ERIC CLAPTON
Eric Clapton sold 138 lots in total at a recent auction at Bonhams auctioneers in New York, which included 75 guitars from his personal collection. Hoards of fans from the far corners attended the event with the proceeds going to the Crossroads Center in Antigua, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation facility that Clapton himself co-founded in 1998.
The top selling item was his 1948 Gibson hollow body guitar that went for an astounding $83,000, nearly three times it's estimated value of $30,000. Clapton also sold a replica of his "Blackie" Fender Stratocaster for a very respectable $30,000.
Over his extensive career he has opened up for greats like; Eric Clapton and the Dave Matthews Band. He has done memorable covers to Hendrix songs like "All Along the Watch Tower" and "Purple Haze". His first album, "Live at the Wetlands" was released in 2001. Now nine years later Robert Randolph & The Family Band are at it again.
Teamed up with Warner Bros. Records, Randolph and family have created "We Walk This Road," a familiar mixture of Rock, Blues, Gospel and Funk, not unlike the magic we are used to hearing from group. Thought as "Sacred Steel" by the Pentecostal Church, Randolph's use of the pedal steel guitar has grown greater with age. "We Walk This Road," will be the group's third album.
I must admit, as weird as this sounds, I love a man who can play a good invisible instrument. When Mike serenaded Phoebe on Friends with his air piano in Central Perk, I swooned. Now, there's a whole competition here in Vegas just for these performers to showoff their craft and for people like me to drool over them.
This month marks the beginning of a set of monthly competitions to find the Hendrix of air guitar here in Las Vegas. This is all thanks to Resodence, who has created the Las Vegas Air Guitar Association, which is linked to the U.S. Air Guitar Championship (yes, that does exist).
Blues pioneer Robert Johnson is fabled to have died as the result of poisoning by a jealous husband and three separate locations claim his demise, but the house where he was born has been officially verified and authorities from Hazlehurst, MS, are trying to restore the 19th century craftsman home as a historical landmark in hopes of attracting tourism to the region. The house, built by Johnson’s father, is located nearly 100 miles north of the famed Delta-region of Mississippi, home of many pioneering blues musicians.
- 11/1 David Foster and Friends @ the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood.
The evening is a virtual jukebox worth of songs written and/or produced by Mr. Foster. He will be joined by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, offering hits reminiscent of your 8th grade school dance. Among other “friends,” Chicago front-man Peter Cetera will get down with “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” and string man Boz Scaggs will reprise “Look What You’ve Done to Me” from Urban Cowboy. Other co-performers include Josh Groban and Kenny G.
- 11/4 Mute Math @ Revolution Live
This is sure to be a night full of danceable electro-pop fun. The band is best known for their single “Typical,” which is featured on one of my personal favorite Discovery Channel shows, Man vs. Wild. This venue can fit around 2,000 people, so get your tickets early for some solid face-to-face time with the band.
If you’re feeling pretty bummed out about missing out on the music festivals occurring all across the country this summer, don't fret--I come bearing optimistic news for music lovers everywhere!
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, U2, Paul Simon, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Friends and Simon and Garfunkel, are among the list of confirmed artists to perform at a legendary two-night concert, in celebration of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary! But hold on, it gets better: This all-star event will take place in none other than Madison Square Garden, NYC!
Although his name may not sound familiar, guitarist Delaney Bramlett made significant marks in the music industry throughout his career. Bramlett’s first appearance was as part of a duo with former wife Bonnie Lynn in the bluesy group Delaney and Bonnie, which also featured Eric Clapton as a marginal performer. Despite the small success attributed to the group, it was the foundation for many significant collaborations in the future, particularly with Clapton. Bramlett produced and co-wrote the debut album that launched Clapton to fame in 1970 and in turn, both artists received widspread recognition. Bramlett traveled with Clapton to England where he continued to scout and train undiscovered talent like George Harrison.
 |
 |
 |
 |
