Bobby Whitlock, the keyboardist, singer-songwriter and co-founder of the Blues-Rock Derek and Domino group, died. He was 77 years old.
In a statement, her manager, Carole Kaye, said: “With deep sadness, Bobby Whitlock’s family announced his death at 1:20 am on August 10 after a brief illness. He passed in his home in Texas, surrounded by family. ”
Although Derek and the dominoes may be best known for having launched singer and guitarist Eric Clapton in Solo Superstardom, Whitlock was a key contributor to the first “Layla and listener-and-author-composer of the group influential of the group” and an influential session musician and singer-et-et-et-et-author-et-et-et-et-au-audor-et-et-et-et-author-composer.
Whitlock was born on March 18, 1948 in the start of life struck by Poverty in Millington, Tenn., A suburb of Memphis. His keyboard and piano skills, formed around the traditions of the Southern Church, led him to listen to sessions from Stax Records studios, which noticed his unusually moving musicality. Stax Records signed it to his new hip hip focused by pop – he was the first white artist to join singers like Otis Redding and Sam & Dave to the Label group.
His major breakthrough came when he was asked to join Delaney & Bonnie and his friends, an acclaimed Rock-Soul combo whose collaborators include generationally important artists like Duane and Gregg Allman, Leon Russell, George Harrison and Clapton.
Delaney & Bonnie and his friends took Whitlock on tour with the supergroup of Clapton, Blind Faith and Clapton used a large part of the programming of this group to record his solo debut in 1970. Later, he asked Whitlock to join him in a new combo (with bass player Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon), gathered to support Harrison On “All Things Must Pass”, which has become derek and dominoes.
“Empathy among all the musicians has exceeded the most, especially in Bobby Whitlock, in whom Eric found an accomplished and friendly song partner and a rescue singer,” wrote Clapton Harry Shapiro’s biographer in “Eric Clapton: Lost in the Blues”.
On “Layla”, the group’s only Sole studio LP in the group, Whitlock wrote or co-written half of the album songs, including “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Tell The Truth”. An American tour presented the Elton John opening, who wrote in his autobiography that, among the dominoes, “it was their keyboardist Bobby Whitlock whom I looked at as a hawk. He was from Memphis, learned his craft craft around Stax Studios and played with this moving and deep feeling of southern gospel.”
While the consumption of drug drugs and personal tensions finally led to a split, Whitlock published its eponymous solo debut in 1972 and “Raw Velvet”, follow -up the same year. As a session musician, he played on “Exile on Main” by the Rolling Stones. And “The Sun, Moon & Herbs” by Dr John.
He continued to publish solo equipment in the 1970s, returning in the 90s and often collaborating with his wife and musical partner Coco Carmel.
“How do you express, but a few words the greatness of a man who came from abject poverty in the south to unimaginated heights in such a short time,” said Carmel in a press release. “My love bobby considered life as an adventure taking me by the hand leading me through a world of wonder of music to poetry and painting. As he would always say: “Life is what you do, so take it and make it beautiful. And he did it.
Whitlock is survived by his wife and children Ashley Faye Brown, Beau Elijah Whitlock and Tim Whitlock Kelly.
