by “Eric Clapton is the most important and influential guitar player that has ever lived, is still living or will ever live”. Those aren’t my words, they’re the words of E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt, and it’s a big call, sure, but he might just have a point.
You see, there are some musicians who perfectly identify with their chosen field, and they’re happy to stay in there. They dabble in one genre and move around it freely, almost as if they own the place, making great music within that freedom. Then you have other artists like Eric Clapton, who aren’t satisfied with one style of music and spend their career trying to work out how they can branch out, but also remain true to their original sound.
Everyone already knew that Clapton was a great guitarist. He’d proven in The Yardbirds that he could handle a six-string better than the rest of them, taking to the blues and R&B like the notes ran through his veins. It was incredibly exciting to see, but, as is his wont, he had to push the envelope and thus Cream was born.
Clapton’s supergroup made a trampoline out of rock music. If you thought the genre was two-dimensional and limited, guess again, as the band showed everyone that it was possible to bounce around and inject different layers, textures and styles into rock in a bid to create something truly unique. It’s hard tracing the origin of prog and psychedelic rock, but somewhere near the Big Bang of those genres’ histories, you can hear Cream.
The guitarist has remained relevant and respected for decades and is still held up as one of the greatest guitarists to ever hold a pick, regardless of the musical outfit, and not just as someone who expanded music consciousness. Steve Van Zandt, the man who called him the most important guitarist in history, said the reason he’s managed to retain his brilliance is that he started treating his career like a marathon, not a sprint.
“He had seven years of the most extraordinary, historic guitar playing ever, and 40 years of doing good work,” said Van Zandt, adding, “Being the best has got to wear you out. So he pulled back, like Dylan and Lennon did. The sprint is cool, the marathon is better. Clapton has followed in the footsteps of his mentors: He’s become a journeyman.”
Van Zandt has a point. At no point did Clapton ever desperately try to claw at relevance, persistently putting himself first and selling himself in a bid to stay relevant. He made his music, stayed true to his originality, and it paid off in a career with longevity. He seemed to be aware that he was doing this as well, as he previously spoke about another guitarist he felt stayed true to themselves without clawing for relevancy.
“When I first started playing guitar, many moons ago, there was only one band in the country where I come from that played the kind of music I love,” said Clapton, “They were called The Rolling Stones. They were a scruffy bunch of kids just like me, so we got on very well. I particularly got on with the guitar player, one of the guitar players. Although we kind of drifted apart, I still love him very much.”
Continuing his praise for Keith Richards, Clapton said, “Like me, he never sold himself down the river; he always played the music he loved. He never did any big commercials [laughs]. He just plays the same old stuff, and I love him dearly.”
