The Blues and the British Boom Many of the most popular and best-selling musicians of the twentieth century were part of a movement called the British Invasion. The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones, most notably, are all household names to those with any interest in popular music since the 1960s. Past the initial Invasion, artists such as Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd also had immense success after traveling across the pond to perform in the United States. Even with the tremendous popularity these groups enjoy, their collective source of inspiration is less known than the bands themselves: the blues. Keith Richards—guitarist for The Rolling Stones, on the role the blues played in his life—said himself that he “was
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. . . The Beatles berated reporters for not knowing who Muddy Waters was. The Rolling Stones refused to appear . . . unless Howlin’ Wolf was invited as well.” Muddy Waters himself exclaimed, “That’s a funny damn thing. Had to get somebody from out of another country to let my white kids over here know where we stand. They’re crying for bread and got it in their backyard” …show more content…
According to Clapton, the host would, in between the standard children’s music, “slip in some blues.” The first full song he recalls from the show was “Whoopin’ the Blues” by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. After hearing the blues on this radio show, Clapton believes “the purity of what they were trying to do undercut everything else that you could hear on the radio” (Clapton NPR).
One of the Cream guitarist’s main influences, however, was Mississippi blues guitar player Robert Johnson: “Someone had his (first) album and played it to me and that was it. And I was I was [sic] completely bowled over” (Clapton Today). While Clapton was with Cream, the group covered Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” under the name “Crossroads;” in 2003, this version was ranked number three on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time (“100 Greatest”). As a solo artist, Clapton released Me and Mr. Johnson in 2004, an entire album devoted to Robert Johnson; while discussing the album, Clapton said that Johnson’s music “is like my oldest friend, always in the back of my head and on the horizon. It's the finest music I've ever heard. I've always trusted its purity. And I always will” (Clapton
. . . The Beatles berated reporters for not knowing who Muddy Waters was. The Rolling Stones refused to appear . . . unless Howlin’ Wolf was invited as well.” Muddy Waters himself exclaimed, “That’s a funny damn thing. Had to get somebody from out of another country to let my white kids over here know where we stand. They’re crying for bread and got it in their backyard” …show more content…
According to Clapton, the host would, in between the standard children’s music, “slip in some blues.” The first full song he recalls from the show was “Whoopin’ the Blues” by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. After hearing the blues on this radio show, Clapton believes “the purity of what they were trying to do undercut everything else that you could hear on the radio” (Clapton NPR).
One of the Cream guitarist’s main influences, however, was Mississippi blues guitar player Robert Johnson: “Someone had his (first) album and played it to me and that was it. And I was I was [sic] completely bowled over” (Clapton Today). While Clapton was with Cream, the group covered Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” under the name “Crossroads;” in 2003, this version was ranked number three on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time (“100 Greatest”). As a solo artist, Clapton released Me and Mr. Johnson in 2004, an entire album devoted to Robert Johnson; while discussing the album, Clapton said that Johnson’s music “is like my oldest friend, always in the back of my head and on the horizon. It's the finest music I've ever heard. I've always trusted its purity. And I always will” (Clapton