Argent and Kiss might have sung that God gave rock ‘n’ roll to the world, but many listeners believe it was Eric Clapton who truly brought the righteous sound forth. A blues and R&B purist, Clapton was a key figure in introducing the sound of the Mississippi Delta to white audiences and bridging rock ‘n’ roll and rock music. Without his efforts, this entire genre would sound entirely different today.
Whether in The Yardbirds, John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and The Dominos, or as a solo artist, Clapton’s creative odyssey has produced many culturally significant moments, making his career one of the most extensive arcs of his generation. It must not be forgotten that the Surrey native is also a widely contemptible figure, with his character often ironically juxtaposing the glistening refinement of his fretboard movements. Still, his musical contributions remain largely unquestionable.
However frustrating it might be in light of his racism and anti-vaxx sentiment, Clapton knows what he’s talking about when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll and guitar playing. When appearing on the BBC’s iconic show Desert Island Discs in 1989, he revealed more about what he loves when listening to music. He provided insight on an array of artists, including one particularly surprising name, a contemporary hero whom he dubbed “a genius” who had saved rock ‘n’ roll.
Given his nature as a purist of the form, it does come as a surprise to hear that Clapton was a massive fan of Minneapolis innovator Prince, a man who blurred lines and mixed rock music with pop, funk, soul and many other palettes before it was the norm to do so. Regardless, the former Cream man explained that after he saw Prince’s epic movie Purple Rain, which featured the anthem of the same name, his life was changed. Not only was Prince a musical genius, but he also described the experience of the film and album as a literal “lifesaver”.
He said: “It was a lifesaver for me. This is a record that I heard and it came from a movie which I saw at the time when I thought Rock and Roll was dead. I went to see ‘Purple Rain’ and I thought ‘Well, this is it, it’s a reincarnation of Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown in one’. I thought that’s exactly what the world needed. Very controversial figure but I loved him dearly and I think he is a genius musically.”
After Prince died in 2016, Clapton went into more detail about the moment he first saw Purple Rain and heard the sounds of the Minnesotan’s definitive masterpiece. Describing him as a genius once more and even a “huge inspiration”, he recalled being on the road at the time and being locked in a grim downward spiral with drink and drugs. Yet, he saw the film in a cinema in Canada, with no idea who Prince was, and it proved to be the stroke of serendipity that he had long been looking for.
Clapton continued: “In the middle of my depression, and the dreadful state of the music culture at that time it gave me hope, he was like a light in the darkness I went back to my hotel, and surrounded by empty beer cans, wrote ‘Holy Mother.’ I can’t believe he’s gone.”
