(Credit: Alamy)
Wed 3 December 2025 13:29, UK
You might hear people feeling whimsically nostalgic about the 1960s. Its culture, its style, and perhaps most obviously, its music. The era was defined by music, the kind of sounds that still reverberate around our airwaves to this day. One of the people behind making those sounds was Eric Clapton.
Rock and roll rapidly developed in the 1960s, with musicians from Jimi Hendrix to The Beatles innovating and popularising the genre. Following in the footsteps of pioneering musicians that emerged in the previous decade, such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Little Richard and Fats Domino, rock music became a massive cultural phenomenon unlike ever before.
Countless bands tried to make it in the 1960s – of course, some were considerably more successful than others. For some musicians, it took stints in several bands to find their niche, which was certainly the case for Eric Clapton. Now widely recognised as one of the greatest guitarists ever, Clapton spent most of the early 1960s playing in various local bands before joining the Yardbirds.
He remained with the band for a year and a half until he got tired of the direction the music seemed to be going. Jim McCarty told AZ Central, “He didn’t like the way we were going into a pop thing rather than a blues thing.” From there, Clapton joined John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers for a year, where he continued to hone his craft.
However, in 1966, he formed Cream, regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the period. Although their initial run only lasted two years, Clapton solidified himself as an incredibly gifted guitarist, possessing immense technical skills. In subsequent years, Clapton has performed with bands such as Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie, and Derek and the Dominos, as well as enjoying a successful solo career.
The legendary Chuck Berry. (Credits: Far Out / Tidal)
For many rock lovers, Clapton is one of the genre’s most important musicians. However, Clapton states that he wouldn’t be the guitarist he is if not for those who came before him, most significantly, Chuck Berry. Often referred to as ‘The King of Rock and Roll’, Berry was a vital contributor to the development of rock and roll and rhythm and blues.
In the documentary Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock’ n’ Roll, Clapton declared his love for the musician. “If you wanna play Rock and Roll or any upbeat number and you want to take a guitar ride, you would end up playing like Chuck Berry. Because there is very little, actually, other choice. There is not a lot of other ways to play Rock and Roll other than like Chuck plays it.”
He continued, “If you tried to play, you know, all this stuff that’s like I was doing, the double string stuff, it’s really full, and if you give me a break, in a fast way, I start playing single lines. It doesn’t sound right, It just doesn’t sound right. It sounds thin or something or too fiddly. So it would be ok, but it wouldn’t be as good as [he demonstrates on guitar]. So he really laid the law down for playing that kind of music.”
Moreover, Clapton explained how influential Berry truly was. “There is a whole mix of things I hear, Latin and country, jazz, the whole thing makes a beautiful hybrid. I’ve heard stories that he was very bitter and he thought people have ripped him off, and in order to think that, you must be aware of how far your influence has spread.”
But, for Clapton being the best at rock and roll music doesn’t mean you’re the best guitarist. No, that honour is saved for another. The greatest, according to Clapton is Albert Lee. The guitarist has worked with some big names, including Emmylou Harris and The Everly Brothers. Considering Clapton’s appraisal, we all should be listening to Lee: “He’s the greatest guitarist in the world. The ultimate virtuoso. His skill is extraordinary, his ear is extraordinary, and he’s gifted on just about every level.” There’s no higher praise than that.
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