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EOnline.comBIG SALE: Eric Clapton's favorite guitar, "Blackie," which he used for 15 years, selling for $959,500 at a Christie's auction on Thursday. More than $7 million was raised to fund the rocker's Crossroads drug-treatment center.

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Clapton Whips Up Cream Reunion

EOnline.com

by Josh Grossberg

Dec 23, 2004, 11:55 AM PT

 

Eric Clapton's ready for some fresh Cream.

 

Old Slow Hand revealed to BBC Radio 2 last week that he and his former mates in rock's first supergroup, singer-bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker, are planning to reunite for four shows next May at London's Royal Albert Hall, the legendary venue where the power trio played its final gig in 1968.

 

There has been no other official comment since Clapton's remarks--reps for the musicians were not immediately reachable as most labels are on holiday.

 

Since the group's disintegration 35 years ago, the only other time Clapton, Bruce and Baker appeared onstage together was when they performed a scorching three-song set at Cream's 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

 

After the jam, an emotional Clapton told audience members that he was "moved" by the band's performance, sparking a decade's worth of talk of a possible reunion.

 

"It's been so long since I've been around something from somebody else that's inspired me. For the last 20 years, it's been up to me to inspire me," Clapton said at the time.

 

"There isn't a drummer on this earth that has the dexterity that Ginger has," Clapton added. "And [Jack has] this powerful thing that happens when he starts to sing and you're off on the side."

 

With age apparently softening their egos, the guitar god told the BBC that the long-rumored reunion is finally in motion.

 

So far there are no Cream concerts on the Royal Albert Hall schedule for May, but Clapton said tickets would be going on sale very soon, and all four concerts would be recorded for eventual release on CD and/or DVD.

 

Cream was formed in 1966 when Clapton left another Hall of Fame band, the Yardbirds, and hooked up with Bruce, a Scotsman from blues outfit Manfred Mann, and Baker, who played toms for the Graham Bond Organization.

 

Known for its blues and psychedelic-infused jams, the threesome quickly established itself among the rock pantheon. They released just four albums in two years--Fresh Cream, Disreali Gears, Wheels of Fire and Goodbye--but left an indelible mark on classic rock with such radio standards as "Sunshine of Your Love," "Strange Brew," "Spoonful," "White Room" and "Crossroads."

 

The band played its farewell show at the Royal Albert Hall in November 1968. Clapton then hooked up with another supergroup, Blind Faith, for an album and tour before launching Derek and the Dominoes and eventually his own solo career.

 

Bruce, who has recently toured with Ringo Starr and his All Starr band, has publicly indicated that he's up for a reunion.

 

"I'd like it to happen," Bruce told Forbes writer Jim Clash for his 2003 book To the Limits. "But I wouldn't be prepared to do it, really, unless it was a challenge. And the challenge would be to come up with new material somewhere close to as strong as the stuff from the old days."

 

New material notwithstanding, Bruce and Clapton haven't refrained from rehashing old memories. In 2001, the two teamed up to record new versions of "Sunshine of Your Love" for a Bruce solo project.

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Eric Clapton's women woesOctober 7, 2005, 5:30:07 Eric Clapton claims women don't fancy him now that he's turned 60. The former womaniser said he even feared girls may think he's a "dirty old man" if he flirts with them.The rock star - who is married to Melia McEnery who he has three young children with - is quoted in Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper as saying: "At first there was a little regret that women didn't look back anymore when I looked at them.I was also concerned about whether I was a dirty old man. " He added: "But then I found it was a tremendous relief not to be ruled by my sex drive." Meanwhile the legendary singer - who is rumoured to be worth around £120 million - has claimed he will have to keep working until the day he dies - just to pay the bills. He is quoted in Britain's The Sun newspaper as saying: "It's a reality, not a pretence.I will have to work to support the way we live"

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Ringo Starr's Supergroup Brings In The New Year

 

Ringo Starr Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr joined forces with rock veterans Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend for a legendary jamming session on New Year's Eve. The rock veterans performed to a small VIP audience at a secret charity gig in Surrey, England, on Monday night, with tickets going for as little as $100.

 

A source tells British newspaper The Independent, "The band was called Totally Abandoned for the night and obviously boasted a fairly impressive line-up. It was very much a word-of-mouth thing and tickets were under $100. They sung mainly old classics, they were great."

star pulse

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Clapton invited to play North Korea

 

 

LONDON - North Korean officials have invited rock guitarist Eric Clapton to play a concert in the Communist state, a diplomat at the country's embassy in London said Tuesday.

 

The diplomat confirmed reports in the British media that Clapton had been officially invited to Pyongyang — the first such invitation to a Western rock star to the isolated nation.

 

"Eric Clapton is a well-known musician and guitarist, famous throughout the world," said the official, who declined to give his name. "It will be a good opportunity for Western music to be understood better by Koreans."

 

Clapton's spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment. The Financial Times newspaper reported Tuesday that Clapton, 62, had agreed in principle and suggested 2009 for the gig.

 

North Korean authorities have long shunned rock and pop music, although Kim Jong Chol, the Swiss-educated son of national leader Kim Jong Il, is reportedly a huge Clapton fan.

 

Recently North Korea has begun to build tentative cultural ties with the West. The New York Philharmonic played in Pyongyang on Tuesday, and North Korean State Symphony Orchestra is due to perform in London and the English city of Middlesbrough in September.

 

The Financial Times said the invitation to Clapton was in return for the Korean orchestra's British tour.

 

Clapton is regarded as one of rock's greatest guitarists, with a string of hits since the 1960s including include "Layla," "Cocaine" and "Tears in Heaven."

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Clapton and Winwood reunion thrills boomers

 

 

 

It took nearly 40 years, but the supergroup Blind Faith returned to Madison Square Garden on Monday night for the first of a three-night stand.

 

Well, OK, it was really just Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood (drummer Ginger Baker is AWOL and bassist Rich Grech died in 1990), but these shows marking the duo's first full performances together since 1982 are plenty historic enough.

 

The classic rock stalwarts, who earned raves last year for their short set at Chicago's Crossroads festival, delivered a two-hour, 20-minute show featuring two-thirds of Blind Faith's recorded output -- that translates to all of four songs -- as well as numbers from their respective solo careers and Winwood's stint with Traffic. Beginning with Bline Faith's "Had to Cry Today" and ending with an encore of "Crossroads," it was a blues-heavy set list guaranteed to please the sold-out baby boomer crowd.

 

Clapton's most recent foray into his past with the Cream reunion shows seemed a distinctly chilly affair, but he clearly was having a terrific time onstage with this former bandmate. Halfway through the show, he commented: "I've been looking forward to this for a long time. . . . I'm enjoying it, so I hope you are. So who knows, maybe we'll do this a bit more, I think."

 

Performing with a tight three-piece band that included Willie Weeks (bass), Chris Stainton (keyboards) and Ian Thomas (drums), the duo traded vocals and instrumentals with well-practiced ease. Clapton's electrifying solos provided fresh energy to such numbers as Traffic's "Pearly Queen" and "Dear Mr. Fantasy," while Winwood's fluid keyboard work and still-soaring vocals enlivened such songs as Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and Clapton's "Tell the Truth." Winwood strapped on a guitar for most of the Blind Faith songs, as well as numbers including the rollicking "Low Down."

 

Each star also delivered one solo number, with Clapton performing an acoustic version of "Ramblin' on My Mind" and Winwood delivering a nicely moving take on "Georgia on My Mind."

 

Of course, the Blind Faith classics including "Had to Cry Today," "Presence of the Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home" garnered the biggest responses, but such Clapton pop hits as "Forever Man" and "After Midnight" came close.

 

Reuters/Billboard.

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Clapton 'Recovering After Operation'

 

 

Eric Clapton has reportedly been recovering after undergoing an operation to remove his gall stones.

 

The guitarist was forced to cancel a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame gig at New York's Madison Square Garden on Friday in order to undergo the surgery.

 

However, his publicist told BBC News that the operation was successful and that the 64-year-old is now convalescing.

 

Clapton was replaced at the concert by Jeff Beck, with whom he is scheduled to play a joint live show at the London O2 arena in February.

 

Source digitalspy.co.uk

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