Bobby Whitlock

All Music Guide:

Though he's best known as a member of the short-lived but groundbreaking group Derek and the Dominoes with Eric Clapton, Whitlock has had a very impressive musical career. Raised in Arkansas and Memphis, by the time he was a teenager he was playing on many of the sessions at the legendary Stax Studios and was in fact the first white artist signed to Stax Records. With a soulful voice soaked in gospel, R&B, and blues and accomplished keyboard skills, it was only a matter of time before the limelight found him.

Upon seeing him perform in a Memphis Club, he was asked by Delaney & Bonnie to join their band. Whitlock began a friendship with Eric Clapton when Delaney & Bonnie and Friends toured with him and would soon be part of Clapton's Derek and the Dominoes project. Co-writing many of the songs and playing and singing on most (that's him doing the lead vocal on his own "Thorn Tree in the Garden"), Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs was almost as much a Whitlock album as it was a Clapton album. With the same band, he played on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and was also an uncredited musician on the Rolling Stones' influential Exile on Main Street a few years later.

The 1970s also saw him release four expressive solo albums. The first one, self titled, was released in 1972 and is the best of the bunch. Raw Velvet, while a little more uneven than the first, featured some of Duanne Allman's most heartbreaking and breathtaking slide playing (uncredited due to contractual legalities) on the track "Dearest I Wonder," recorded shortly before he died. After his 1976 album Rock Your Sox Off, Whitlock layed low for most of the '80s and '90s, living on a farm in Mississippi and doing some session work (though not even much of that). In 1999, he finally returned with the aptly titled It's About Time.

Wikipedia:

Robert Stanley "Bobby" Whitlock (born 18 March 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a songwriter and performer, best known as a member of Derek and the Dominos.

Biography [edit]

Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Whitlock began his musical career recording for Stax Records at the age of 15. His first recording was hand claps on Sam & Dave's "I Thank You." Donald "Duck" Dunn and Steve Cropper were readying the young Whitlock for pop success when Delaney & Bonnie heard Whitlock perform at a club and invited him to join them in California and record on their record Home in early 1970. His friendships with future Dominos Eric Clapton, Carl Radle, and Jim Gordon began when Whitlock was touring with Delaney & Bonnie.

Whitlock is most notably known for his involvement with the blues-rock band Derek & The Dominos, which he co-founded. He was a co-writer of many of the songs that appear on their album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.

Derek and the Dominos [edit]

After the other band members left to join Mad Dogs and Englishmen with Joe Cocker, Whitlock collaborated with Eric Clapton in England. They played sessions together, most notably on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, where Whitlock and Clapton sang background (as the "O'Hara Smith Singers"). Whitlock remained uncredited on certain tracks of All Things Must Pass, where he played harmonium, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond organ, tubular bells and piano on various songs.

Whitlock is credited as a writer or co-writer on six tracks from the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. He and Clapton wrote together on their guitars. During the recording, the tape rolled non-stop for the entire album, with the exception of "Key to the Highway". According to Whitlock, this is why this cut is heard fading in.

Whitlock recorded his first solo album Bobby Whitlock/Bobby Whitlock. His second solo record, Raw Velvet, came immediately after. Both records included appearances by former Dominos Eric Clapton, Carl Radle, and Jim Gordon. When Whitlock tried in vain to get Clapton to come out and play, realizing it was not going to happen (it took two years of waiting), he went back to the United States.

Later Career [edit]

Whitlock went to England again after a short stint in the United States then moved to Ireland, where he lived for many years and became friends with Donovan. Whitlock had his own television show with Steve Cropper. Returning to the United States, he initially financed his own tour and has slowly made his way back into the music scene.

During the 1970s, Whitlock released four solo albums: the first, self-titled, was released in 1972. Raw Velvet featured Eric Clapton and Rick Vito on "Dearest I Wonder". After his 1976 album Rock Your Sox Off, Whitlock laid low for most of the 1980s and 1990s, living on a farm in Mississippi, raising his children, and doing session work.

In 1999, Bobby Whitlock returned to music with It's About Time and in 2000 appeared on the BBC's Jools Holland with Clapton. In 2001 he appeared on the Buddy Guy album Sweet Tea. Also in 2001, Whitlock and CoCo Carmel collaborated on Other Assorted Love Songs, consisting primarily of Whitlock's songs from the original Derek and the Dominos album. Whitlock and Carmel are married and live in Austin, Texas and have travelled extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Their newest release, a live recording titled Metamorphosis, features David Grissom and Stephen Bruton on guitar, Brannen Temple on drums, and James Fenner on percussion. Guest Willie Nelson plays on CoCo Carmel's "True Love". Bobby Whitlock continues to write and has had several major artist cuts, including Ray Charles ("Slip Away"), Tom Jones ("This Time There Won't Be No Next Time"), and George Jones ("He's Not Entitled to your Love"). Numerous artists have recorded his material, including Sheryl Crow ("Keep on Growin") and Derek Trucks ("Anyday").

Whitlock wrote his autobiography with music historian Marc Roberty; the book was published in 2010, with a foreword written by Eric Clapton.