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Thread: Happy Birthday Eric!

  1. #1
    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Happy Birthday Eric!

    Eric Clapton turns 72 today. Sad to report, he's in poor health, suffering from "severe bronchitis." He was seen at LAX and has cancelled two concerts.



    Happy birthday, Slowhand. And best wishes for a speedy recovery!

    Oh, and here's my tribute to the man who inspired me to pick up an electric guitar:





  2. #2
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Happy Birthday Eric!

    I'm so glad to have seen Clapton twice, once on the Slowhand tour and again in 2000. Btw when I heard his latest album, I yawned. Went back last week and listened again and really dug it .
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  3. #3
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Happy Birthday Eric!

    He was my inspiration to return to playing when I was 15 in 1979. He was my gateway to the blues.

    As much as I liked the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Cream, it was Blind Faith, his first solo album, Derek and the Dominoes and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends that drew me to him.

    I only saw him live once, in the '80s. It was a lackluster show. I never felt badly about that- it's live music, after all.

  4. #4
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Happy Birthday Eric!

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    He was my inspiration to return to playing when I was 15 in 1979. He was my gateway to the blues.

    As much as I liked the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Cream, it was Blind Faith, his first solo album, Derek and the Dominoes and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends that drew me to him.
    That's my experience with him too. Derek was the first Clapton record I ever bought--1974 when I picked it up, 3 years after it had come out. I quit playing for a few years once and 24 Nights got me jonesing to play a Strat. I admit that I too came to like the blues through Clapton and the Stones.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  5. #5
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    Re: Happy Birthday Eric!

    I had one chance to see him at the jazz fest in New Orleans years back. We couldn't make it and I think about that sometimes. A big regret! Always loved his music from the beginning! Amazing amount of talent!Jeff

  6. #6

    Re: Happy Birthday Eric!

    Happy Birthday to a hugely influential figure for so many of us. Hope he makes an expeditious recovery. Never saw Slow-hand live, unfortunately.

    My first memory of Clapton:

    When I was an aspiring young guitarist, I was shopping with my Grandma and came across this very inviting little cassette-tape called White Boy Blues ( Clapton, Beck, & Page) in the bargain-bin of some little record store. After eventually convincing her that this was not "racist devil music", I was finally allowed to purchase it. Between that album and Hendrix's Second Time Around, I wore those tapes out inside of a few months.

  7. #7
    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Happy Birthday Eric!

    in 1990 I was working in a gas station when the news on the radio erroneously reported that both EC and SRV had perished in a helicopter crash that morning. I was devastated. I had seen SVR just a few weeks before when he opened(!!! WTF?) for Joe Cocker but I hadn't seen EC yet. I was actually in tears. The next news cycle came on and they made the correction that EC was not killed after all and had not taken the fateful helicopter ride as first reported. Relief mingled with sadness. I vowed to see EC at the next opportunity. That was the Blues From The Cradle tour. The tickets were 125 dollars (still the most I've ever paid) but I did it anyway. Fortunately I had a date who said she wanted to go and would pay for her ticket. The seats were literally against the back wall of the highest balcony of the Worcester Centrum. The sound fortunately did not suck too terribly bad as we watched the cricket sized figures on the stage so far away. I thoroughly enjoyed the show as I knew it was a pure blues standards show and I was well versed in them.

    My date was perplexed that he didn't at least play "Tears in Heaven"

    "But it was his biggest hit, I'd thought he'd at least play that."

    "I told you it was going to be nothing but old blues songs, to be sure that you'd be ok with it."

    "I know, but I still thought he would play it." face palm smilie here

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