The album that made Eric Clapton become a musician: “He was a beacon for all of us”
The concept of a guitar hero to most casual rock fans can usually be traced back to Eric Clapton. Although Jimi Hendrix may have taken the reins away from the British guitar legend when he descended upon the world in the late 1960s, Slowhand was responsible for putting together some of the most terrific blues textures in The Yardbirds before moving on to groups like Cream. Despite his penchant for taking the genre in new directions, Clapton wanted to make something far beyond the traditional rock formula.
When working in his first blues bands, Clapton cut his teeth playing the same chord progressions that had become synonymous with the blues. Rather than taking the slow blues of his predecessors, the first albums from acts like The Yardbirds were about as manic as the British rock scene could get, with Clapton delivering searing leads throughout his time in the group.
Once he had his fill of traditional blues, Clapton put together the ideal supergroup behind him with Cream, becoming a fixture of the guitar community that earned him the reputation of ‘CLAPTON IS GOD’ in the local scene. As much as Clapton was willing to play a mile a minute, it was always about much more than instrumental mastery.
Compared to the other bluesmen that came after him, Clapton was looking to squeeze every bit of emotion out of his instrument that he could, channelling everything he felt in his heart whenever he played. Throughout his lovesick album Layla (And Other Assorted Love Songs), Clapton is crying out in pain every time he straps on his guitar, playing songs that are intrinsically linked to his hidden relationship with Pattie Boyd.
When talking about how he channelled that kind of emotion, Clapton thought that it all circled back to BB King. Compared to the wild blues that Clapton was known for, King was one of the originators of slow blues that made a statement, often sounding like he was making his guitar speak because of how expressive it was.
Going through his record collection, Clapton would consider King’s live album Live at the Regal one of the cornerstones of his playing, saying, “He was a beacon for all of us who loved this kind of music. I thank him from the bottom of my heart. So if you’re not familiar with his work I would encourage you to go out and find an album called BB King Live at the Regal. [It] is where it all really started for me as a young player”.
Even though King’s version of the blues might seem simple compared to where Clapton eventually took it, it’s easy to see how much he left behind in Clapton’s playing. Although he may be known for roaring leads that could be played at warp speed, Clapton’s solo on The Beatles’ ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ may be one of the greatest homages to King in his catalogue, making his bends stagger to create that initial crying sound. Clapton may have been considered a deity among fans, but the amount of influence from King cannot be denied every time he strapped on a guitar.
