ERIC CLAPTON - May His Tribe Increase!
The other night I was listening to the CD, “Riding With the King”, which features blues artist B.B. King and one of my all time favorite guitarists, Eric Clapton. Fun stuff. My feet got to tappin and soon I found myself dancing in the living room!
Recently I discovered that Eric Clapton’s custom-made “Blackie” guitar has been given a price tag of $24,000. Wow! That’s a lot of money for one guitar. Especially when you consider that he originally paid only about $300 for it. But perhaps it’s worth the investment for those die hard fans who like to collect rock & roll memorabilia. After all, Eric did build the guitar himself from the best parts of 3 other Strats (worth about $100 each) which he had at the time. And this was also the primary guitar he used from 1970 - 1985. So the guitar certainly made a lot of R & R history.
If you would love to jam on Clapton’s “Blackie” Strat, but just don’t have that kind of cash to spend, don’t worry. You can obtain a nice black Fender Eric Clapton Signature Strat for much, much less. And if you′re really on a tight budget, the Standard Stratocaster is a steal.
For those of you who weren’t around to appreciate the excitement of Eric Clapton’s rise to power and fame during the 1960s, here are a few rock & roll tidbits for you to chew on…
- Eric’s first guitar was an acoustic which was given to him for his thirteenth birthday. He had so much trouble trying to learn how to play it that he almost gave up.
- Eric’s nickname is “Slowhand.”
- In mid-1966 Eric formed the band Cream which became one of the very first supergroups.
- Cream included composer/singer/bassiest- Jack Bruce, renowned drummer- Ginger Baker, and lead guitarist- Eric Clapton.
- Clapton developed his singer/songwriter skills during his time with Cream.
- Cream was one of the earliest “power trios.” Other “power trios″ to emerge in the ‘60s were The Doors and The Jimi Henrix Experience.
- Eric’s grew uncomfortable with his fame when a fan scrawled “Clapton is God” on a wall in London in 1966.
- Jimi Hendrix once said that Eric Clapton was his favorite guitar player.
- On October 1, 1966, Hendrix attended a Cream concert at the Central London Polytechnic. Though still relatively unknown to the general public, Jimi was invited on stage to “jam” with Eric and the band. Little did The audience know back then that they were watching a rare moment of rock & roll history in the making. Sure wish I coulda been there!
- Eric Clapton is “one of the most respected and influential musicians of the rock era, garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” Wikpedia
- In 1998 Eric Clapton founded crossroadsantigua.org/website/about/about1.html” target=”_blank Crossroads Treatment & Rehabilation Center to help addicts and their families move toward recovery. Crossroads, located in the beautiful Caribbean, provides professional care in a safe and serene environment. Some of the money collected from the sale of Eric’s “Blackie” Strat will go to Crossroads.
Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of