on tour with eric clapton

On Tour with Eric Clapton

Delaney & bonnie.

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On Tour With Eric Clapton (Live)

June 1, 1970 52 Songs, 4 hours, 10 minutes ℗ 2010 Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company. All Rights Reserved.

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Delaney & Bonnie’s ‘With Eric Clapton’ Goes Deluxe

By David Browne

David Browne

For a brief moment in December 1969, Eric Clapton and George Harrison were in the same band — as backup players. Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, fronted by singer-guitarist Delaney Bramlett and his wife, Bonnie, was a sort of white man’s Ike and Tina Turner Revue. Between 1967 and 1972, Delaney & Bonnie whipped up a rousing blend of soul, gospel, blues, proto-Southern rock, and R&B — a sound so intoxicating that during a 1969 tour of England, both Clapton and Harrison sat in with their guitars. “The great thing about Delaney & Bonnie was that ability to get spontaneous,” Bonnie Bramlett recalls. “If you liked it, come up and get yourself some — you can do that too!”

That tour resulted in the Bramletts’ biggest-selling album, 1970’s On Tour With Eric Clapton . On July 27th, Rhino Handmade will release a 40th- anniversary edition that expands the original album to four discs, much of it previously unreleased, from the band’s shows in London, Bristol and Croydon. (The packaging, which resembles a touring road case, is deluxe as well.) Staples of the duo’s repertoire — gospel-rock hellraisers like “Things Go Better” and “When There’s a Will, There’s a Way” — are augmented by “I Don’t Know Why,” a soul ballad featuring Clapton on lead vocals, and a version of “Gimme Some Lovin’ ” featuring Clapton and the D&B backup musicians (organist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle, and drummer Jim Gordon) who’d later join Clapton in Derek and the Dominos. Harrison, an early D&B fan who turned Clapton on to them, can be heard on “Coming Home.” “I said, ‘Just ask George — what’s he going to do, say no?’ ” Bramlett recalls with a laugh. “George hadn’t played in three years and his fucking band [the Beatles] had broken up. Delaney was fearless.”

Click to listen to three tracks off Delaney & Bonnie’s On Tour With Eric Clapton .

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Delaney, born in Mississippi, and Bonnie, from St. Louis, had met in Hollywood in 1967. Their fiery club shows led to albums for Stax and Elektra and an opening slot on Blind Faith’s 1969 tour, where they met Clapton. “Those guys were worn out emotionally, mentally and physically,” Bramlett recalls of Blind Faith. “We’d get up there and kick ass. Suddenly Eric wanted to play with us.” After Blind Faith split, Clapton joined up with D&B for their European tour, as did Harrison for a few shows. D&B even picked the Beatle up at his house. “He said Pattie [Boyd] would never say no, so we should just pull the bus up there and knock on the door and say, ‘Come go with us!’ ” Bramlett recalls. “And we did it that way, too.”

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For Bramlett, listening back to the unreleased U.K. tapes was bittersweet. A few months after the tour ended, most of D&B’s musicians were hired away to be Joe Cocker’s backup for his Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. “There were bad feelings, of course,” she says. “We got our band robbed right out from underneath us.” The couple’s own tumultuous marriage ended in 1972, and Delaney (who, like Bonnie, battled substance abuse for years) died of December 2008 after gall-bladder surgery. “It kinda hurts a little bit because that ain’t gonna happen now — he’s dead,” he says. “I always hung out [hope]” — she breaks into sobs — “that maybe one day we’d do that again. And now we never could. It’s Humpty Dumpty now. I sure miss him. I miss it. I miss music being that way, everyone feeling free and all of us playing together.”

Bramlett, who at 65 teaches stage performance chops in Nashville and periodically releases solo albums, remains proud of D&B’s legacy, as captured on the On Tour box: their ahead-of-its-time blend of styles and the way Delaney encouraged Clapton to be a singer, paving the way for the guitarist’s solo career. “We were boot camp,” she says. “The best came to us, picked us up and put us on their back. We saw the world from the shoulders of giants.”

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Lost classics: delaney and bonnie and friends – on tour with eric clapton.

One of the saddest things about the recent passing of Delaney Bramlett last month was how overlooked it was. It’s not just that Delaney’s stock plummeted shortly after his early ’70s heyday with wife Bonnie Bramlett , it’s also because one of the duo’s most notable releases—one that features the greatest line-up of blue-eyed soul musicians ever assembled mixing it up with one of the best guitarists ever—has been quietly forgotten by all but the most devoted of fans.

The uninitiated only need to hear Delaney & Bonnie ‘s On Tour with Eric Clapton to discover how unfortunate this slight is. The eight-song release captured the band at what may be the highpoint of its career, complete with a once-in-a-lifetime sit-in by none other than “God” himself laying out some wonderfully exciting fretwork.

At its core, On Tour is a document of the kind of music that Delaney & Bonnie had been perfecting for years: Memphis blue-eyed soul with a tinge of gospel harmonics. Where Delaney provided the grit of the blues, Bonnie provided the sweet harmonies and some believable gospel flourishes. Raised in East St. Louis, Bonnie held her own against many blues luminaries as Albert King and Little Milton before finding love—in a bowling alley of all places—with the guitarist from the house band on the Shindig television show.

The two created a pair of albums before being tapped as the opening band on Blind Faith ‘s first and only US tour.

While traveling the American highways, a young Eric Clapton began seeking solace in the duo’s tour bus, shying away from the adulation that surrounded him with both Blind Faith and Cream . While the supergroups that Clapton was participating with at the time presented a challenge of egos, Delaney & Bonnie provided him with time from the spotlight to reflect on what really mattered: the music.

Befriending Eric Clapton is a great story in itself, but the real story is how great Delaney & Bonnie’s band were even before Clapton sat in with them. The Croydon, England show recorded for this album features Dave Mason , Carl Radle , and Bobby Whitlock on keyboards. Rita Coolidge helps compliment Bonnie’s amazing vocal workouts while legendary brass mates Bobby Keys and Jim Price add some punch to the mix. Essentially, this is the same band used for the Derek & the Dominoes sessions and it’s quite clear that Clapton uses similar vocal range for his own solo career as Delaney Bramlett.

The band lets up once, allowing Bonnie to sing Bessie Griffin ‘s “That’s What My Man Is For.” She seductively informs the lighting man to bathe her in red lights “…’cause this is a red light song” before laying down a solo workout that demonstrates why she was the only white woman that can claim to have been an Ikette during Ike and Tina ‘s sixteen-year career.

The time on the road must have indeed made “friends” out of Clapton and the rest of the performers. Not only did he nick them for his own Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs , their services also were provided to George Harrison during the Concert For Bangladesh , and even Leon Russell partook in their generosity by enlisting them for Joe Cocker ‘s Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour. All of this work put Delaney & Bonnie on the back burner, and with it, any chance of capturing the momentum that should have come from working with such high-profile companions. Instead, the pair watched their good fortunes collapse and, eventually, their own marriage too.

On Tour is a stunningly abrupt live release that’s prime for rediscovery and a proper reissue. It remains the best example of Delaney & Bonnie’s authentic blend of Delta soul and the last example of how great Clapton could be when he worked as a sideman among musicians of equal caliber and inspiration.

As Delaney himself sings on the track “Poor Elijah,” “Ain’t nobody here but good people.”

He’s being modest; On Tour is a document of some great people doing what they love.

Video: Delaney & Bonnie & Friends – “Poor Elijah”

Video: Delaney & Bonnie & Friends – “Comin’ Home”

7 thoughts on “Lost Classics: Delaney and Bonnie and Friends – On Tour With Eric Clapton”

I’ve long thought that D&B made some of the dullest, most mediocre country-rock records ever made. They obviously knew how to throw a good party because they always had such an A-list celebrity friends. Personally, I think you need a ton of whiskey and blow to think these records hold up in any way.

Bob, Bob…..

obviously you missed the sparkle

On Tour is the best document in Bonnie & Delaney’s catalog. There’s not a hint of the dullness and mediocrity that you speak of. Some of the other albums do house a few duds, but to dismiss them entirely is a bit shortsided. Do you have specific examples of what you find dull? What are your thoughts on Derek & the Dominoes? I mean, to each his own but I’m standing by my words and the fact that Eric Clapton, George Harrison, etc. all found something special in what D&B did. Plus, the dude that practically invented rock ‘n roll thought Bonnie was good enough to hire her. I’ll bet he made her move more than what she’s doing in that second video, but even so, I don’t hear any mediocrity in what she’s belting. Speaking of, for those that are not familiar with the duo’s work, take a look at those two video and report back here if you think they’re dull and mediocre

Great album. Nice article.

I could spend all day arguing that Eric Clapton is the single most overrated artist in the history of rock. The Yardbirds were mostly great, better after Clapton though. The Derek & Dominoes record is pretty good, mostly because of Duane Allman and a pretty good rhythm section. The rest of his catalog is pretty worthless to my ears. He is a fine guitarist for sure. His best moments are his contributions to other records like the Beatles and George Harrison. Not to mention his great playing on the fantastic Johnny Johnson album that they recorded with NRBQ & Keith Richards. His own taste in material is generally pretty awful. Slick, maudlin ballads and limp-dick phony reggae. How bout those Phil Collins years and those fantastic Michelob Light commercials? We also have Clapton to blame for knowing who J.J. Cale is. I won’t even start down the road of how terrible The Cream is.

If the Band had let Eric Clapton in like he wanted, Delaney & Bonnie would be even bigger footnotes than they are now.

I dunno about this “Clapton Is God” shit..this and that..whatever. Alls I know is that if you’re a musician like me…and you listen to the notes and chrds that he plays ya gotta say this is a goddamn good guitar player.”

Todd: I agree AND disagree with this line from your (informed, objective and well-written post):

“the last example of how great Clapton could be when he worked as a sideman among musicians of equal caliber and inspiration.”

Let me begin by saying I am a MAJOR fan of EC, but not quite enough to think he can do no wrong (although I will say I like probably 75-80% of his work, solo or with Blind Faith, Cream, Yardbirds, Derek & dominos, etc.)

But as much as I like EC (and his live performances FAR outshine the studio stuff for the most part), his best work is when he sits in with someone else, eliminating the pressure/responsibility of being a “front man.”

So in that case, I agree with the portion of that quote that reads”how great Clapton could be when he worked as a sideman among musicians of equal caliber and inspiration.”

The part I DON’T agree with is “the last example of…” if you look at the myriad of shows and studio recordings he has sat in on, he adds a tasteful, unique touch to those songs, and usually plays with a fire and earnestness that is often lacking in his own recordings…

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On Tour With Eric Clapton

DELANEY AND BONNIE EXTEND TOUR

Rhino Handmade Reissues Live Classic On Tour With Eric Clapton As A Four-Disc Set With More Than Three Hours Of Unreleased Performances

Pre-Order From Rhino.com Now, Out On July 27

LOS ANGELES – Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett assembled an all-star group of “friends” in 1969 for a weeklong tour of England, a legendary excursion that would produce On Tour With Eric Clapton, one of rock’s most powerful and enduring live albums. Clocking in at a mere 40 minutes, the original left fans wanting more for decades. Rhino Handmade delivers with a four-disc deluxe reissue expanded with more than three hours of unreleased roof-raising, hickory-smoked rock ’n’ soul.

The set, which comes packaged in a mock road case, contains Delaney & Bonnie & Friends’ complete performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall, plus a composite of the next night’s performances at Colston Hall in Bristol, and both the early and late shows from the tour’s final stop at Fairfield Halls in Croydon. Set for release on July 27, ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON – DELUXE EDITION is now available for pre-order exclusively at www.rhino.com for a suggested list price of $79.98.

Along with the Bramletts, the touring band showcased on these discs includes guitarists Eric Clapton and Dave Mason, bassist Carl Radle, drummer Jim Gordon, organist Bobby Whitlock, Jim Price and Bobby Keys on horns, percussionist Tex Johnson, and singer Rita Coolidge. The Croydon shows also feature Mysterioso (aka George Harrison), who was hanging back in the shadows and going largely unnoticed until the announcer outed him between the closing tandem of “Coming Home” and the “Little Richard Medley.”

Along with unreleased versions of all the songs from the original, this reissue also contains several songs not featured on the 1970 album, including “I Don’t Know Why” a track the Bramletts penned with Clapton; “My Baby Specializes” and “Everybody Loves A Winner” from the Bramlett’s debut Home; “Get Ourselves Together” from the couple’s 1969 follow-up Accept No Substitute; the traditional “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”; a cover of Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’”; and the instrumental “Pigmy.”

Glyn Johns, who recorded the Colston Hall gig, revisits his experience in the collection’s detailed liner notes: “There is no question that they had an immense effect on popular music, mostly by influencing some of the most successful musicians of the day. The outstanding memory for me is the sound they created. Being an engineer, it had a huge influence on me—this, coupled with the complexity of the rhythm section and the ease with which they performed. Us Brits had never heard anything so fluid.”

DELANEY & BONNIE & FRIENDS ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON – DELUXE EDITION Track Listing

Disc 1: Royal Albert Hall (12/1/1969) 1. Intro/Tuning 2. Opening Jam 3. “Gimme Some Lovin’” 4. Band Introductions 5. “Only You Know And I Know” 6. “Poor Elijah”/“Tribute To Johnson” 7. “Get Ourselves Together” 8. “I Don’t Know Why” 9. “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way” 10. “That’s What My Man Is For” 11. “Pour Your Love On Me”/ “Just Plain Beautiful” 12. “Everybody Loves A Winner” 13. “Things Get Better” 14. “Coming Home” 15. “I Don’t Want To Discuss It” 16. “Little Richard Medley” a) Tutti Frutti b) The Girl Can’t Help It c) Long Tall Sally d) Jenny Jenny 17. “My Baby Specializes”

Disc 2: Colston Hall (12/2/1969) 1. Intro/Tuning 2. Opening Jam 3. “Gimme Some Lovin’” 4. “Things Get Better” 5. “Poor Elijah”/“Tribute To Johnson” 6. “I Don’t Know Why” 7. “Pour Your Love On Me”/“Just Plain Beautiful” 8. “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way” 9. “Coming Home” 10. “Little Richard Medley” 11. “I Don’t Want To Discuss It” 12. Crowd/Announcements

Disc 3: Fairfield Halls (12/7/1969 – 1st Show) 1. Intro/Tuning 2. “Gimme Some Lovin’” 3. Band Introductions 4. “Things Get Better” 5. “Poor Elijah”/“Tribute To Johnson” 6. “I Don’t Know Why” 7. “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way” 8. “That’s What My Man Is For” 9. “I Don’t Want To Discuss It” 10. “Coming Home”

Disc 4: Fairfield Halls (12/7/1969 – 2nd Show) 1. Intro/Tuning 2. “Gimme Some Lovin’” 3. “Pigmy” – Instrumental 4. Band Introductions 5. “Things Get Better” 6. “Poor Elijah”/“Tribute To Johnson” 7. “Only You Know And I Know” 8. “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” 9. “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way” 10. “I Don’t Know Why” 11. “That’s What My Man Is For” 12. “Coming Home” 13. “Little Richard Medley”

• Eric Clapton
• The Yardbirds
• Van Morrison

Eric Clapton Reveals Five-Date 2023 North American Tour

by Tina Benitez-Eves March 27, 2023, 11:12 am

Days before his 78th birthday on March 30, Eric Clapton has revealed a five-date tour. He says the shows will be his only dates in North America in 2023.

Videos by American Songwriter

Featuring special guest Jimmie Vaughan, Clapton’s short run of shows is set to kick off on September 8 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Additional stops will be made in Ontario, Canada; Missouri, and Minnesota before wrapping up in Denver, Colorado, on September 16.

Clapton’s current band joining him on tour features Sonny Emory, Chris Stainton, Doyle Bramhall II, Paul Carrack, and Nathan East, with backing vocalists Katie Kissoon and Sharon White.

In 2022, Clapton released his 21st album, and first-holiday release, Happy Xmas . He also dropped a number of singles since the pandemic, including his most recent, “ Pompous Fool ,” which he said was inspired by former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s retirement announcement.

Clapton, who has been outspoken against the Covid vaccine and the policies surrounding the pandemic lockdown, and Van Morrison collaborated on another anti-lockdown song “Stand & Deliver” in the midst of the pandemic in 2020. By 2021, Clapton also released the song “ This Has Gotta Stop ,” which was followed by “ Heart of a Child ,” a song he co-wrote with vaccine skeptic Robin Monotti.

NEW SHOW DATES ANNOUNCED! 9/8/23 – Pittsburgh, PA 9/10/23 – Toronto, ON 9/12/23 – St. Louis, MO 9/14/23 – St. Paul, MN 9/16/23 – Denver, CO Tickets go on sale this Friday, 3/31 at 10am local pic.twitter.com/Lf9ybYIM4n — Eric Clapton (@EricClapton) March 27, 2023

The guitarist said that he suffered severe reactions to the AstraZeneca vaccine, which left his hands and feet numb for weeks, making him question whether he would ever be able to play guitar again.

On his previous tour in 2022, Clapton tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after his second concert at Royal Albert Hall in London and was forced to cancel several dates on his European Tour.

In April, Clapton will also perform six nights at Budokan in Tokyo, followed by two Jeff Beck   tribute concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London on May 22 and 23. The tribute show will also feature guests including Johnny Depp, Rod Stewart, Billy Gibbons , and Gary Clark Jr., among others.

Clapton, who was replaced by Beck in The Yardbirds in 1965, paid tribute to Beck in the wake of his death, posting a photo of the late guitarist with the caption “Always and ever.” 

A percentage of the proceeds from the two concerts will be donated to Folly Wildlife Rescue located in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England.

Eric Clapton North American Tour 2023 Sept. 8 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena Sept. 10 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena Sept. 12 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center Sept. 14 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center Sept. 16 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena

Photo: Frank Hoensch/Redferns

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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

22 September

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

12 February

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

26 November

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

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On Tour With Eric Clapton

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Delaney & Bonnie On Tour with Eric Clapton This 42-minute, eight-song live album, cut at Croydon late in 1969, is not only the peak of Delaney & Bonnie's output, but also the nexus in the recording and performing careers of Eric Clapton and George Harrison. On Tour features Clapton performing the same blend of country, blues, and gospel that would characterize his own early solo ventures in 1970.

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• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.63 x 4.92 x 0.98 inches; 8.04 ounces
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• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ May 16, 2017
• Label ‏ : ‎ Rhino
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071L7GFG3
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

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Eric Clapton Band Lineup and Tour Support 2024

Eric Clapton will kick off his 2024 Tour on May 9 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England. Concerts are then scheduled across the UK, Europe, South America, and North America through mid-October, wrapping up with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The UK leg will include four nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall, a venue Eric has played well-over 200 times.

Eric’s band for 2024 is Nathan East (bass / vocals), Doyle Bramhall II (guitar / vocals), Sonny Emory (drums), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Tim Carmon (Hammond / keyboards), Sharon White (backing vocals) and Katie Kissoon (backing vocals).

Joining Eric as support will be Andy Fairweather Low & The Low Riders in the UK and Ireland, Rover in France, Gary Clark, Jr. in South America and Mexico, and Jimmie Vaughan in the US.

For tickets to all concerts, visit Eric Clapton’s official website at https://ericclapton.com/pages/tour

ERIC CLAPTON 2024 TOUR DATES

Support: Andy Fairweather Low & The Low Riders 9 May 24: Utilita Arena, Newcastle (England) 11 May 24: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool (England) 13 May 24: Resorts World Arena, Birmingham (England) 16 May 24: 3Arena, Dublin (Ireland) 18 May 24: Co-op Live, Manchester (England) 20 May 24: Royal Albert Hall, London (England) 21 May 24: Royal Albert Hall, London (England) 23 May 24: Royal Albert Hall, London (England) 24 May 24: Royal Albert Hall, London (England)

Support: Rover 26 May 24: Accor Arena, Paris (France) 27 May 24: Accor Arena, Paris (France) 29 May 24: LDLC Arena, Lyon (France) 31 May 24: Festival De Nimes, Nimes (France)

No Support 2 June 24: Lucca Summer Festival, Lucca (Italy)

Support: Gary Clark, Jr. 20 Sep 24: Estadio Velez Sasfield, Buenos Ares (Argentina) 24 Sep 24: Ligga Arena, Curitba (Brazil) 26 Sep 24: Jeunesse Arena, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 29 Sep 24: Allianz Parque, Sao Paolo (Brazil) 3 Oct 24: Foro Sol, Mexico City (Mexico)

Support: Jimmie Vaughan 8 Oct 24: San Diego CA (US) 10 Oct 24: Palm Desert CA (US) 13 Oct 24: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles CA (US)

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“In the flesh, he was earth-shattering. His style on every level was fantastic… playing with his teeth, his feet, and behind his head": When Buddy Guy rewrote the blues rulebook with a Strat and blew the collective minds of Clapton, Beck and Page

As cross-cultural high points go in post-war austerity Britain, the American Folk Blues Festival tours that started in 1962 took some beating. Seemingly out of nowhere, iconic blues artists of the age such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf , Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson fetched up on these shores to enlighten and dazzle.

The media loved it. In 1964, Granada Television released a special documentary, watched by 12 million people, and filmed on the platform at Wilbraham Road railway station in suburban Whalley Range, Manchester. Muddy Waters performed, sporting a trilby and Telecaster , and surrounded by a large group of fans. Another highlight of the event was Sister Rosetta Tharpe . After stepping gracefully along the puddle-strewn platform, Tharpe strapped her beloved white ‘61 Les Paul SG Custom over her long fur coat and launched into the first number of her set. 

“Didn’t it rain children? Didn’t it rain?” she sang in her powerful, low tones as the audience roared its approval. Singing a gospel tale about Noah’s flood to the sodden audience on a suburban Manchester branch line was an irony not lost on the audience. Tharpe’s sheer power and electricity bowled the crowd over. “She staggered everybody,” recalled one fan. 

The American Folk Blues Festival became an annual event and on Thursday, 25 February, 1965, 200 miles due south, a similar epiphany took place at the Marquee club, 90 Wardour Street in Soho, London. On the bill that night was Buddy Guy , a guitarist who had made a name for himself playing with blues icons such as Muddy Waters. Howlin’ Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson.  

Buddy Guy was a pioneer of the use of distortion and feedback in the blues and his playing was unlike anyone else around. His style was dynamic, fearless and utterly enthralling. He would search for the highest squalling notes, all delivered with impeccable feel and emotion.

As he stepped out on stage at the Marquee that evening, the audience included guitar luminaries of the British blues explosion, such as Eric Clapton . He was all too familiar with Buddy’s talent having heard him on records by Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Willie Dixon . "Guy’s playing just stood out in the mix, because of the originality and vitality of his playing, recalled Clapton in 2005, as he and BB King inducted Buddy Guy into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Clapton went on to describe the impact of Buddy’s performance at the Marquee back in 1965. “In the flesh, he was earth shattering,” recalled Clapton. “His style on every level was fantastic. Doing all the things we would later come to associate with Jimi Hendrix , playing with his teeth, his feet, and behind his head. He brought the house crashing down.”

Clapton recalled that Buddy gave a “thundering performance, delivering the blues with finesse and passion in a way I had never heard before”. It also set Clapton to thinking that a trio was a pretty good line-up for a band. 

He was for me what Elvis probably was for most other people Eric Clapton

“All in all, everything about that night was deeply profound for me," Clapton added. "The blues was clearly alive and well and it looked good too, for as well as being the real thing, musically Buddy was a star. His suit, his hair, his moves, his sunburst Strat, everything was sharp and perfect. He was for me what Elvis probably was for most other people.”

Like all the iconic blues musicians, George ‘Buddy’ Guy came up the hard way. Born in 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana, he was one of five children in a family of sharecroppers and began learning the guitar by playing a two-string diddley bow that he made. He later gravitated to a Harmony acoustic and in the mid-1950s was playing with bands in Baton Rouge. 

In September 1957, he moved to Chicago and soon earned a reputation as a uniquely gifted player, falling under the electric crossover influence of Muddy Waters. 

Buddy signed to legendary blues label Chess Records in 1958 but his career there never really flourished. The label’s founder Leonard Chess allegedly described Buddy’s style as “just making noise”, according to a piece by Greg Prato in 2012 in Rolling Stone and the label attempted instead to promote him performing R&B ballads, jazz instrumentals, soul and novelty dance tunes. 

But Buddy was also working as a session guitarist with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson among many others. And he was soon in demand.

Buddy’s first electric guitar was a Les Paul Goldtop, but this was stolen in 1957 from a club in Chicago, as he recalled in an interview with Reverb you can watch above. When it came to getting a replacement instrument, it wasn’t a Les Paul he went for, but a Stratocaster . It was an unorthodox choice for the blues. At that point Strats were more associated with country music. But Guy knew within seconds of trying the Strat that this was the guitar for him.

“Man, that guitar: you could hit a note on that guitar and hold it until next week,” he recalled about his first Strat, in the Reverb interview. “People look at you and ask, ‘Is that you still playing?’ Because it still looks like it’s holding that sound too long.”

This was the guitar he was playing at the Marquee club in 1965 and for Clapton and others in the audience such as Jeff Beck , his choice of a Strat was a revelation. That gig was still fresh in Clapton’s mind in 2013, when Guitar Center presented Clapton with the Fender Custom Eric Clapton ‘ Brownie ’ tribute Stratocaster. 

They said they didn’t know a Strat could do that

“I heard Buddy Guy on an album called Folk Festival of the Blues where he was the new kid on the block playing with Muddy and Howling Wolf and they’re all singing and he just launched into this solo that killed everybody dead. And then I went to see him play and I thought, ‘This is the sound’. And funnily enough, I saw [Steve] Winwood using [a Strat], just about the time he was about to leave Spencer Davis. And Hendrix.” 

Guy reflected to Reverb on he influenced players like Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck to use Strats. “They said they didn’t know a Strat could do that,” Guy added. “Eric and them laugh now every time I get in the room, saying, ‘Man, we didn’t know a Strat could play the blues until we saw how you did it’.”

Clapton sought out Strats with maple necks but most of the models in the UK at the time had rosewood necks.

“It wasn’t until I went through the States on tour that I started picking them up in pawn shops for a song. I’d buy four or five at a time.”

I was bringing it up to Eric and Jimmy. ‘Have you heard this stuff?' Jeff Beck

For Jeff Beck, the impact of seeing Guy at the Marquee in 1965 had a similarly profound effect. 

“Buddy Guy just hit the spot for me,” Beck told Don Wilcock, author of the biography Damn Right I Got The Blues. “It’s his youthful vigour, sort of manic stuff and comedy. He has a lot of very exquisite timing and is delightfully out of key sometimes. That’s what I find so charming. It’s just a hair sharp. It wouldn’t be right, had it been dead on the note. From there on, I was like a junkie. I would go around looking for other people to share the same stuff. I was bringing it up to Eric and Jimmy – ‘Have you heard this stuff!?'”

Jimmy Page too was bowled over by Buddy Guy’s playing. "Jeff Beck and myself, we were still probably teenagers when we heard Buddy Guy,” recalled Page on The Late Show with David Letterman in December 2012. “I remember being with Jeff and playing the vinyl which was called Folk Festival Of The Blues, where Buddy Guy is really young on it and he’s playing with Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, etc, and he sings two songs on it and just the whole delivery, and the passion, and the drama… the guitar is just out of this world.”

Despite his fearsome reputation as a player, until 1967 Buddy Guy was having to work as a tow truck driver in the daytime while playing clubs at night. But by the end of the decade, his fortunes were changing. In March 1969, he was invited to play at the so-called Supershow, in Staines, Middlesex, alongside Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Jack Bruce, Stephen Stills, Buddy Miles, Glen Campbell and others.

In 1972, he established the Checkerboard Lounge with LC Thurman, a blues club in Chicago’s South Side. He left the partnership in 1985 and in 1989 opened Buddy Guy’s Legends club , a venue that is still thriving today. 

Guy’s career received a significant boost during the blues boom of the late eighties and early nineties, and in 1990 and 1991, Clapton invited him to be part of 24 Nights, a live album compiled from 42 concerts at London’ Royal Albert Hall. Guy went on to sign a deal with Silvertone Records and recorded his album Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues, in 1991. This was his break into the mainstream market and from that point on, Buddy Guy’s stature on the world stage was elevated. 

In 2006, he appeared onstage with the Rolling Stones at the Beacon Theatre in New York, a performance so effortlessly impressive that at the end of the song, Keith Richards, handed over his black Guild Starfire to Guy as a tribute and gift.

Buddy Guy is now the last, living American blues legend. When Clapton and BB King inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2005, their induction speeches were both reverential and heartfelt. When Buddy Guy himself stepped onto the podium to accept the honour, he was clearly moved.

“Look at this,” grinned Guy as he looked over to his left where BB King and Eric Clapton were standing. “To be standing here and [having to] pick up a guitar and get between these two guys and play… man, you’ve got to be me to know how I feel tonight. This is no small task.”

As he ended his acceptance speech, he left the assembled artist and music industry dignitaries in the audience with one last parting thought. “If you don’t think you got the blues,” he grinned, “just keep livin’.”

• "He showed me some things that Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson had taught him – he knew those people": Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf and their legendary blues legacy

“It’s Chuck Rainey’s concept of ‘what you don’t play is as important as what you do play’”: After decades of studio sessions with artists ranging from Eric Clapton to Usher, Nathan East reflects on the business of bass

Nathan East looks back at some of his biggest tracks, and why he’d love to have a career like Pat Metheny or Marcus Miller

By now, the bass guitar world has grown accustomed to Nathan East breaking new ground – from the R&B/funk dimension he brings to rock god Eric Clapton, to the considerable writing, singing, and soloing skills he displays with jazz über-group Fourplay, to the “real” bass he adds to mechanized Top 40 hits by artists like Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Usher, and Daft Punk.

As a sideman for over 50 years, there's nothing East hasn't done. Seminal recordings with Lionel Richie, Kenny Loggins, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Elton John, as L.A.'s first-call bassman? Check. Performing and touring across six continents with artists like George Harrison, Sting, Herbie Hancock, and Toto? Done. Co-writing a No. 1 hit – Easy Lover , with Phil Collins and Philip Bailey? Yessir. Somehow, East has also found time to head in the direction of solo artist.

“When I was coming up I’d read interviews with everyone,” East told Bass Player . “I’d read every word and think that was what I had to do. Chuck Rainey, James Jamerson, Quincy Jones… people pay attention to those guys. 

“Chuck Rainey said once he grew his fingernails if he wanted a little more attack like a pick, so I did that. People are always trying to carve something out, so you can’t lose sight of what you’re doing. There’s always something to learn.”

The following interview from the Bass Player archives took place in April 2014.

How do you balance your incredibly busy road and studio schedules?

“Basically, I just take it as it comes. The catch is now with Pro Tools I do a lot of my session work while I'm out on tour. Producers send me Pro Tools files wherever I am. Harvey Mason Jr. is producing a new Backstreet Boys record, and he's sending me some tracks to play on. For the new Fourplay album, the guys sent me a hard drive, and I added some of my bass parts that way.”

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How has the session scene changed for you?

“The L.A. scene has changed so much; you used to be able to go out to clubs like the Baked Potato on a Tuesday night and get schooled by Jeff Porcaro or Lee Ritenour or Abe Laboriel, who were in studios by day and the clubs by night. Now, both scenes have tapered off a great deal.”

You’ve spoken before about how important the groove is in your career.

“The groove is the foundation of all music. It's the brick, mortar, and concrete that everything else is built upon. It's the pocket, the alley; it's undeniable; it's the feel-good portion, Groove is a matter of the heart, not of the head, as is the case with most music. The time is just the meter, but the groove is an individual thing, and the bass and drums are largely responsible for that.”

What do you do if you're having trouble feeling the groove on a song?

“I usually start by simplifying; that way I can really hear what's going on. I weed out as much as I can so I can listen and figure out how to react. It's Chuck Rainey's concept of ‘what you don't play is as important as what you do play.’ 

“I listen to the whole drum kit and try to place my part right in the sweet spot. When the groove is really happening, you find yourself in a position of being a listener – you're actually on the outside looking in. It's like a little Zen zone where you feel like the groove is playing you. You're just allowing it to happen.”

How did you approach Eric Clapton's Me and Mr. Johnson ?

“We all listened to Robert Johnson's original guitar versions of the tunes. There was no reference for bass, so I revisited a few Willie Dixon recordings, and I checked out some modern blues bassists, just to get a cross-section of what those guys are doing.

“From there, I took a minimalist approach while trying to come up with something a little more interesting than typical blues figures. I used a rented upright, and I played my Yamaha 5 with a lot of palm-muting.”

You often used non-root tones on downbeats and IV chords. Was that part of your concept, or was it based on something Johnson was doing on guitar?

“A bit of both. I wanted it to sound raw in the Johnson tradition, but also be interesting. Non-roots can be nice in a melodic, voice-leading way. 

“Another challenge is the odd phrase lengths Johnson wrote-like on Come On in My Kitchen , If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day , and especially Hell Hound on My Trail – which can be tricky if you're locked in a moving pattern. The idea is to make them all sound smooth.”

What do you remember about writing Easy Lover with Phil Collins?

“We were in the studio in London and had pretty much finished the album. Phillip Bailey expressed to me that we still needed that one, undeniable single for the record label to release. I went to the piano and started playing the basic changes to the song and in about 20 minutes we had the music written. 

“We recorded what we considered a rough demo of the song that night and the next morning when we came back in to listen to it, we all loved the track!”

“Phil Collins took the track home and came back with the lyrics. His voice sounded so good as he sang it back to us that we all had the same epiphany, this should be a duet! They worked out their parts, went into the vocal booth, sang the song and the rest as they say is history.”

You also played on Stevie Wonder's A Time to Love .

“What a thrill! That album takes you back to the good ol' Stevie that we all know and love. His longtime bassist, Nathan Watts, is on the album, and I played a lot of upright – a bass we rented in L.A. – with Ricky Lawson on drums.”

What led you to cover Sir Duke on your solo album?

“I was in a Norway seaside village with Toto, and when we got back to the hotel from the gig, there was an 18-piece big band playing a wedding in one of the ballrooms. Simon Phillips and I stuck our heads in, and as soon as the bass player saw me, he took off his bass and handed it to me. 

“They broke into Sir Duke , and the dance floor was packed. I'm thinking, we're 6,000 miles from home, and everybody is dancing; I've got to record it.” 

“I used my 5-string for the groove and another 5-string tuned with a high C string for the melody. Bryan Lenox, our engineer in Nashville recorded direct to 2" tape, in addition to Pro Tools, which gave the bass an aggressive sound. I was able to get that Nate Watts growl, which led me to quote a bit of Do I Do , too.”

Stevie himself joins you on harmonica to play on Overjoyed .

“That came out of a late '90s Rainforest benefit concert soundcheck at Carnegie Hall, with Sting, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and Elton John. There was a break onstage and everyone was sitting around, so I began messing with some chords, and I realized, Oh, that's Overjoyed . 

“I started to play it chord-melody-style, and suddenly I heard the melody on harmonica; I looked up and it was Stevie! Now I was on the spot, literally working out the changes as I went along, with all of these stars watching us. 

“We got through the whole tune, including the modulation, and everyone broke into spontaneous applause! And Stevie said to me, ‘Nate, if you ever record that, let me know and I'll play on it.’ So, I held him to it.

“My brother Marcel and I put together a version with just me and Greg Phillinganes and Paulinho da Costa, and I took it over to Stevie's studio after recording some songs there for A Time to Love. He pulled out his harmonica, and that's what you hear – a 4 AM first take from Stevie!”

How did the opportunity to play for Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories album come to pass?

“It came out of the blue, they came directly to me. The first time I heard Get Lucky , I thought, ‘Wow, I love this’, but you just don’t know how big it might be. Because Daft Punk wear masks, they play 45,000 seat venues, but then after the show, they walk home with the crowd and no-one knows who they are!”

What other musical goals do you have?

“Man, if it just stays at the pace it's been on for the past 20 years I'll be thrilled. But I do want to get my solo career together. I’d love to have a career like Marcus Miller's or Pat Metheny’s – they do a variety of projects but maintain a steady solo side as well. That's what I'd like my twins to see Daddy doing.”

What's your advice to aspiring session bassists?

“A key point is that you don't necessarily have to move to New York or L.A. anymore. Technology has made it a whole new game – you can be in Cleveland and killing it! You're just as likely to be on a hit record there as you are in L.A. 

“I suggest setting up a home studio around your computer, and then start writing tunes. Find out who's doing jingles, CDs – any recording in your area. The best thing you can do is start stirring it up right there in your hometown.”

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Nick Wells was the Editor of Bass Guitar magazine from 2009 to 2011, before making strides into the world of Artist Relations with Sheldon Dingwall and Dingwall Guitars. He's also the producer of bass-centric documentaries, Walking the Changes and Beneath the Bassline, as well as Production Manager and Artist Liaison for ScottsBassLessons. In his free time, you'll find him jumping around his bedroom to Kool & The Gang while hammering the life out of his P-Bass.

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Dickey Betts obituary

Guitarist, singer and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band best known for writing their 1973 hit Ramblin’ Man

Dickey Betts, who has died aged 80, was a founder member of the Allman Brothers Band, one of the most influential US “southern rock” groups of the 1970s. The hard-living outfit blazed out of Jacksonville, Florida , in 1969 with a mix of rock, blues, country and jazz that defined the genre, also influencing artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, the Black Crowes and Kid Rock. They scored several platinum and gold albums and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Although the six-piece band was ostensibly led by the blond- haired Allman brothers, Duane and Gregg (guitar and keyboards/vocals respectively), as joint lead guitarist, singer and main songwriter Betts played a crucial role. A larger than life character with his cowboy hats, long moustache and gunslinger good looks, Betts wrote many of the band’s best loved songs, including Jessica , Blue Sky and the 1973 US No 2 smash Ramblin’ Man , inspired by life on the road.

The signature duelling of Betts’s and Duane Allman’s lead guitars rewrote the rule book of how twin guitarists play together - previously one had played lead and the other rhythm. The band’s huge fanbase included President Jimmy Carter, and in 2020 Betts even received the rare accolade of a mention in a Bob Dylan song, when Murder Most Foul contained the line “Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz/Play Blue Sky, play Dickey Betts.”

He was also the inspiration for the rock star character played by Billy Crudup in the former rock journalist Cameron Crowe’s film Almost Famous (2000), the director having been drawn to Betts’s aura of “possible danger and playful recklessness behind his eyes”.

Betts was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, one of the three children of Harold, a carpenter, and his wife, Sarah (nee Brinson), who wrote poetry and played the cornet in a Salvation Army band. Although his father was also a keen fiddler, Dickey’s first instrument was the ukelele, which he started playing aged five, later graduating to the mandolin and the banjo.

He was at West Gate elementary school when he wrote his first song, Seven Years With Pamela, about his sister. He then attended various West Palm Beach schools until seventh grade, dropping out of high school when he was 16, by which time his pursuits included carpentry, hunting and listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the family radio.

Hearing Chuck Berry ’s Maybellene in his mid-teens prompted another switch of instrument, as he “started realising that girls like guitars”. He dropped out of high school aged 16 to tour the US with a travelling circus in his first band, the Swinging Saints, but was playing in Second Coming with the bassist Berry Oakley when Duane Allman invited both men to join his new group.

The lineup was completed by the drummer Butch Trucks and – unusually in white-dominated 60s southern rock - a black second drummer, James Lee Johnson, who had previously played with Otis Redding and Percy Sledge .

Although sales of their first two albums were sluggish, Duane Allman’s appearance on Eric Clapton’s 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs – which included the classic hit Layla – boosted the heavy-touring Allman Brothers Band’s rising profile. Their 1971 live album At Fillmore East sold 1m copies.

After Duane Allman and Oakley were killed in motorcycle accidents in 1971 and 1972 respectively, Betts led a rejigged lineup. The 1973 album Brothers and Sisters – featuring Ramblin’ Man and the instrumental Jessica, later the theme to the television motoring show Top Gear – topped the US charts for five weeks, while 1975’s Win, Lose Or Draw went into the Top five. By then the band were succumbing to a familiar music industry cocktail of success, drugs, alcohol and feuding.

Betts and Gregg Allman both made solo albums, before Betts felt betrayed when the latter testified against the band’s road manager in a 1976 drugs case and refused to work with him again. Nevertheless, they regrouped in 1978, splitting again in 1982.

A second comeback in 1989 proved more enduring, although in 2000 Betts was fired over his drinking. That third spell in the band had been dogged by alcohol and drug abuse, lawsuits and arrests, and in 1996 he was charged with aggravated domestic assault after pointing a handgun at his fifth wife, Donna (nee Stearns), whom he had married in 1989. The charges were dropped after Betts agreed to enter rehab.

In his later years he returned with his own Dickey Betts Band and played in the band Great Southern with his son Duane. True to his ramblin’ man credentials, he remained on the road to the last, even after brain surgery following a 2018 fall at home, and he released live albums well into his 70s.

He is survived by Donna and his children, Kimberly, Christy, Jessica and Duane.

• Pop and rock

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