New York City. The track was released on Lady Soul

February - December

12 february.

Cream began 10 days of recording sessions at Atlantic Studios in New York City prior to starting their North American Tour on 23 February in Santa Monica, California

20 February

Eric jammed with David Crosby, Michael Bloomfield, Mitch Mitchell and Jack Bruce at Whitey's Loft in New York

Eric received his first Gold Record Award (US) for the Cream album, Disraeli Gears

Eric jammed with Jimi Hendrix and The Jeff Beck Group at Steve Paul's The Scene on West 46th Street in New York City

Eric played on a recording session for Jackie Lomax at EMI Abbey Road Studios for Lomax’s album, Is This What You Want? During this time, Eric loaned his Gibson SG Fool Guitar to Lomax. The guitar remained in Lomax’s possession for four years. In 1972, Lomax sold it to Todd Rundgren who sold it at auction in 2000, donating 10% to Clapton's Crossroads Centre

Melody Maker ran the frontpage headline "Cream Split Up." Before disbanding, Cream undertook another US Tour, recorded one final album and played two farewell shows in November at the Royal Albert Hall

Cream's third album, Wheels of Fire was released in both mono and stereo mixes on 2LPs

6 September

Eric played lead guitar on George Harrison's song, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at EMI Abbey Road Studios for The Beatles' White Album

26 September

Cream's single, "Sunshine of Your Love," received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Cream launched their US Farewell Tour at the Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California

Eric performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time while a member of Cream...

18 November

Cream began recording their final album, Goodbye Cream at IBC Sound Studios in Portland Place, London

26 November

Cream performed two final "Farewell" concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall that were filmed and released

10 - 11 December

Eric played part of The Rolling Stones’ Rock N Roll Circus along with John Lennon, Yoko Ono, The Who and others at InterTel Studios in Wembley, London

January - February

Shortly after Christmas, Eric and Steve Winwood began jamming informally. In early February, Ginger Baker heard of the jam sessions. By the middle of the month, the press was reporting a new “supergroup.” The band moved to Morgan Studios in an attempt to record their debut album

Cream's fourth and final album, Goodbye was released - it reached #1 in the UK and #2 in the US album charts

18 February

EC, Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker began recording at Morgan Studios, London. Sessions continued on and off through late June. Rick Grech joined the band in May. Eric continued to guest on sessions throughout this time and worked with Billy Preston and Martha Velez

Eric played part of Supershow with Stephen Stills, Buddy Guy, Buddy Miles, Jack Bruce, Roland Kirk, Dick Heckstall-Smith and others in Staines, Surrey. The film premiered at the Lyceum, London on 14 November

Cream's Goodbye received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Blind Faith, Eric's new supergroup was announced with Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Rick Grech

Blind Faith's debut concert at Hyde Park, London – it was filmed but not released in its entirety until 2006

Blind Faith's 5-date Scandinavian concert tour opened at the Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Finland

Blind Faith's North American debut took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Their only US / Canada tour ended 24 August at the HIC Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii after 23 concerts

Blind Faith’s self-titled album was released

Eric guested on recording sessions for Delaney & Bonnie at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles following the end of Blind Faith's US Tour

13 September

Eric played the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival at Varsity Stadium with John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band, which was filmed and recorded. The band rehearsed on the flight from London

25 September

Eric joined John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band at EMI Abbey Road Studios to record "Cold Turkey" - they re-recorded it three days later at Trident Studios and John later added more overdubs and vocals

October / November

Early in October, the Plastic Ono Band continued to work on “Cold Turkey” at Abbey Road and recorded “Don’t Worry Kyoko” at Lansdowne Studios. During this two month period, Eric also played on sessions for Doris Troy, Aashish Khan, Shawn Phillips, Rick Grech and Leon Russell 

16 November

Recording session for Eric's  first solo album, Eric Clapton , at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London with Delaney & Bonnie & Friends as his backing band. He also decided to join them out on the road

Eric with Delaney & Bonnie & Friends pre-record a session for the German TV show, Beat Club , in Bremen. That night, they played at the Musikhalle in Hamburg

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends with Eric started their 7-city UK Tour at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Dave Mason and George Harrison came along as “Friends” for some of the shows

15 December

Eric performed with John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band at the Peace & Love for Christmas concert at the Lyceum Ballroom in London in aid of UNICEF

Eric continued recording his first solo album through the end of the month at Village Recorders in Los Angeles. While there, he also played on sessions for King Curtis and The Crickets

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends with Eric started their North American Tour at Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada. The tour ended on 22 February with a concert at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, California. The band appeared on The Dick Cavett Show on ABC-TV in New York City on the 5th

March - April

Eric spent the time in London mixing his first solo album and playing on recording sessions for Stephen Stills, Ashton Gardner & Dyke, Jonathan Kelly, and Jesse Ed Davis

May - October

In early May, EC, along with Ringo Starr, Steve Winwood and Bill Wyman played on a series of sessions for Howlin' Wolf at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London. The album, London Howlin Wolf Sessions , was released in August 1971. He also went to Oxford to jam with Steve Winwood and the reformed Traffic at St. Catherine’s College. In late May, George Harrison began recording first solo album and rock history’s first triple album, All Things Must Pass and invited Eric's new band, Derek and The Dominos to back him at recording sessions. The initial sessions took place in May and June at EMI Abbey Road Studios with overdubs at Trident Studios from late August through mid-October. During the sessions, the band recorded their first single. In June and July, Eric also played on London sessions for PP Arnold and Dr. John, with Mick Jagger. The band would also tour the UK, relocate to Miami, Florida to record their legendary album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs , as well as kick off their US Tour in October

Eric and the rest of the Dominos started playing on sessions for PP Arnold’s debut album at IBC Studios in London. The sessions continued through 26 July and also featured Doris Troy, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

Derek and the Dominos made their live concert debut at the Lyceum Ballroom in London with two charity shows for Dr Spock’s Civil Liberties Fund

Derek and the Dominos recorded their first single, "Tell The Truth / Roll It Over," at EMI Abbey Road Studios in London

EC, along with Mick Jagger, members of the Dominos and PP Arnold, started three days of recording sessions for Dr. John at Trident Studios in London for his album The Sun, Moon and Herbs

Derek and the Dominos' launched their UK Tour with a gig at the Dagenham Roundhouse in Dagenham, London

Eric's first solo studio album, Eric Clapton , was released

Derek and the Dominos' UK Tour stopped at the Van Dike Club in Plymouth, Devon. It was the last show before the band headed to the US to record their album. They were back on tour in England by 20 September. The UK Tour ended on 11 October at The Lyceum in London

Derek and the Dominos began recording Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs at Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, Florida. Sessions continued through 2 October. Duane Allman joined the sessions on 27 August

Eric made a guest appearance with Buddy Guy and Junior Wells during their support slot for the Rolling Stones at the Palais des Sports in Paris, France

Derek and the Dominos kicked off their US Tour with early and late shows at the Alumni Gymnasium on the campus of Rider College in Trenton, New Jersey

23 - 24 October

Derek and the Dominos played two consecutive nights at the Fillmore East in New York, their only US Tour. The band played early and late shows each night and all were recorded and later released

1 -4 November

While playing a gig in Florida with the Dominos, Eric also played on sessions for Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Play The Blues at Criteria Recording Studios in Miami and on “The Judgement” for James Luther Dickinson

Derek and the Dominos were on an episode of the Johnny Cash Show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Carl Perkins was also a guest

Derek and The Dominos' double-album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs was released

23 November

Eric played on a two-day recording session for John Mayall's album, Back To The Roots at Larrabee Studios in Los Angeles, California

2 - 3 December

Duane Allman joined Derek and the Dominos on stage at Onondaga War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. Elton John was one of the support acts in Syracuse

Derek and the Dominos' final live performances took place at Brookhaven Gymnasium at Suffolk Community College in Selden, New York. The band played early and late shows. During the tour, BB King, Neal Schon, Jesse Ed Davis, Delaney Bramlett and Duane Allman all sat in at various gigs around the US

18 December

Eric joined the Rolling Stones at Olympic studios in Barnes, London to record a version of "Brown Sugar." This alternate version was released in 2015 on deluxe editions of Sticky Fingers

Eric played on sessions for Bobby Whitlock, his bandmate in Derek and the Dominos, at Olympic Sound Studios in London who was recording a solo album. George Harrison and the rest of the Dominos also joined in. Eric also played on sessions for John Mayall at IBC Studios

Derek and the Dominos began recording their second album at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London. The album was never completed and the band quickly disintegrated by early May

Eric took part in the first large-scale rock benefit concert, "The Concert for Bangladesh,” in two shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City organized by his friend, George Harrison, and Ravi Shankar. Rehearsals took place at the venue the day before

Eric made a guest appearance with Leon Russell and The Shelter People at the Rainbow Theatre

Eric played on an unreleased studio session for Stevie Wonder at AIR Studios, London

George Harrison recruited Eric to play on unreleased sessions for a Cilla Black album. Other old friends from the sixties, Pete Townshend, spent time helping Eric at his home studio working on the unfinished material from the Dominos’ second album

The Rainbow Concerts. Two shows heralding Eric's  "comeback" and celebrating Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community took place at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London. Organized by Pete Townshend, Eric's  supporting band featured Townshend, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood, Ric Grech, Jim Capadi, Jimmy Karstein and Rebop Kwaku Baah

Eric's  ‘comeback’ began when he flew to Miami, Florida to record his second solo album, 461 Ocean Boulevard , at Criteria Recording Studios through mid-May

Eric filmed the “Eyesight To The Blind" sequence for the movie, Tommy at St. Andrew's Church in Henderson Road with Pete Townshend and John Entwhistle. Eric also played on the official film soundtrack

19 - 20 June

The warm-up concerts for Eric's  first solo tour supporting 461 Ocean Boulevard took place at Tivoli Gardens in Stockholm and KB Hallen in Copenhagen

Eric kicked off the first leg of his US Tour at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut performing 28 concerts through 4 August

461 Ocean Boulevard was released. It reached #1 on the US Billboard Chart in August

Eric played on sessions for Freddie King at Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, Florida

Eric started recording sessions for There's One in Every Crowd at Dynamic Sound Studios, Kingston, Jamaica through mid-September

14 September

Eric's cover of Bob Marley’s "I Shot The Sheriff" topped the charts in America. Five days later, on 19 September, the single received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

28 September

Eric was back in North America touring in support of 461 Ocean Boulevard . The tour ended on 6 October in Philadelphia

Opening night of Eric's first tour of Japan - the gig was at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan and was the first of three nights at the venue. On 21 April 2023, Eric became the first foreign artist to appear 100 times at the Budokan. The 5 date tour ended in Osaka on 6 November

26 November  

The 9-date European leg of Eric's 461 Ocean Boulevard Tour opened with a gig at the Kongresszentrum in Hamburg, Germany. It wrapped in December at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. Both shows were recorded

Eric's  3rd studio album, There's One In Every Crowd was released

Eric's  There's One In Every Crowd Tour started with the first of two consecutive nights at the HIC Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii.  The tour kept Eric on the road for much of the year before it ended at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on 2 November

Following a concert in Florida, Eric headed to Criteria Studios in Miami on 16 June to record a new single, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” On the 25th, he recorded the B-side, “Someone Like You,” at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios

February - April

Eric recorded his next album, No Reason To Cry at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California. During this same period, he played on sessions for The Pencils, Rick Danko, Kinky Friedman and Joe Cocker at the studios

Eric headed back to California to select tracks for No Reason To Cry . While there, he played on sessions for Van Morrisson, Stephen Bishop and Ringo Starr at various studios in the Los Angeles area

Eric's  UK Tour supporting No Reason To Cry opened at The Pavilion in Hemel Hempstead.

Freddie King, Larry Coryell, Lewis Stephens and Ronnie Wood made guest appearances with Eric at the Garden Party IX at Crystal Palace Bowl in London

Eric's  4th solo studio album, No Reason To Cry , was released. It peaked at #8 on the UK albums chart and was certified platinum

7 September

Eric wrote "Wonderful Tonight" while waiting for Pattie Boyd to get ready to go to Paul and Linda McCartney's Buddy Holly Week Luncheon. The song was recorded for Eric’s 1977 album, Slowhand

Eric started his fifteen-date US Tour at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida

Eric was a guest artist at The Last Waltz, The Band's final concert at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California. It was filmed and recorded

Eric started his 1977 Tour at DeMontfort Hall in Leicester.  He was on the road through mid-October with concerts across the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Spain, Hawaii and Japan. Eric had an extended break in May for the recording of his next album

Eric started working on Slowhand at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London. "Wonderful Tonight" and "Next Time You See Her" were recorded at this session. He completed sessions for the album on the 25

25 November

Eric's  5th solo studio album, Slowhand , was released. It reached the Top 10 in 8 countries and become one of his most commercially and critically successful albums

Eric started his concerts for the year with a gig at the PNE Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada.  He was on tour for much of the year with dates across Canada, the US, Europe, and the UK with a break for recording his next album, Backless

May - September

Between concert dates, Eric recorded Backless at Olympic Sound Studios in London

Eric's 7th solo studio album, Backless was released

Eric ended his touring for the year with a concert at the Civic Hall in Guildford, Surrey. Muddy Waters, George Harrison and Elton John made guest appearances

Eric started his 1979 tour with a gig at City Hall, Cork. The tour visited the US, Europe, the Mideast and Far East before it wrapped on 6 December at the Sangyo Kyoshin Kaikan in Sapporo, Japan

First of two consecutive nights at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan - both nights were recorded for Eric's  double-live album, Just One Night

January - March

In addition to recording sessions for a new solo album at Surrey Sound Studios, Eric played on guest sessions for Ronnie Lane, Gary Brooker and Stephen Bishop

Eric's  double live album, Just One Night was released. It was recorded at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in December 1979

Eric kicked off his tour for the year with a concert at New Theatre in Oxford. Eric had 14 UK dates and a short Scandinavian Tour in September

July - August

Eric recorded his next album, Another Ticket , at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.  Eric also played on tracks for Gary Brooker, who is part of his band

Eric's  five-date Ireland / UK Tour to promote Another Ticket opened at R.D.S. Simmonscourt in Dublin. Following a one-night only concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre in February, the tour moved on to the US at the beginning of March for a four-month run. The remaining 49 concerts were canceled on 14 March due to Eric's  hospitalization for a perforated ulcer

17 February

Eric's  7th solo studio album, Another Ticket was                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         released and became a Top 3 album in the US

9 September

Eric made an appearance at the Secret Policeman's Other Ball at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, London. He performed with Jeff Beck and Sting which raised funds for Amnesty International

Eric returned to the road with an 8-date Scandinavian Tour that started at the Messuhalli in Helsinki, Finland

27 November

Eric started an 8-date tour of Japan with a concert at the Niigata Kenmin Hall in Niigata

Eric started a 17-date US Tour at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Eric ended his short US Tour with a concert at the Sportatorium in Miami, Florida. Muddy Waters, one of his musical idols, joined him on stage for “Blow Wind Blow,” which was Water’s final public appearance

September – November

Eric recorded his next studio album, Money & Cigarettes at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas

Eric started his North American Tour at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington promoting his new album, Money & Cigarettes . The tour headed to Europe and the UK before returning to the US in the summer

EC, backed by Chas & Dave was a special guest for the Save The Children Benefit Concert at the New Victoria Theatre in London

Eric was awarded the Nordoff Robbins Silver Clef Award for outstanding contribution to UK music

Eric played on sessions for Roger Waters’ upcoming album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking , which was released the following spring

20 September

Eric celebrated his 20th Anniversary as a musician with two benefit concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Night one was in aid of The Ronnie Lane Appeal for A.R.M.S and night 2 was in aid of the Prince’s Trust.  Eric's all-star band featured Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, Andy Fairweather Low and more

November - December

Eric was part of an all-star band assembled to raise funds for Ronnie Lane’s multiple sclerosis charity, ARMS. The ARMS Tour played 9 dates in Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. The band included Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Joe Cocker, Jan Hammer, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Kenney Jones, Andy Fairweather Low and more

Eric started a European Tour at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland. The tour included concerts in Milan, Belgrade, Athens and Jerusalem, where it ended on 6 February

Eric recorded tracks for his new album, Behind The Sun , at AIR Studios in Montserrat, West Indies. The tracks were produced by Phil Collins

Roger Waters’ Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking Tour started in Stockholm, Sweden. Eric was in the band and played on all the dates in Europe, the UK, US and Canada through 31 July

Eric guested with Bob Dylan at Wembley Stadium in London for 7 songs during Dylan’s stadium tour

Eric played on “Freedom” for the soundtrack of Water at George Harrison’s Friar Park Studios. Eric, along with George Harrison, Ray Cooper, Jon Lord, Mike Moran, Chris Stainton and Ringo Starr also appeared in the film as the Singing Rebel's Band

Eric recorded final tracks for his next album, Behind The Sun , at Lion Share Studios and Amigo Studios in Los Angeles

Eric started an Australian tour at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. It wrapped on the 28th with a concert at the Entertainment Centre in Perth

29 November

Australia-only single, “You Don't Know Like I Know / Knock On Wood” was released. The A-side was a duet with Phil Collins recorded during Eric's  spring recording sessions at AIR Studios in Montserrat

Eric played a one-off concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum on the way home from his Australian Tour

11 February

Eric filmed the music video for “Forever Man” off his album, Behind The Sun

27 February

Eric's  Behind The Sun 1985 Tour opened at the Edinburgh Playhouse in Scotland. The tour visited the UK, Europe, US, and Japan before ending on 6 November at the Palasport in Padua, Ita

Eric's  Behind The Sun Tour stopped at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The concert was filmed for home video release

Eric's  9th solo studio album, Behind The Sun , was released

Eric and Michael Kamen recorded the soundtrack for the BBC television series, Edge of Darkness

Eric was one of dozens of artists taking part in the worldwide benefit concert, Live Aid. He performed 3 songs and joined in the All-Star Finale at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lionel Richie joined Eric for the encore at Seattle Center Coliseum. Afterwards, Eric went to Bear Creek Recording Studios in Woodinville, Washington to add guitar overdubs to “Tonight Will Be Alright” for Richie’s forthcoming album, Dancing On The Ceiling

Eric filmed Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session for Carl Perkins at Limehouse Television Studios in London. Other featured guests were George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Dave Edmunds, Roseanne Cash and others

April - May

Eric recorded his 10th studio album, August , at Sunset Sound Recording Studios in Los Angeles

Eric was one of the artists that took part in the Prince's Trust 10th Birthday Party Concert at Wembley Arena in London

Eric's six date Clapton Collins Phillinganes East tour opened at the Kalvoyafestivalen on Kalvoya Island, Sandvika, Norway

Eric played with Otis Rush at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The concert was filmed and released in 2008 on CD and DVD as Otis Rush And Friends: Live at Montreux 1986

Clapton Collins Phillinganes East tour stopped at Le Casino in Montreux Switzerland and was broadcast on radio. Also filmed, it was released on DVD in 2006 as Eric Clapton: Live at Montreux 1986

August - September

Eric was a guest on recording sessions for Bob Geldof, the Bee Gees, Bob Dylan, and Tina Turner. He also recorded tracks for The Color Of Money soundtrack which featured the song “It’s In The Way Use It.” He also jammed with the Prince in London and played a charity concert with Stan Webb’s Chicken Shack

Eric filmed the video for “Tearing Us Apart,” his duet with Tina Turner, at Ronnie Scott’s in London

Eric took part in the filming of Chuck Berry’s 60th Birthday Concert at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri. It was released on CD, home video and later DVD as Hail Hail Rock ‘N’ Roll

20 November

Eric played the first of four US club dates with the Clapton Collins Phillinganes East lineup. The first two shows took place at the Metro in Boston, followed by two nights at the Ritz in New York City on 23 and 24 November

24 November

Eric's 10th solo studio album, August was released

Eric, along with David Sanborn and Michael Kamen recorded the soundtrack for the first Lethal Weapon film over a 9 day period at the Town House Studios in London. They composed the soundtracks for all of the films in the blockbuster series

Eric started his 1987 tour in support of his 10th studio album, August at the Apollo Theatre in Manchester. The tour took up much of the year with dates across the UK, Europe, US, Australia and Japan

The first solo Eric concert took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The 6-show run started an annual tradition which continued until 1996

24 February

Eric received The Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, a lifetime achievement award, given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI)2

In Montserrat, Eric played a guest session for Sting at AIR Studios. Along with Elton John, Ringo Starr and Jeff Lynne, he played guest sessions for George Harrison’s new album, Cloud Nine at Friar Park Studios in Henley on Thames

Eric, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Phil Collins, Paul Butterfield, Dr. John, Etta James and more were BB King’s musical guests for the filming of the television special, A Blues Session: BB King and Friends . It was later released on home video

Eric took part in two nights of benefit concerts for the Prince’s Trust at Wembley Arena in London. They were filmed and later released as The Prince’s Trust Concert 1987

BBC Radio One began the broadcast of the six-part series, Behind The Mask - The Story of Eric Clapton

Eric, Mark Knopfler and Buddy Guy filmed a set before a live audience at Ronnie Scott’s in London for ITV's upcoming episode on the South Bank Show

Eric opened the UK leg of his 25th Anniversary Tour at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The tour visited the US, Canada and Japan before it ended on 5 November in Osaka, Japan

First night of Eric's 2nd annual residency took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London with concerts through the 4th of February. The 9 show run was part of his 25th Anniversary Tour

Eric's award-winning Crossroads box set was released. It featured his work with the Yardbirds, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, Derek and the Dominos, and his solo career. It received a gold record in the US on the 22nd of June

Eric began recording the Homeboy soundtrack. The sessions took place at both the Town House Studios and Olympic Studios in London

Eric played on sessions recording a variety of instrumentals for the Peace In Our Time soundtrack at Olympic Studios in London

Eric took part in two nights of benefit concerts for the Prince’s Trust at Wembley Arena in London

Eric made a guest appearance with Dire Straits during the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium in London

Eric made a surprise guest appearance with his former Cream bandmate, Jack Bruce, at The Bottom Line in New York

Eric's 25th Anniversary Tour opened in Nagoya, Japan at Rainbow Hall. Elton John and Mark Knopfler were in his band for the final weeks of the tour

The opening night of Eric's UK Tour took place at City Hall in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

20 January 

Opening night of Eric's 3rd annual residency took place at the Royal Albert Hall. There were 12 performances with 2 different band lineups through 3 February

22 February

Eric's box set Crossroads won Grammy Awards for Best Historical Album and Best Album Notes

March – April

Eric recorded his new album, Journeyman , and the soundtrack for Lethal Weapon 2 at Power Station Studios in New York.  He did guest sessions for Zucchero Fornaciari, Cyndi Lauper, and “Border Song” for an Elton John / Bernie Taupin tribute album

Eric attended the first International Rock Awards at the Lexington Armory in New York City and took home the award for "Best Guitarist"

Eric's  Journeyman World Tour opened with the first of three consecutive nights at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It was his largest world tour to date. The tour ended in Yokohama, Japan on 13 December

Eric's album, Journeyman , which was released in November 1989, received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US). It would  go platinum on 13 March 1990

Opening night of Eric's 18 night residency took place at London's Royal Albert Hall with concerts through 10 February. During his 4th residency at the venue, Eric performed with 4 different lineups including a blues band and a full orchestra. Select concerts were filmed and recorded for broadcast in their entirety by the BBC

Eric performed on NBC-TV's Saturday Night Live for the first time

The citation that announced Minor Planet 4305 was named "Clapton" in Eric's honor was published in the Minor Planet Circular of the International Astronomical Union

Eric took home a lifetime achievement award at the 2nd International Rock Awards in ceremonies at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City

Eric was one of the performers along with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Phil Collins, Pink Floyd, Robert Plant and more that played at the The Silver Clef Award Winners concert at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire

Eric's  Journeyman world tour had its second night at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray jammed with Eric for the encore. SRV and members of Eric's crew are killed in tragic helicopter accident following the concert

Eric began rehearsing for a record-breaking run of 24 Nights at the Royal Albert Hall at The Point in Dublin, Ireland followed by two public warm-up shows at the venue on 31 January and 2 February

5 February 

Eric performed the first night of his record-breaking 24 Nights at London's Royal Albert Hall. During his fifth and longest residency at the venue, Eric performed with a four-piece band, nine-piece band, blues band and full orchestra. All of the concerts were recorded for a live album and broadcast in their entirety by the BBC. During the run of shows, Eric also played on guest recording sessions in London for Buddy Guy, Johnnie Johnson and Richie Sambora

Eric performed the final show of his 24 Nights at the Royal Albert Hall

In a tragic accident, Eric's 4 1/2-year-old son, Conor died when he fell out of an open window in a Manhattan high-rise condominium where Conor’s mother was staying. Eric had taken Conor to the circus the night before at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island

In the aftermath of his young son’s tragic death, Eric coped by playing guitar and throwing himself into his work. At The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, Eric recorded songs including the Grammy-winning "Tears in Heaven” plus soundtrack instrumentals for the film, Rush

At The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, Eric recorded early versions of “Circus Left Town,” “My Father’s Eyes,” and “Lonely Stranger,” all inspired by his son, Conor

24 Nights was released on CD, LP and VHS. It was compiled from 42 concerts performed by Eric at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1990 and 1991

Eric and George Harrison began their Rock Legends Tour of Japan at the Yokohama Arena. A live double-album, George Harrison: Live in Japan, was released in July 1992

U2's The Edge inducted The Yardbirds into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City. Eric was not at the ceremony, as he was scheduled to record MTV’s Unplugged the next day in England

Eric's episode of MTV’s Unplugged was recorded at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, Berkshire. The companion CD went on to be the most successful live album of all time

Eric launched his 1992 Tour with a concert at the Brighton Centre in East Sussex, England. The tour would include 12 nights at the Royal Albert Hall along with numerous dates in the US and Europe. He also teamed up with Elton John for a series of double-bill dates in Paris, Rotterdam, London, Lausanne, Monza, New York and Los Angeles

Eric recorded “Runaway Train” with Elton John at Town House Studios in London. The song was featured on Elton John’s The One and the soundtrack to Lethal Weapon 3 . During this period, Eric worked with David Sanborn and Michael Kamen on the soundtrack in London and New York.  Sting joined them in New York to record “It’s Probably Me,” which appeared on the soundtrack album and Sting’s album, Ten Summoners Tales

Eric's single, "Tears in Heaven" received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric's single, "Tears in Heaven" received a Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric's double-live album, 24 Nights , received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric, Michael Kamen's and David Sanborn's Lethal Weapon 3 soundtrack album was released

Eric was one of the many artists to perform at Columbia Records Celebrates the Music of Bob Dylan in a concert broadcast on radio and Pay-Per-View TV from Madison Square Garden in New York City

Eric's  Unplugged CD earned Gold, Platinum and 2X Platinum Record Awards and the "Unplugged" video earned a Gold Sales Award from the RIAA (US)

10 December

Eric's Unplugged CD received a 3X Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

At the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, Cream was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Eric, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce performed together for the first time since their two farewell shows at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 November 1968

Eric received the Royal Variety Club Award for Outstanding Recording Artist of 1992

Eric opened his 7th annual residency at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Eric played all blues music for the 12 shows

The 1993 Grammy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Eric took home 6 Grammys and performed "Tears In Heaven." It was broadcasted live on CBS-TV (US) with an audience of 30 million

Eric, Jeff Beck, BB King and many others performed at the Apollo Theatre Hall of Fame concert celebrating the New York venue’s 50th anniversary. It was filmed for a later television broadcast in the US

Eric played on a session for a Curtis Mayfield Tribute Album and for a Jimi Hendrix Tribute Album at the Hit Factory in New York City

29 September

Eric's Unplugged album received a 7X Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

1 -3 October

Eric headlined two benefit concerts for the Chemical Dependency Centre at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham followed by a third performance at the Sheffield Arena. Joe Cocker joined Eric for a few songs each evening

Eric's Japan Tour opened at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo with the first of eight non-consecutive shows at the venue. The 14-date tour ended at the venue on 31 October

10 November

Blind Faith's 1969 self-titled debut album received a Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

November – December

Eric's all-blues album, From The Cradle , was recorded at Olympic Sound Studios in London. Final sessions took place in March 1994

Eric inducted The Band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremonies were held at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, and Clapton joined The Band on stage for a performance of “The Weight”

16 February

Eric played a warm-up gig at the Apollo Theatre in Ardwick Green, Manchester prior to his annual Royal Albert Hall residency

Eric opened his 8th annual residency at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The set lists for the 12 nights were predominantly blues

An expanded version of the double LP Derek And The Dominos In Concert was released on 2CD and vinyl as Live At The Fillmore . The tracks were recorded on 23/24 October 1970

28 February

Eric performed his 100th solo show at London's Royal Albert Hall during his 8th annual residency. The concert also served as a benefit for Children in Crisis

Eric played a benefit concert for the T.J. Martell Foundation at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City

Eric's 12th solo studio album, From The Cradle , was released. It won a Grammy Award for “Best Traditional Blues Album” and became his only #1 UK album to date

24 September

Eric was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV in the US (Season 20, Episode 1)

Eric's final rehearsal for the Nothing But The Blues Tour was filmed for later television broadcast on VH-1 at the Manhattan Center Studios in New York City

Opening night of Eric's Nothing But The Blues North American Tour took place at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The arena tour ended a month later on 4 November at the San Jose Arena in California

Eric's US Tour supporting his all-blues album From The Cradle opened with 3 shows at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California which were filmed for the Nothing But The Blues documentary 

Eric's album, From The Cradle , received Gold, Platinum and 2X Platinum Record Awards from the RIAA (US)

A remastered expanded edition of Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert was released on the 22nd anniversary of the concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London

15 February

Eric opened the UK leg of his 1995 From The Cradle Tour with a concert at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow. The tour went to Europe, the US, and Japan before it ended on 13 October at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo

19 February

First night of Eric's 9th annual residency at London's Royal Albert Hall. The twelve shows were part of his From The Cradle Tour

Eric's album, From The Cradle , received a 3X Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric won "Crossover Artist of the Year" at the 16th W.C. Handy Blues Awards ceremony by The Blues Foundation

Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Dr John, and Art Neville played a tribute concert for Steve Ray Vaughan that was filmed and recorded on the University of Texas Campus in Austin. It was later released as A Tribute To Stevie Ray Vaughan in CD and video formats

13 December

Eric and Dr John took part in filming Jools Holland's Hootenanny for broadcast on New Year's Eve at the BBC Television Centre in White City, London

Eric recorded incidental music for the film, The Van at Olympic Studios in London

Eric recorded “Change The World” with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds at Village Recorders in Los Angeles for the Phenomenon film soundtrack

Eric played a warm-up show for his 10th Royal Albert Hall residency at the NYNEX Arena in Manchester plus Unplugged , received a 10X Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric performed his 10th and final annual residency at the Royal Albert Hall in London. There were 12 shows. After this run, he returned to the venue for occasional residencies

Eric was one of the performers at The Prince's Youth Business Trust 10th Anniversary: A Royal Gala at London's Royal Albert Hall. It was broadcasted live on Carlton Television

Eric's compilation box set, Crossroads 2 (Live In The Seventies) , was released

Eric and Dr John filmed an episode of Duets for VH1 at Roseland Ballroom in New York City

Eric Clapton, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Joan Osborne, Liza Minelli and others took part in the Luciano Pavarotti and Friends for War Child benefit concert at Parco Novi Sad in Modena, Italy

Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, The Who, Alannis Morissette, Jools Holland and Imogen Heap performed sets at the Masters of Music Concert For The Prince's Trust in Hyde Park, London

"Change The World" was released as a single. It spent 43 weeks in the US Top 40

Eric and Simon Climie collaborated on music for an upcoming Giorgio Armani Fashion Show at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California. Some of the music made it onto Eric's side project, T.D.F.’s Retail Therapy album in 1997

12 September

Eric is one of the performers at the Giorgio Armani Gala at the Lexington Armory in New York City. Plus "Change The World," received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric began recording his album, Pilgrim , at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California.  The sessions continued in November in London at Olympic Studios through 1997

Eric recorded the soundtrack for Nil By Mouth at Olympic Studios in London in January. During this time, he also played on guest sessions for the Tony Rich Project and BeBe WInans

26 February

Eric won 3 Grammy Awards in ceremonies held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He also performed his blockbuster single, "Change The World," with Babyface during the live telecast

The final rehearsal for the Legends Jazz Tour took place at Auditorium Stravinsky in Montreux, Switzerland. Legends played 11 jazz festivals through 17 July. A number of the concerts were filmed and recorded

Twelve years after its release, Eric's 1985 album, Behind The Sun , received a Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric played a guest session with BB King at Town House Studios in London for BB’s upcoming album, Deuces Wild .

Eric's Live in Hyde Park was released on VHS. It was recorded on 29 June 1996 during the MasterCard Masters of Music Concert for The Prince's Trust

Eric along with Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Ray Cooper, Carl Perkins, Jimmy Buffet, Mark Knopfler and Elton John performed a benefit concert, Music for Montserrat at the Royal Albert Hall in London

23 September

The Cream CD box set, Those Were The Days , was released

Eric filmed a guest appearance on Babyface Unplugged for MTV at the Manhattan Center Studios in New York. They recorded "Change The World" and "Talk To Me" in front of a live audience

Eric started his Far East Tour with his first-ever concert in South Korea at the Olympic Gymnasium in Seoul. The tour ended on 31 October at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo

25 February

Derek and The Dominos' "Layla" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame which honors musical recordings of lasting historical significance

Pilgrim, Eric's first solo studio album since 1989's Journeyman was released. It reached the Top 10 in 22 countries

Eric opened his Pilgrim World Tour at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The tour ended 13 December at Messehalle 2 in Hannover, Germany

Pilgrim received a Gold and Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

5 September

Eric performed at the World Convention of Narcotics Anonymous held at the San Jose University Event Center in San Jose, California

14 December

Eric was a guest performer for After New Year's Eve with David Sanborn . It was pre-recorded at Unitel TV Studios in New York City for broadcast 1 January 1999 on ABC-TV

17 December

Eric was one of the guest performers at A Very Special Christmas at The White House in Washington, DC , a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. It was broadcasted on television and later released on CD and video formats

Eric won an American Music Award as "Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist." The ceremony from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California was broadcasted live on ABC-TV (US)

Eric recorded “Blue Eyes Blue” for the Runaway Bride soundtrack. He also recorded the soundtrack for The Story of Us at Paramount Scoring in Hollywood, California

14 February

Eric performed with BB King and George Benson at the 30th NAACP Image Awards at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. It was filmed for television and broadcasted on 4 March on the Fox Network

Eric performed with BB King at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. He won his 13th Grammy for "My Father's Eyes" and Cream's Disraeli Gears was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for recorded works

Eric performed "Boogie Chillin" with John Lee Hooker, Robert Jr Lockwood, Hubert Sumlin and others at the 10th Annual Rhythm and Blues Foundation Awards at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, California

Eric's album, Unplugged , received the first Diamond Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric's first guitar auction to benefit the Crossroads Centre Antigua Foundation took place at Christie's Auction House in New York City. It raised $4.4 million

Eric's  first benefit concert for the Crossroads Centre Antigua Foundation took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It aired on VH-1 and was later released on video formats

Eric was one of the guest performers at Central Park in Blue: Sheryl Crow and Friends in New York City. It was broadcasted live on television and later released on CD

Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton , featuring his hits from 1984-1999 was released on CD and DVD

Eric received the GQ Man of the Year Award for Music (Solo Artist)

Eric was one of the performers at The Concert of The Century for VH1 Save The Music Campaign at The White House in Washington, DC

Eric Clapton & Friends In Concert was released on VHS and DVD. It was the first benefit concert for Crossroads Centre Antigua, filmed on 30 June at the Madison Square Garden in New York City

Eric received the first Stevie Ray Vaughan Award from the Music Assistance Program Allegro Awards in recognition for his efforts in establishing Crossroads Centre

Eric opened a 14-date tour of Japan at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo

Eric played on “Sunshine of Your Love” and “White Room” for Jack Bruce’s upcoming album, Shadows In The Air at Olympic Studios in London

Eric and BB King recorded their collaborative album Riding With The King at Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles, California

23 February

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which honors musical recordings of lasting historical significance

Eric was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist and became the only triple-inductee in ceremonies held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City - he was previously recognized for his work in The Yardbirds and Cream

Eric reunited with fellow Domino, Bobby Whitlock, at a taping for the BBC2 TV show, Later with Jools Holland - it was their first performance together in almost 30 years

Eric and BB King's album Riding With The King was released, which went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album

Eric and BB King's album Riding With The King received a Gold and Platinum Record Awards from the RIAA (US)

September – October

In September, Eric began recording his album Reptile at Record One Studios in Sherman Oaks, California. He finished the album at Olympic Studios in London in October

Blind Faith's self-titled album was given the deluxe treatment and released on 2CD with bonus tracks

EC, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Charlotte Church, Destiny’s Child and others were guest performers at the Wyclef Jean Foundation Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City

First night of Eric's Reptile World Tour took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It was his most ambitious tour and ran through 15 December in Yokohama, Japan

Eric and BB King's album Riding With The King received a 2X Platinum Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric's 14th solo studio album Reptile was released. It reached the Top 10 in 20 countries

Eric's album Reptile received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Eric was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (US)

17 - 18 August

Eric's two consecutive nights at the Staples Center in Los Angeles during his Reptile Tour were filmed and recorded for the CD/DVD One More Car, One More Rider (released 2002)

Eric was one of many performers at The Concert for New York at Madison Square Garden. It broadcasted live on radio and television, the benefit honored those lost on 9/11 and first responders

Eric played on the track “Freedom” for Paul McCartney at Quad Studios in New York City. It was released as a single and as a hidden track on McCartney’s Driving Rain CD the following mont

Eric won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the song "Reptile"

Eric was one of the many performers at the Party at the Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. The concert was broadcast live by the BBC on television and radio and later released on CD and video formats

Eric played on “Never Without You” (a tribute to George Harrison) and “Imagine Me There” for Ringo Starr’s album, Ringorama , at Roccabella Studios in Cranleigh, Surrey

Eric headlined a Ferrari and Maserati Festival concert at Brands Hatch Racing Circuit in Kent

Eric was one of the performers at the Carl Wilson Foundation Benefit at UCLA Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California

One More Car, One More Rider was released on CD and DVD - it was filmed and recorded at Eric's August 2001 concerts at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California

Eric performed and served as Musical Director for the all-star George Harrison tribute concert, The Concert for George at London's Royal Albert Hall, which was later released on CD and DVD

Cream's BBC Sessions was released on 2CD

Eric took part in a Teenage Cancer Trust Benefit Concert organized by Roger Daltrey at the Royal Albert Hall in London

Eric was one of many performers at Willie Nelson's 70th Birthday Concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York. It was filmed for later television broadcast and released on CD/DVD

Eric was one of the performers at the Pavarotti and Friends SOS Iraq Benefit Concert for War Child at Parco Novi Sad in Modena, Italy

Eric was one of the guest performers at Blowin' The Blues Away at New York City’s Apollo Theater to benefit Jazz at Lincoln Center

Eric made a guest appearance with John Mayall at Kings Dock in Liverpool. The concert was a benefit for UNICEF and celebrated John's 70th Birthday

The Yardbirds Ultimate was released on 2CD. Eric is featured on 12 tracks recorded forty years earlier in 1963

Eric Clapton & Friends: Live 1986 was released on DVD. It was previously released in 1987 on VHS and LaserDisc under different titles

Eric began recording his next album, Back Home , at Olympic Studios in London. Eric and his band would play Robert Johnson songs between new material and those songs evolved into the album, Me and Mr Johnson . 

Back Home wasn’t completed until April 2005

15 November

Eric kicked off his Just For You Japan Tour at the Green Arena in Hiroshima. The short tour ended in Tokyo on 13 December

Eric was one of the guest performers at Gary Brooker & Friends: The Last Fling 1962-2004 at Guildford Civic Hall in Guildford, Surrey – the venue’s final concert before it was torn down

Eric was one of the guest performers at One Generation 4 Another: In Aid of the Lord Taverners Benefit Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall

Eric's 15th solo studio album, Me and Mr. Johnson was released

Eric's Me and Mr. Johnson Tour opened at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. With dates in Europe, UK, and US, it ended on 2 August at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California

Eric's first Crossroads Guitar Festival at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. The three day event was broadcast on satellite radio and culminated with an almost eleven-hour all-star concert at the Cotton Bowl

Eric's second guitar auction for the Crossroads Centre Antigua Foundation took place at Christie's Auction House in New York City - it raised $6.4 million

Eric made a guest appearance with Buddy Holly's original band, The Crickets, at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California

Deluxe Edition of Cream's Disraeli Gears released on 2CD

Eric was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace

30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Eric's 461 Ocean Boulevard was released

Eric was one of the artists who took part in filming a tribute to Scotty Moore Abbey Road Studios, St. John's Wood, London

Eric's 16th solo studio album Sessions for Robert J was released as a CD/DVD combo pack and was the audio/video companion to Eric's  March 2004 CD, Me and Mr. Johnson . It was filmed and recorded between March and mid-August at Hookend Manor in Berkshire, The Studios at Los Colinas in Texas and Hotel Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica, California.

Eric and Roger Waters pre-recorded their appearance on the US fundraising effort Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope for next day broadcast on radio and television

Eric, backed by Jools Holland and His Orchestra, headlined the Tsunami Relief Concert at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The fundraising event was broadcast by the BBC on television and radio

Eric's song, "Say What You Will," was released on the CD Love The Earth as part of EXPO 2005 in Aichi, Japan

Eric took part in Comic Relief's 10th Annual ‘Red Nose Day’ during the live broadcast from BBC Television Centre Studios in Wood Lane, London

Eric and BB King inducted Buddy Guy into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. It was pre-recorded for television broadcast on VH-1

Eric made a guest appearance with UB40 at Royal Albert Hall at the Teenage Cancer Trust Benefit Concert

Eric, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker reunited at Royal Albert Hall in London for four Cream Reunion shows which were filmed and recorded for release in October

Eric and JJ Cale recorded Road To Escondido at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California. Guests on the album included John Mayer, Albert Lee and Taj Mahal. These were also the final sessions Billy Preston played on

Eric's 17th solo studio album Back Home was released

3 September

Eric and John Mayer performed live on the How You Can Help Telethon from CNN Television Studios in New York City to aid those affected by Hurricane Katrina

Cream's Royal Albert Hall: London 2, 3, 5 & 6 May 2005 was released on various audio and digital formats plus Cream Farewell Concert (Restored Expanded Edition) filmed in 1968, was released on DVD

24 - 26 October

Eric, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker reunited for three consecutive Cream Reunion Concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Eric's 17th solo studio album Back Home received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

Opening night of Eric's 2006/2007 World Tour took place at La Palestre in La Cannet, France. The tour visited the UK, Europe, North America, Japan, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand across 12 months

Eric played on a guest session for Sam Moore at Olympic Studios in London

Eric's 18th solo studio album and collaboration with longtime friend JJ Cale, The Road To Escondido was released

Eric played on a guest session for Stephen Bishop at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California

Eric's  2006/2007 World Tour continued with the first concert of 2007 at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The tour started 5 May 2006 and ended on 6 April 2007 in Columbus, Ohio.

Eric was joined by special guest JJ Cale at the iPayOne Center in San Diego, California. The concert was filmed and recorded, but not released until 2016

Eric was one of the performers at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the Rose Theatre at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City

Eric played on a guest session for David Sanborn at Legacy Recording Studios in New York City

Eric and John Mayer performed live on Good Morning America at Bryant Park in New York City to launch the Eric Crossroads Signature Fender Stratocaster, sales of which benefited Crossroads Centre in Antigua

Eric's second Crossroads Guitar Festival took place at Toyota Park in Bridgeville, Illinois. It was broadcasted online and later released on DVD

Eric played on a guest recording session for Steve Winwood at Wincraft Studios in Gloucestershire

Eric joined Jeff Beck during his week of shows at Ronnie Scott’s in London. The concert was filmed and released in 2008 as Jeff Beck Performing This Week … Live At Ronnie Scott’s

Eric's greatest hits CD, Complete Clapton , received a Gold Record Award from the RIAA (US)

10 February

Eric and JJ Cale won a Grammy Award for their album, The Road to Escondido at the 50th Annual awards ceremony held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

25, 26 & 28 February

Eric and Steve Winwood played three shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City. They were filmed, recorded and released on CD and video formats as Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood: Live From Madison Square Garden

Eric and Robbie Robertson began working on new material at Olympic Studios in London. The album was not completed but sessions continued in Los Angeles the following year. The tracks were released on Robbie’s solo album, How to Become Clairvoyant in 2011

Eric played on a guest session for Roger Waters’ charity single, “The Child Will Fly,” at Palm Beach Sound in West Palm Beach, Florida – the 15-minute long track benefitted ALAS (America Latina en Accion Solidaria)

Eric opened his North American Tour at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. The tour then headed to Europe before ending on 23 August in Monaco

12 December

Eric's  longform video In Concert: A Benefit for the Crossroads Centre at Antigua received Gold and Platinum Record Awards from the RIAA (US)

Eric opened a month-long tour of Japan with the first of two consecutive nights at Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka. It ended on 28 February with a concert at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo

21 - 22 February

Eric interrupted his solo tour of Japan to play two Together & Apart shows with Jeff Beck at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama

Eric opened his New Zealand / Australia Tour with a concert at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The tour ended on 10 March with a concert at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia

19 - 20 May

Eric made guest appearances with the Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theatre in New York City during the band's run of 40th Anniversary Shows

Eric started his month-long Ireland/UK Tour at The O2 in Dublin – it ended with an 11-night residency at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 31 May

Eric and Steve Winwood launched their Clapton/Winwood US Tour with a concert at the Izod Center, East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 14-date tour ended on 30 June at the Hollywood Bowl in California

Eric and Robbie Robertson worked on new material at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. The first sessions took place at Olympic Studios in London in early 2008. The tracks were released on Robbie’s solo album, How to Become Clairvoyant , in 2011

17 September 

Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, with Eric as the guest, appeared on the Jay Leno Show

Eric played a guest session for Jerry Lee Lewis at East West Studios in Los Angeles. The track, “You Can Have Her,” was released on Lewis’ album Mean Old Man

Eric made a guest appearance with Smokey Robinson on the live television broadcast of Later…With Jools Holland on BBC-2

Eric and Jeff Beck kicked off their Together and Apart Tour with the first of two consecutive nights at The O2 in London. The mini-tour visited New York, Toronto and Montreal.

Eric made a guest appearance with The Plastic Ono Band for Yoko Ono's 75th Birthday Concert at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York

Eric launched an 11-date US Tour at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It ended on 13 March in Orlando, Florida

Eric and Steve Winwood launched their 14-date UK and European Clapton/Winwood Tour at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England. The tour ended on 13 June with a concert at Kurucesme Arena in Istanbul, Turkey

Eric's 3rd Crossroads Guitar Festival took place at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.  He followed it up with four US dates in Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Detroit

27 September

Eric's 18th solo studio album Clapton was released on CD, vinyl and digital audio formats (28 September in the US)

Eric was one of the guests on the live television broadcast of Later…With Jools Holland on BBC-2 - he performed a few songs from his new album Clapton

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 was released on DVD and Blu-Ray (released 9 November in the US) - it was filmed on 26 June at Toyota Park in Bridgeville, Illinois

17 November

Eric headlined the multi-act Prince's Trust Rock Gala 2010 at Royal Albert Hall in London - it was filmed for later television broadcast

Eric started a short 5-date Middle East/Far East tour at the Yas Arena in Abu Dhabi, with concerts in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and South Korea before heading to North America for 9 dates. The tour ended on 9 March at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, California

10 – 17 March

Eric began work on a new album Old Sock at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California

While in New York City, Eric played on guest sessions for Paul McCartney at Avatar Studios

7, 8 - 9 April

Eric and Wynton Marsalis teamed up for three nights of performances. The last two were filmed and recorded and were released on 13 September as Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play The Blues

Eric started a month-long tour of Ireland, the UK and Scandinavia with a gig at The O2 in Dublin. At Royal Albert Hall, he played six solo shows followed by five shows with Steve Winwood. The tour ended on 11 June in Herning, Denmark

Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play The Blues was released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray

Eric started his first South American Tour at Centro de Eventos Fiergs in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The six-concert tour ended on 16 October at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile

Eric teamed up with Steve Winwood for a 13-date tour of Japan starting at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Sapporo. The tour ended on 10 December at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo

Eric performed an acoustic concert at Buckingham Palace in London for the Duke of Edinburgh's Outward Bound Trust Appeal

Eric was one of the special guests at Howlin’ for Hubert , a memorial show for Hubert Sumlin that served as a fundraiser for the Jazz Foundation of America

Eric was a surprise guest with The Rolling Stones to help them celebrate the band’s 50th Anniversary at the O2 Arena in London

Eric was one of the performers for ‘12.12.12 - The Concert For Sandy Relief’ at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which was broadcast on TV and streamed worldwide to raise funds for those affected by Superstorm Sandy in New York and New Jersey

Eric's 19th solo studio album Old Sock was released on CD, vinyl and digital audio formats

Eric started his 50th Anniversary Tour at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The US leg ended on 6 April at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

12 - 13 April

Eric hosted the 4th Crossroads Guitar Festival in a two-night event at Madison Square Garden

Eric started the UK and European leg of his 50th Anniversary Tour at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland. It included seven nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The tour ended on 19 June at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic

Unplugged Deluxe was released on CD and DVD in the UK, Czech Republic, Austria, South Africa, Hong Kong, Poland, France, Denmark, and Norway

Unplugged Deluxe was released on CD and DVD in the US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Italy, and Spain

Unplugged Deluxe was released on CD and DVD in Japan and Sweden

14 - 15 November

Eric headlined two nights to close out the Baloise Sessions in Basel, Switzerland - excerpts were aired on Swiss Radio on 18 November

Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013 was released on various audio and video formats

Eric's Give Me Strength: The 1974/1975 Recordings box set was released

EC, Michael Kamen and David Sanborn's Lethal Weapon Soundtrack Collection was released as a limited edition of 3000 copies. The 8CD box set featured the music for all four films

Eric began his Far East/Middle East Tour with a concert at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. Following seven concerts in Japan, it moved on to Singapore, Dubai and Bahrain. The tour was filmed for a documentary that was released later in the year as Planes, Trains and Eric

Eric opened a 4-concert US Tour by headlining the 45th New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Eric opened a 5-concert UK/Europe Tour at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow

Eric Clapton & Friends: The Breeze - An Appreciation of J.J. Cale was released on CD, LP and digital audio formats

October - November

The documentary Planes, Trains and Eric , with 13 complete performances from the 2014 Tour, was released on varying dates around the world

Cream 1966-1972 , a limited-edition vinyl-only box set presenting the band’s six studio and live albums was released

Eric was announced as an inductee to the Blues Hall of Fame by The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the first British musician to be honored

Eric celebrated his 70th Birthday with two concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City followed by 7 shows at Royal Albert Hall in London.  In New York, Doyle Bramhall II, John Mayer, Derek Trucks and Jimmie Vaughan were guests. The London shows were filmed and released as Slowhand at 70

Eric marked his 200th appearance at London's Royal Albert Hall since 1964. He dedicated the performance to BB King who passed away the day before

Eric headlined a fundraising concert for Beefy's Charity Foundation honoring legendary cricketer and tireless philanthropist Sir Ian "Beefy" Botham

Limited-edition box set of ten of Cream’s US/UK mono singles was released

Slowhand at 70 , recorded live at Royal Albert Hall on 20 and 21 May, was released on DVD, Blu-ray, CD, vinyl and digital editions

Slowhand at 70 reached Number 1 in 7 countries: United States, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden and Number 2 in the United Kingdom and Netherlands

Eric Clapton - The Studio Album Collection, an eight-piece vinyl only box set with all of Eric's solo studio albums from his time with Polydor/RSO, was released

Eric Clapton - The Live Album Collection 1970-1980 was released as a 4-album / 6 disc vinyl only box set of Eric's live albums from his time with Polydor/RSO

Eric opened a five-night residency which ran through 19 April at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. Ed Sheeran sat in for a few songs on opening night

Eric's 20th solo studio album I Still Do was released. It debuted at Number 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart

Eric Clapton and Guests: Crossroads Revisited – an audio compilation of highlights from all of Eric's Crossroads Guitar Festivals – was released on 2CD and digital audio formats

30 September

Live in San Diego with Special Guest JJ Cale was released on CD, vinyl and digital audio formats. It was filmed and recorded on 15 March 2007 at the iPayOne Center in San Diego, California

Eric performed at a gala charity event celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Outward Bound Trust at Buckingham Palace

Fresh Cream was released as a deluxe edition on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray audio formats

Live in San Diego with Special Guest JJ Cale was released on video formats

Eric kicked off his celebration of 50 Years of Music with the first of two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden. In May, there were three shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In September, he returned to The Garden for two more shows, followed by four nights at The Forum in Inglewood, California

The French Ambassador to the UK honored Eric with the Commandeur in l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres medal in a ceremony before a concert at Royal Albert Hall

10 September

The documentary Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was screened at several festivals through January 2018

Eric headlined the Greenwich Town Party at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Connecticut. Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi joined him on stage

The documentary, Eric Clapton: Life In 12 Bars , was released on video formats along with a complementary soundtrack featuring 5 previously unreleased tracks

Eric visited Germany for concerts in Cologne and Hamburg

Eric headlined Day 3 of British Summer Time: Hyde Park in London with 65,000 people in attendance

4 September

Eric received one of the first stars on Royal Albert Hall's Walk of Fame in a star-studded ceremony in London

6 - 7 October

Eric played two one-off concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Eric's first-ever Christmas album and his 21st solo studio album, Happy Xmas , was released on various audio formats

A Clapton Christmas TV special premiered on MTV Live and MTV Classic in North America

Eric was a guest appearance at the Chas Hodges Tribute Concert at Shepherd's Bush Empire, Shepherd's Bush, London

Eric opened a five-night residency which ran through 20 April at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. On opening night, John Mayer made a guest appearance during the encore

Eric started a three-night residency at Royal Albert Hall in London

Eric played three concerts in Berlin, Vienna and Mannheim

Eric headlined the closing concert of the 42nd Dresden Music Festival at the Messe Dresden - cellist Jan Vogler was a guest for the entire acoustic set

11 - 14 September

Eric played three warm-up shows in preparation for his Fifth Crossroads Guitar Festival in San Francisco, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Carlos Santana was a special guest at the Chase Center in San Francisco

20 - 21 September

Eric's Fifth Crossroads Guitar Festival returned to Dallas, Texas for a two-night event at the American Airlines Center. Broadcast live on pay-per-view, highlights were later released on audio and video formats in November 2020

Eric made a guest appearance with Hawkwind during the band's 50th Anniversary Tour. Eric was on stage for 8 songs at G Live in Guildford, Surrey. Back in 1962, he played the folk pubs, clubs and coffeehouses in Surrey with Hawkwind founder member, Dave Brock

Eric performed at the British Fashion Council Annual Gala at Royal Albert Hall in London honoring Giorgio Armani

Eric Clapton and Guests: Crossroads Revisited was released on 6LP vinyl. It was released on 2CD and digital audio formats in July 2019

Cream: Goodbye Tour Live 1968 was released as a 4-CD box set

Eric was the music director and just one of the artists who performed at A Tribute To Ginger Baker at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London which honored the life of the Cream drummer

Eric performed at the charity event Music For Marsden along with Gary Brooker, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler, Van Morrison and others at The O2 in Greenwich

A YouTube video of a duet by MARO and Eric on “Tears In Heaven” was released

Eric and BB King’s Riding With The King was re-released as a 20th Anniversary Edition with bonus tracks

50th Anniversary Editions of Derek and The Dominos Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs were released

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2019 was released on various audio and video formats. It was filmed and recorded at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on 20-21 September 2019

“Stand and Deliver,” performed by Eric and written by Van Morrison, was released as a single

Eric and Van Morrison, as Slowhand and Van, released a new single, “The Rebels”

A 4CD deluxe anniversary edition of Eric's self-titled first solo album was released

Eric released a new single, “This Has Gotta Stop.” The song was then re-released in October as a duet with Van Morrison

Eric opened an 8-concert US Tour at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. It ended at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida on 26 September

Eric and Van Morrison, as Slowhand and Van, released a duet of “This Has Gotta Stop”

12 November

Eric's The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions was released on audio and video formats. It was recorded at Cowdray House the previous year

Eric released a new single, “Heart Of A Child”

Eric played a one-off concert at the Al Dana Amphitheatre at Umm Jidar, Hawart Ingah, Bahrain. "Smile" made its first set list appearance in 48 years

Eric opened his 2022 Tour with the first of two nights at Royal Albert Hall in London. The 24 concerts also visited cities in the US and Europe before it ended on 14 October at the Hallenstadion in Zurich

The 1995 Eric documentary, Nothing But The Blues , was released on video format along with a companion album

Eric released a new single, “Pompous Fool”

Eric's The Complete Reprise Studio Albums – Volume I was released as a limited edition 12-LP box set

Eric's The Complete Reprise Studio Albums – Volume 2 was released as a limited edition 10-LP box set

Eric opened a five-night residency at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. The shows ran through 24 April and included Eric's 100th show at the venue since 1974

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Watch Eric Clapton and Roger Waters Honour Ginger Baker With ‘Sunshine of Your Love’

Ron wood, steve winwood, nile rodgers and paul carrack paid tribute to late drummer.

Eric Clapton assembled an incredible roster of musicians on Sunday evening to honor the late Ginger Baker at the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith in London: Roger Waters , Nile Rodgers, Ron Wood , Steve Winwood and Paul Carrack, along with Baker’s son Kofi.

The show was centered around songs by Cream and Blind Faith; Clapton and Waters kicked it all off with “Sunshine of Your Love.”

“I called him Peter Edward,” Clapton told the crowd, referencing the drummer’s real name. “I think he’s here somewhere and he’ll be playing music for you tonight and we’re going to help him along. He was a scoundrel, but I loved him and he loved me and that was that. I saw some people get the rough edge of his tongue, but I never did and I feel blessed. That’s why I’m doing this. I miss him.”

Other highlights from the show included Waters playing “White Room” and “Strange Brew,” Rodgers and Carrack breaking out “I Feel Free” and Wood and Henry Spinetti tackling “Badge.” Winwood came out midway through the night for the Blind Faith songs “Had to Cry Today,” “Presence of the Lord,” “Well all Right” and “Can’t Find My Way Home.” The night wrapped up with everyone coming together for “Crossroads.”

https://youtu.be/ZCRT-Bp6Fl8

Clapton is the sole surviving member of Cream and this is the first time he’s played this many songs from the group in a single evening since their brief reunion tour in 2005. Kofi Baker, however, spent the past couple of years playing Cream songs along with Jack Bruce’s son Malcolm Bruce and Clapton’s nephew Will Johns under the banner Sons of Cream. Malcolm Bruce recently moved on from the group and they now play as Music of Cream.

This show was Clapton’s first gig of 2020. He begins a long overseas tour on March 20th at the 02 Arena in London. It wraps up March 30th in Moscow at Crocus Hall.

https://youtu.be/jg_SAxcLuXw

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Watch Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Roger Waters, Nile Rodgers and more jam Cream and Blind Faith in tribute to Ginger Baker

“He was a scoundrel but I loved him and he loved me,” Clapton says of his two-time bandmate

The Eric Clapton & Friends: A Tribute to Ginger Baker concert took place at London’s Eventim Apollo Hammersmith on February 17, and the one-time-only event didn’t disappoint as far as the friends that came out to celebrate the legendary drummer’s legacy. 

Following a short montage of Baker’s life, Clapton – Baker’s two-time electric guitar band mate in Cream and Blind Faith – and his band were joined by Roger Waters on bass for Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love. 

Waters remained onstage for two more Cream songs, Strange Brew and White Room, the latter also featuring former Faces band mates Ronnie Wood on guitar and Kenney Jones on drums.

Other highlights included Wood on Badge; Chic guitar legend Nile Rodgers on I Feel Free and Tales of Brave Ulysses; and a Blind Faith mini-set (essentially, most of the supergroup’s entire 1969 debut album) with Clapton, Rogers, Steve Winwood on organ, vocals and guitar and Baker’s son, Kofi Baker, on drums.

The entire guest list, which also included drummer Henry Spinetti and guitarist Will Johns (son of producer Andy Johns), closed the night with a run-through of Crossroads, with Clapton, Wood and Rodgers trading solos on a trio of Strats and Johns contributing some tasty licks on an Ernie Ball Music Man EVH.

Commented Clapton to the audience early on, “Some of that stuff was 50 years ago but it feels like yesterday.”

He also riffed on Baker’s famously prickly personality, saying, “He was a scoundrel but I loved him and he loved me and that was that.

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“I saw some people get the rough edge of his tongue but I never did, so I feel blessed. That’s why I’m doing this.”

You can check out more performances from the show below.

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Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.

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The unmasking of the narcissistic, conspiracy-spreading baby-boomer rock star

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Over two nights in late September, Eric Clapton used his music-industry connections and his decades of classic-rock hits to draw thousands of fans to Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

The occasion was the Crossroads Guitar Festival: a once-every-few-years event for which the English singer and guitarist convenes an all-star cast of players — this one included Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, H.E.R. and ZZ Top, among dozens of others — to raise money for the Crossroads drug treatment center Clapton founded a quarter-century ago on the Caribbean island of Antigua.

For lovers of 1960s rock, the show’s high point may have been back-to-back appearances by Roger McGuinn, with whom Clapton performed the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High,” and Stephen Stills, who joined Clapton for a rendition of Buffalo Springfield’s “Bluebird” — a trio of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers reviving a couple of the tunes that helped define the baby boomer generation.

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Yet the Crossroads festival came just days after Clapton’s appearance at a smaller, very different benefit in seeming conflict with the progressive ideals many of those boomers famously embodied. On Sept. 18, Clapton, 78, headlined a fundraiser for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the now-independent presidential candidate known for spouting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories — among other things, he’s suggested that vaccines cause autism and that the COVID-19 virus was designed not to infect Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people — and for his coziness with conservative political figures such as Elon Musk, Jordan Peterson and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; the event, held at a private estate in Brentwood, raised $2.2 million, according to Kennedy’s campaign.

“I am deeply grateful to Eric Clapton for bringing his musical artistry and rebellious spirit to my gathering in Los Angeles last night,” Kennedy said in a statement issued the next day. He added: “Eric sings from the depths of the human condition. If he sees in me the possibility of bringing unity to our country, it is only possible because artists like him invoke a buried faith in the limitless power of human beings to overcome any obstacle.”

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That could be it. Or it could be that in Kennedy, the wayward inheritor of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable brand name, Clapton sees something of a kindred soul: Once regarded as part of the liberation-minded hippie movement (even if signs of dissent were clear early on), Clapton has veered conspicuously rightward in recent years, especially as pertains to COVID.

And he’s not the only one. In 2020, Clapton and the legendary Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison teamed for “Stand and Deliver,” a shaggy blues song protesting pandemic lockdowns in which they ask the listener, “Do you wanna be a free man / Or do you wanna be a slave?” Months later, Morrison, now 78, released a 28-track double album full of rants about supposed welfare abuse and government mind control; one cut, “They Own the Media,” flirts with an established antisemitic trope.

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, 80, has been accused of making antisemitic remarks and has been criticized for saying that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “was not unprovoked.” Groundbreaking guitarist and bandleader Carlos Santana, 76, shared his thoughts on the transgender community during a recent concert, telling an audience that “a woman is a woman and a man is a man — that’s it.”

And then there’s the case of Jann Wenner, the 77-year-old Rolling Stone magazine co-founder who made headlines of his own in September when he told the New York Times that the reason his new book of interviews with musicians features only white men is because women and people of color weren’t sufficiently “articulate” or “intellectual” to merit inclusion.

On Friday night, the Rock Hall, which Wenner helped start in the mid-1980s, will induct its latest class of members, including Willie Nelson, Kate Bush and Missy Elliott, in a ceremony at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Yet Wenner is unlikely to be there: One day after the New York Times published its interview with the media mogul — in which he wondered, “What didn’t the rock ’n’ roll generation do?” — the board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation ousted Wenner in a vote that reportedly took just 20 minutes to complete. Wenner promptly apologized for his “comments that diminished the contributions, genius and impact of Black and women artists.” But Rolling Stone, which his son Gus now oversees, more or less disassociated itself from the founder and went on to publish a series of hand-wringing mea culpas in which editors laid out the magazine’s evolution since Wenner’s days.

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Each of these examples differs in its particulars — and stands in stark contrast to the likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, neither of whom has put their music back on Spotify after pulling it last year to protest the platform’s star podcaster, Joe Rogan, spreading vaccine misinformation. But together they raise the question of whether members of a generation that “made striking changes socially and morally and artistically,” as Wenner proudly described the boomers even as he undercut their legacy, have betrayed the implicit promise of the ’60s counterculture. And if they have, should we be surprised?

“Look, many people get more conservative as they get older,” said Douglas Brinkley, the prolific author and Rice University history professor. “And millions have fallen prey to conspiracy theories and misinformation. Just because you wrote ‘Astral Weeks,’” he added of Morrison’s classic 1968 LP, “that doesn’t mean you’re immune from bad science.”

Indeed, though Clapton has been inspiring outrage since at least 1976, when he went on a notorious anti-immigrant tirade onstage in Birmingham, England, the pandemic appears to have been a radicalizing event for him and for Morrison. The latter has framed his response to COVID and various corresponding public health measures as a matter of personal liberty — of freedoms trampled on by “Imperial College scientists making up crooked facts,” as he sang in 2020’s oddly jaunty “No More Lockdown.”

“We think of rock ’n’ roll stars as traveling around the world in a caravan, and here somebody was telling them they have to put a brake on what they do,” Brinkley said — one way to describe the lucrative touring business that legacy acts have wholeheartedly embraced as ticket prices soar and their own record sales decline. “A kind of selfishness ensues.”

Clapton, meanwhile, has focused on vaccines and what he views as their dangerous side effects, which he says he experienced firsthand after receiving two AstraZeneca shots. In 2021, he was photographed backstage at a concert in Austin with Texas’ strongly conservative governor, Greg Abbott, who’s signed legislation prohibiting vaccine mandates and who passed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws. (Clapton’s business manager told the Washington Post that the photo with Abbott “should not be interpreted as him supporting a ban on abortion,” as the Post put it.)

However shaped the guitarist’s stance was by his personal medical history, it’s not hard to detect a political dimension to Clapton’s thinking.

“The backlash to COVID presented an anti-establishment sensibility among people who weren’t politically right, who weren’t Donald Trump supporters, but who were able to use that to tap into the same sentiment that Trump always got to,” said Philip Bump, author of “The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America.” Added Bump: “You weren’t aligning with Trump, necessarily, but you were able to express this frustration you had about the changing world around you and the ways in which you feel imposed upon.”

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That perceived imposition is the thing that seems to unite these men, whose birth years, it’s worth noting, put them in the same generational category as Trump, even if the former president never had a countercultural impulse to speak of. After all, COVID was just one front of a larger generational war that’s pitted boomers against millennials and Gen Z — remember “OK boomer?” — on issues of gender identity, climate change and financial inequality. As Bump pointed out, the economic and technological gains of the postwar era combined to “give boomers a sense that everything was oriented around them” — a sense of blinkered self-importance only bolstered by global rock stardom for those who achieved it (or, in Wenner’s case, something adjacent to it).

“What they feel is that they’ve earned the right to speak their mind,” Brinkley said, “and that they’re not beholden to these shifting cultural norms.”

Are they, though? One seasoned music-industry insider who spoke on condition of anonymity said that if 2016’s boomer-centric Desert Trip festival were held today, they doubted that Waters — an unapologetic critic of Israel known for wearing Nazi-style costumes that he says are “quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms” — would be booked as he was seven years ago.

Yet fans at the Crossroads festival and at a Morrison gig at the Greek Theatre in September — a self-selected sample, of course — seemed largely untroubled by the musicians’ more controversial pronouncements.

Jack Freimann, who’s 62 and said he’s seen Morrison at least a dozen times since the ’80s, was sympathetic to the singer’s complaint that COVID lockdowns were keeping him from doing his job. “He’s always been a working-class guy, so I think his take wasn’t so much from an ideological standpoint,” Freimann said. “Little more practical.”

Aubrey Williams, 37, had traveled to L.A. for Crossroads with her husband, Matt, from their home in Charleston, S.C., and said she found it easy to separate the art from the artist. “They’re not shaping policy,” she said of Clapton and the rest. “At the end of the day, it’s music, and that’s what matters.”

A former major-label president offered a variation on that view, saying that these graying icons haven’t seen substantial damage to their touring businesses because few still regard them as anything like the thought leaders they once were.

“These days they’re just peddling nostalgia,” this person said, “along with the crazy stuff.”

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Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Nick Mason and more join list of artists calling for Roger Waters' concert ban to be reversed

Frankfurt's city council forced the cancellation of a scheduled performance by Roger Waters - and now a list of notable names have lined up to support the former Pink Floyd man

A petition has been launched to reverse the decision made by officials at Frankfurt City Council to bar Roger Waters ' from performing in the city. 

Waters was originally scheduled to play on May 28 at the Festhalle concert hall as part of the This Is Not a Drill  tour, but the show was pulled by the city council , who cited "the persistent anti-Israel behaviour" of the former Pink Floyd frontman. 

The petition was initiated by US comedian and political commentator Katie Halper earlier this month, and has attracted support from the likes of Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel , Eric Clapton , Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, Rage Against The Machine man Tom Morello and Soft Machine founder Robert Wyatt. 

Notable people from other fields who've signed the petition include academics Noam Chomsky and Cornel West, actors Susan Sarandon and Julie Christie, film director Ken Loach and comedian Alexei Sayle.

"Waters’ criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is part of his long-term advocacy on behalf of human rights across the globe," reads the blurb accompanying the petition. "Waters believes 'that all our brothers and sisters, all over the world irrespective of the colour of their skin or the depth of their pockets deserve equal human rights under the law.' 

"With regard to Israel and Palestine, he says, 'My platform is simple: it is implementation of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights for all our brothers and sisters between the Jordan River and the sea. Antisemitism is odious and racist and I condemn it, along with all forms of racism, unreservedly.'

"Officials in Germany, concert organisers, and music platforms must not succumb to the pressure of those individuals and groups who would rather see Waters’ music removed than engage with the issues his music highlights."

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The petition, which currently has more than 10,000 signatures, is at change.org . A second petition, opposing the first, has also been launched . 

Last month, Waters revealed that he has rerecorded Pink Floyd's classic  The Dark Side Of The Moon  without any of the current members of Pink Floyd. 

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.  

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Appreciation: Sax great David Sanborn dead at 78. ‘I think people relate to a lyrical humanness in my playing,’ he said

The alto sax great was a solo star with six Grammy wins. A much in-demand studio musician, he collaborated with Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Springsteen and many more

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David Sanborn, one of the most popular and influential saxophonists of the past 50 years, died Sunday after an extended battle with prostate cancer. He was 78 and had performed as recently as January. His death was announced on his social media sites: “Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.”

Sanborn performed dozens of times in San Diego over the years. He was a favorite with audiences at Humpheys Concerts by the Bay, where he rivaled B.B. King and America as one of the venue’s most frequent and popular performers.

Sanborn’s solo career ignited in the 1980s, but — both before and after that time — his versatility made him one of the most in-demand alto saxophonists in a multitude of genres. His many collaborators ranged from Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, James Brown and Linda Ronstadt to Roger Waters, Bruce Springsteen, Todd Rundgren and such jazz such jazz greats as Gil Evans, Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, Julius Hemphill and Bobby Hutcherson.

“What I do is an amorphous combination of styles that has elements of bebop, R&B and rock,” Sanborn said in a 1985 Union-Tribune interview. “Categorization tends to limit you to specific idioms and that’s not good for your growth.”

A Florida native, Sanborn was born July 30, 1945, in Tampa. He grew up in St. Louis, where — by his middle teens — he was performing in the bands of such blues greats as Little Milton and Albert King.

He attended Northwestern University and the University of Iowa before turning his attention to music full time.

In 1969, at the age of 24, Sanborn performed at the legendary Woodstock festival as a member of the Butterfield Blues Band. In 1972, he toured the nation as a member of Wonder’s band. In 1975, he played in the “Saturday Night Live” house band for the show’s first season. In 1989 and 1990, he hosted the eclectic NBC show, “Night Music,” which saw him play alongside everyone from Al Green, Dizzy Gillespie, Betty Wright and Joe Cocker to Latin salsa master Eddie Palmieri, Boz Scaggs and Puerto Rican cuatro player Yomo Toro.

“Nobody wants to take chances anymore, and that’s what this show is about. We take chances, and that’s what people respond to,” Sanborn said in a 1989 U-T interview.

“We’re trying to put on music that you wouldn’t normally see on commercial TV . We want to present an eclectic mix that also gives some historical perspective to the music so that we can give an overview that music is one continuous thread — a tree with a lot of different branches that are all entertaining.”

As a solo artist, Sanborn became a pillar of smooth-jazz in the 1980s. He managed to become one of its biggest stars while rising above the genre’s stifling restrictions and cookie-cutter formulas. The grace and grit be brought to his soulful playing enabled him to consistently shine.

“I play the kind of music that gets me off; it’s really that basic,” Sanborn told the U-T in 1995. “What gets me off are things that appeal to me on a lot of different levels. And the older I get, the more I appreciate different things. Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile all those things into one.”

In a 1996 U-T interview, Sanborn reflected on the most valuable musical lessons he learned from working with his many legendary collaborators. Here are excerpts from that conversation:

Albert King: “Phrasing and time. I was 15 years old, I wasn’t very experienced, and here was a guy who was physically imposing, to say the least, and had such a powerful presence as a musician. I’d been playing only four years, so I felt fortunate to be in his company. He didn’t throw me off the stage! He tolerated me.”

Paul Butterfield: “Again, phrasing, and sound. Paul had the best blues harp sound I’ve heard; I don’t think anyone else has come close. I learned a lot from him, about sound, using the amp, microphone technique and phrasing.”

Q: Didn’t you play the Woodstock festival with Butterfield in 1969?

A: “It was overwhelming. We were on the road, and had done a lot of gigs. Obviously, no one had any notion that we’d be playing at what turned out to be a historic event. After the fact, everyone started writing about it as a watershed event. And it was like, ‘Gee, how about that?’ When in fact, to us, it was a congregation of a half a million people in a muddy field in New York.”

Stevie Wonder: “On just a technical musical level, I learned a lot about phrasing and the way he used grace notes. I really like the way he did that as a player and a singer. Plus, he was probably the most powerful singer I’ve worked with; his talent is just prodigious. What impressed me about him is, after each gig, he’d have all these keyboards brought up to his room and he’d work all night. And he taped everything. His work ethic really inspired me; he never stopped.”

Todd Rundgren: “He’s one of those Wunderkind people who is so talented in so many areas, and so smart. He was the first musician I’d come in contact with who was a master of the (recording) studio, and that was really impressive.”

David Bowie: “I learned a lot about the theatricality of stage performance, and what an important factor that was. Because I had really come from an era of not anti-performance, but that it was not hip (to be theatrical) and that you let the music speak for itself. From Bowie, I learned that it was a valid tool to use, to whatever degree, and that it would in fact enhance the music. And he was a great songwriter and had a tremendous work ethic. He was a fountain of creativity.”

Q: Bowie told me that he really enjoyed the electronic effects you used on your sax when you played with him. How did you like them?

A: “That was imposed on me. We were in the studio, using wah-wah pedals and different kinds of effects. I always felt very intimidated by studio hardware. To be honest, learning the instrument was so hard, and staying on top of it was so time-consuming, that I felt I didn’t have time to do the other stuff.

“I’m not one of those people it comes naturally to; I have to work hard to maintain whatever ability I have. I felt a little intimidated by all the hardware —- it seemed to pull me away from the music.”

Linda Ronstadt: “Linda has a great voice, really powerful. She’s one of those people who’s innately musical. As good as people know she is, she’s even better than that. And she has an innate musicality where she just doesn’t make the wrong choices.”

James Taylor: “James is one of the great songwriters, and so prolific. What’s always been great for me, working with so many singer-songwriters, is a chance to be close to them, and having the opportunity — night after night — to hear them and see the little changes they make. To see how they approach the same songs, and how a melody could go one way or another each night.”

James Brown: “He has been such an influence on me. I was impressed by just how funky he was, where he put the notes, his power as a singer and his time. What I learned most from Stevie, James Brown and Albert King was their time — where they put notes.”

John McLaughlin: “John is just overwhelming, on the technical side and the musical side. He’s got his own take on being funky. He’ll do something that is almost perfect, and then he’ll (mess) it up in a way that’s so interesting and musical, and make it personal.”

Gil Evans: “I learned so much about melody, and the fact that — even in a large ensemble — every part can be the melody. And what’s so great about Gil’s arrangements is that, whatever part you played — even if it was fourth tenor saxophone — you really felt like a part of the music.”

Paul Shaffer: “Paul is just a wealth of musical knowledge. He’s like the encyclopedia of pop music. He seems to know every tune ever written, and has such a quick mind.”

Eric Clapton: “Eric is another one of those people that is just innately musical. All he has to do is play one note, and you know it’s him. I think that’s a mark of a real creative individual.”

Hank Crawford and David Newman: “I think early on Hank was more of an influence. But they both were, because they were both playing sax with Ray (Charles). I think, initially, Hank was more of an influence because there was a certain spareness, elegance and a cry to his sound I picked up on. His ‘From the Heart’ album, which I listened to over and over, was a huge influence.”

Q: Didn’t you use that title for one of your own albums?

A: “Yeah, but it was subconscious.”

Julius Hemphill: “What I liked about Julius was his ecumenical spirit. He was very nonjudgmental about styles, whether classical, rock, funk, jazz or Sousa marches. Whatever he could use to his benefit he would, and that attitude about music had the most profound effect on me.

“All of these people we’ve discussed, the running theme is that they had such a complete musicality. They saw music as a great universe, and not just a little window.

“Of course, people who came a generation before me would say: ‘I’m glad I came up when I did.’ It’s a matter of perspective, and it’s all a continuum. Creativity doesn’t die with a generation. There was a certain kind of openness about styles back then, and people were more willing to cross over. But musicians are always looking to cross over to other idioms. I want to avoid any implication that that time was better than this. It was great, but it was just different.”

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David Sanborn , the six time Grammy-winning alto saxophonist who played at Woodstock, composed music for the Lethal Weapon movies, played in the SNL and Late Night with David Letterman bands and worked with everyone from Stevie Wonder to David Bowie, died Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications. He Was 78.

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Indeed, he worked with a virtual who’s who of rock and R&B legends, including James Brown, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Elton John, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Roger Waters, Steely Dan, the Eagles, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones.

In TV and film, Sanborn was a member of the legendary Saturday Night Live band from 1979-1980 alongside fellow alto player — and future Lord of the Rings composer — Howard Shore, future Late Night with David Letterman band leader Paul Shaffer on keyboards and his future frequent collaborator, Marcus Miller, on bass.

In the late ’80s he was a frequent guest with Shaffer in the Late Night with David Letterman band. He was also interviewed by Letterman several times.

At the same time, Sanborn, Clapton and Michael Kamen composed music for Lethal Weapon 2, 3 and 4 .

He also appeared, usually cast as a musician, in Paul Simon’s film One Trick Pony as well as Magnum P.I. , Scrooged and, as himself, in Billy Crystal’s Forget Paris .

Sanborn co-hosted the syndicated show Night Music from 1988 to 1990, which was produced by Lorne Michaels. The show featured footage of jazz legends like Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck and Billie Holiday, as well as banter and memorable music jams by musicians including Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Joe Sample, Sonic Youth, Pharoah Sanders, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more. Additionally, Sanborn hosted a syndicated radio program, The Jazz Show with David Sanborn.

At the age of three, he contracted polio and took to the saxophone as part of his treatment therapy. By the time he was a teen, he was playing with blues legends such as Albert King and Little Milton.

In the late ’60s he joined the Butterfield Blues Band and played on the final day at Woodstock. He was soon touring and recording with Stevie Wonder and recording for Wonder’s Talking Book album. He played with The Rolling Stones, toured and recorded with Bowie and toured and recorded with jazz great Gil Evans. He later collaborated with Simon and James Taylor, providing the signature sax solo on Taylor’s classic version of “How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved By You).”

Sanbron made his solo debut in 1975 with the album Taking Off , which featured the popular jazz fusion act the Brecker Brothers. His 1979 release, Hideaway, became a featured the single, “Seduction” which was featured in American Gigolo . He won his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for the sing “All I Need Is You” on the 1981 record, Voyeur .

Later albums included guest artists such as Luther Vandross, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, Charlie Hayden, Wallace Roney, Kenny Barron, Christian McBride and Clapton.

The following was posted on Sanborn’s Facebook page earlier today:

It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.

Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently. Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025.

David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he “put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll.”

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