Show Clapton Brings the Blues Liz Dowdle Staff Writer Eric Clapton has done it again Revolutionizing the world of acoustic guitar Clapton takes his skill to a anew anew anew new level with his March release of Me And Mr Johnson This album has had a promising start in it first few weeks on the market is reporting that Me And Mr Johnson Johnsonis Johnson Johnsonis is now ranked in their album charts having havin having T taken first in the week before its official release Deeply rooted in the jazz blues genre who says there is no room in the charts for blues This once again proves that Clapton makes room in the charts no matter what he chooses to do Eric Patrick Clapton was born March 30 1945 in Ripley England The illegitimate ille ille- g son of Patricia Molly dolly Clapton and Edward Fryer Clapton was raised by his gran grandparents parents He was raised believing that his grandparents were his parents parents par par- parents and his mother was his sister before the truth was r revealed to him later at age nine As a student at Kin Kingston ston College of Art in En England and he was expelled for paying playing the blues in m class At that point Clapton took a job in manual labor and started a band called with fellow Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck Clapton later left the band feeling the band was veering away from its blues based blues base roots in favor of a commercially viable pop focus Throughout the late sixties sixties sixties six six- six six- ties and seventies Clapton wallowed in addictions of both drugs and alcohol He released many albums with rock and reggae tendencies during this time period all of which were hits and are still considered classics today Though some say Clapton never regained the musical heights reached during his heroin days his legend legend nevertheless continued continued continued contin contin- to grow row and is highly regarded regarded today Anyone who has followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed this 40 year musical journey knows that Clapton has has nas never left the blues far behind at any point in his career Hes He's been known to momentarily take a rock reggae or pop approach to a song but Clapton's flavor has given him his flare in the music industry Nearing sixty this album has shown that this triple Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is not even close to stopping Me And Mr Johnson is inspired by Blues legend Robert Johnson Asa As a young boy Clapton heard heathe the attributes of adolescence- adolescence low self-esteem self loneliness sexual desire and frustration frustration frustration tion- tion expressed in in raw form through Johnsons Johnson's voice and guitar He has often referred to Johnson as having having having hav hav- ing been the single factor to drive rive and influence my career Now after all all these years his music is like my oldest friend always in the back of my head and on the horizon It is the finest music I have ever heard I have always trusted its purity puri pun ty and I always will Clapton writes on his nis album cover Nearly two years ago Clapton and his band went into the studio to lay some groundwork for a new album They worked on some compositions and some covers including one Johnson song Riverside Blues During the next year Clapton rejected every song that didn did- did n t feature Johnsons Johnson's work At that time I kind of intuitively knew that I was going to make a Robert Johnson album he said in inan inan inan an interview last week Anyone looking T to reach their roots in blues will enjoy this album Clapton does an excellent job of honoring blues legend Mr Johnson and has managed to prove legendary status once more |