Eric Clapton Page 2

The Rolling Stones have announced they will release their first studio album in over a decade on December 2, titled Blue and Lonesome.

The album is comprised of covers of songs by American blues artists, whose work was responsible for getting the band members into music in the first place.

Continue reading: Rolling Stones Announce First Studio Album In 11 Years 'Blue And Lonesome'

George Harrison's previously unheard Beatles tracks are set to be released.

The music legend left behind a lot of unfinished material before his death in 2001 aged 58 and his widow Olivia and son Dhani, 37, are keen to finish the tracks together and release them in the near future for his fans to hear.

She told Billboard's Overheard column: ''There are a lot of songs that are unfinished.

Continue reading: George Harrison's Beatles Songs To Be Released

Robert Stigwood, the former manager of the Bee Gees has died aged 81. The Australian-born music mogul was famed for managing the career of the Gibb brothers, beginning in 1967 when he proclaimed them the year’s ‘Most Significant New Talent’. Stigwood was also a successful movie producer, working on films including Grease and Saturday Night Fever.

Continue reading: Bee Gees Manager And 'Grease' Producer Robert Stigwood Dies Aged 81

Eric Clapton has apologised for storming off at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro, while fans of the rock legend have demanded refunds on their tickets – some of which cost up to £125 – despite missing just one song. 

Fas have demanded refunds after Clapton's walk-off

The information on Clapton’s walkout is quite contradictory. Reports suggest he left the stage suddenly mid-way through the song Cocaine. He did not return and the audience eventually left with, many claimed, no explanation of what happened. Others say he popped back on to apologise, while Clapton’s spokesperson explained the usual set lasts 1h35m, but also claims fans enjoyed the entire set apart from cocaine, despite the storm-out occurring just after the one-hour mark. 

Continue reading: Eric Clapton Apologises For Storming Off; Fans Miss One Song, Demand Refunds

The legendary singer/songwriter JJ Cale passed away in a California hospital on Friday (26 July) after suffering a heart attack at his nearby home, leaving behind a legacy that wont soon be forgotten. The Grammy-winning singer, guitarist and songwriter, who was 74-years-old when he passed away, was responsible for a string of hits that were made famous after being covered by some of the biggest names in rock music, including Tom Petty, Santana and most famously of all; Eric Clapton.

Since his passing last week, tribute have been pouring in from those wishing to pay their respects to the great musician, a man who helped invent the laid back and much-copied Tulsa Sound, a combination of country, blues and rock. Documentarian Louis Theroux shared his favourite Cale track in his online tribute, whilst one of Cale's many collaborators Tom Petty shared a backstage picture of the two from 2009, with the Twitter hashtag #RIPJJCale embedded into the Tweet. Actress Daryl Hannah also gave her respects with the simple statement "RIP JJ Cale... peace xo" uploaded to her Twitter feed over the weekend.

Continue reading: Stars Remember Rock Royalty JJ Cale: Social Media Explodes After Songwriter's Death

The legendary artist JJ Cale passed away on Friday 26 July, an announcement made on his official website stated earlier this week. The man behind the Tulsa Sound, which blended blues, rockabilly, and country music to create a much-copied, laid back sound, was responsible for a string of notable rock tracks, many of which were covered by some of rock music's biggest names, including Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Santana and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Born John Weldon Cale in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938, Cale adopted the moniker JJ Cale to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale, having released music under the name Johnny Cale prior to the New York band's rise to stardom in the late 60's. The statement on his website states that he passed away following a heart attack at his California home, after which he was rushed to Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, where he was pronounced dead. No further information relating to his death has been released yet, nor have any details into any memorial services due to be held for the songwriter.

Continue reading: Legendary Singer/Songwriter JJ Cale Dies, Aged 74

JJ Cale, the infamous songwriter and musician responsible for Eric Clapton’s After Midnight and Cocaine, died yesterday (Friday, July 26) at the old age of 74, Reuters reports. Cale, who had a respectable performing career himself, was best known for the songs he wrote for other people. Most notably, he worked with giants like Kansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Randy Crawford, among others.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938, Cale moved out to Los Angeles to start a career in the music industry in 1964. Early on in his career, in the 1950s and 60s Cale aimed at solo stardom – first as Johnny Cale and later on as JJ Cale. He never managed to achieve mainstream success however, remaining something of a cult favorite throughout his career. For Cale, success came in a rather different form, when Eric Clapton performed his song After Midnight in 1969.

Continue reading: Remarkable Singer-Songwriter JJ Cale Dies, Aged 74

A week in music videos... Manic Street Preachers teamed up with Richard Hawley for the nostalgic title track from their upcoming new album 'Rewind The Film'. It has that classic Preachers mix of anthemic melodies and melancholic undertones that have kept them high in the UK album charts since their debut in 1992. Looking at their latest track, this new offering is going to be just as impossible to categorise musically as usual - but we like it that way! Watch the video for 'Rewind The Film' here.

If a perfect summer 2013 song exists, it's Dan Croll's 'In/Out'. It doesn't feature on his debut EP 'From Nowhere' which we're hoping means there's going to be some talk of a debut album soon. We defy you not to move to this calypso inspired dance track, the video for which features karaoke style lyrics - if you don't find this infectiously upbeat tune catchy enough. Watch the video for In/Out here.

Continue reading: A Week In Music, Manic Street Preachers Get Nostalgic, DJ Muggs Returns Solo And Thom Yorke Throws A Spotify Strop

For those of you who didn’t manage to get to Crossroads – Eric Clapton’s guitar-fest – you needn’t fear, as the legend himself will be taking footage from the festival and making it available to his fans via the medium of cinema.

You'll find Clapton, Bb King and Jimmie Vaughan at Crossroads

'Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013' will feature edited highlights of these guys in action (take a deep breath): The Allman Brothers Band, Blake Mills, Booker T., Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Clapton, Gary Clark Jr., Gregg Allman, Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Keith Richards, Keith Urban, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, Sonny Landreth, Vince Gill and Warren Haynes. And relax; now that’s a lot of strings!

Continue reading: Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival To Delight Fans In Cinemas [Trailer & Pictures]

Albums of Note... Bonobo, aka Simon Green, may not have found instant stardom in his career but his work is characterised by a steady progress that is reflected in his tracks. North Borders is the fifth studio album from Bonobo and he calls on a range of influences, from hip-hop, soul, jazz and dubstep, to create a sound that has gradually developed into his own distinctive sound. Bonobo calls on a few friends for this album, notably Erykah Badu, who sings on ‘Heaven for the Sinner,’ a twinkling take on modern soul.

“What sets Bonobo apart in an overly crowded marketplace… is an expert ability to channel myriad influences from outside of his sphere into something that works perfectly inside it, not just within a single track but start-to-finish across an album.”

Continue reading: A Week In Music - Bonobo Builds On Steady Career, Little Comets Supply Astronomical Memories, Palma Violets Return With Raucous Video

Bb King and Eric Clapton jam at Crossroads Guitar Festival

Eric Clapton, BB King and John Mayer were among some of genius performers at Clapton's fourth Crossroads Guitar Festival last weekend.

It was a blues infused weekend at Eric Clapton's fourth tri-annual Crossroads Guitar Festival on April 12th - 13th 2013 at Madison Square Garden, New York with guests ranging from the legends, to the more modern performers of the genre. 68-year-old Clapton, who remains to be the only three-time inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was seen enjoying a jam session with the King of blues BB King, 87, while John Mayer teamed with country star Keith Urban to show that there was little to sneer at with modern blues-pop. 'The Blues Brothers' star Dan Aykroyd, also made an appearance in a pair of Ray-Bans and a suit reminiscent of the 1980 movie, as well as Texan guitarist Gary Clark Jr. with his band and 76-year-old former Muddy Waters member Buddy Guy.

Continue reading: Eric Clapton Introduces Star Line-Up To His Fourth Crossroads Guitar Festival (Photos)

A mixed week for US albums releases; old classics given an airing, a major movie soundtrack launched and hip-hop arTIsts new and old having a stab at chart success. Currently, the top of the US album chart is dominated by Taylor Swift, who’s back at the top with Red, Wiz Khalifa, riding high at number two with O.N.F.C. and Rod Stewart’s festive compilation album, Merry Christmas, Baby.

Eric Clapton’s Slowhand gets a 35th anniversary reissue, having been remastered from the original “1/4 tape. There are four album session outtakes, entitled ‘Looking at the Rain,’ ‘Alberta,’ ‘Greyhound Bus,’ and ‘Stars, Strays and Ashtrays.’ A second disc contains a live performance at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, from April 27, 1977.

One for the completists, then – and more a case of Clapton’s record label rubbing their hands in glee at a cash in, than any real significant moment in his career. The re-release of Slowhand has hardly set the music press alight and we probably don’t need to fetch any fire blankets for the albums chart, either.

Continue reading: Out Now: US Album Releases, Django Unchained OST Features Rick Ross, Chief Keef Banks On Hip-Hop Heavyweight Support, Eric Clapton's Slowhand Revisited

Nirvana reunification for Wednesday night's special Hurricane Sandy relief concert at Madison Square Garden will see Paul McCartney fill the boots of the late Kurt Cobain. 

Nirvana's Dave Grohl asked McCartney to join him and Krist Novoselic on stage for the special 12-12-12 event. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Alicia Keys, Eric Clapton, Kanye West, Roger Waters, Jon Bon Jovi and Billy Joel are also expected to perform during the star-studded event. And producers believe viewing figures for the program could reach 2 billion. "I didn't really know who they were," the 70-year-old Beatles legend told The Sun. "They are saying how good it is to be back together. I said, 'Whoa? You guys haven't played together for all that time? And somebody whispered to me, 'That's Nirvana. You're Kurt.' I couldn't believe it." Cobain remains on of music's most talked about and glorified artists after Nirvana pioneered grunge in the early 90's before his suicide in 1994.

The four year period between 1990-94, bookended by Dave Grohl joining the band and Cobain's untimely death saw the Seattle band's most fruitful period, as they produced the evergreen hit Smells Like Teen Spirit. Since then Grohl started The Foo Fighters, and has enjoyed tremendous success, but playing the hits at tonight's Sandy benefit will surely provide a hit of nostalgia and a tinge of sadness to go with it. 

Continue reading: Nirvana Set To Return With Paul McCartney Filling Kurt Cobain's Absence

Florence Welch was the latest surprise guest to appear on stage with dinosaur rockers The Rolling Stones during their run of shows at The O2 in London, when the Florence and the Machine front-woman joined Jagger and co on stage during last night's performance (Nov 29).

Welch joined the rock veterans on stage for a rendition of the classic hit 'Gimme Shelter,' with R&B heroine Mary J Blige also joining the Stones on stage for a surprise duet during their performance earlier this week. The headlining slots at the O2 didn't stop their with the treats either, as Eric Clapton also came on stage with the Stones for a rendition of 'Champagne And Reefer', with the guitar-god having been rumoured to appear long before he took to the stage.

The second, star-studded performance of the week saw frontman Mick Jagger immediately address the fine the band received after the earlier performance after the show overran. According to NME, Jagger joked with the crowd about the incident at the start of the show, saying "We had to pay £100,000 because we went on too long. That's like... Ten seats."

Continue reading: Florence Welch And Rolling Stones Join Forces At Stones' O2 Gig

Divorces can be a hard time, especially if you're Ronnie Wood and you have to sell off a boatload of your stuff to pay for it, as was the case yesterday when the veteran rocker took to Julien's Auctions in New York to sell on some of his most valuable possessions.

The masses of memorabilia on auction spanned four decades of the famed guitarist's work with The Rolling Stones, with the two-day auction selling on all manner of things, including several worn leather and velvet jackets, some real and some cardboard guitars, an assortment of tour ephemera and a signed lithograph of Eric Clapton. Two of the highest fetching items that Wood sold included a white leather coat for $8,960, and a lithograph of Eric Clapton drawn by Wood that includes both the guitarists' signatures fetching $5,120.

However, neither of these came close to matching the sums his guitars amassed, with a 1955 Fender Stratocaster guitar often used on stage by Wood fetching a whopping $60,800. Even one of the cardboard guitars fetched a pretty penny, with a guitar cut-out given to Wood by fellow Stones guitarist Keith Richards selling for $6,875.

Continue reading: Ronnie Wood Auctions Off Rolling Stones Memorabilia Following Divorce

An abstract painting by the famed German artist Gerhard Richter, was sold at auction yesterday for a record-breaking price after a telephone bidding war ended in the piece, called Abstraktes Bild, being sold for just over £21 million, making it the most expensive Richter painting to be sold at auction to date.

The painting had belonged to guitarist Eric Clapton and was expected to reach around £9-12 million when first put under the gavel. However, after a telephone bidding war that lasted five minutes, the price shot up to £21,321,250 when it was sold a Sotheby’s on Friday (October 12th) afternoon. .

The record price for a Richter painting had been £13 million until yesterday’s auction, after another private collection was sold in May this year at a New York auction house.

Continue reading: Clapton Sells His Gerhard Richter Painting For £21 Million