Delaney & Bonnie & Friends - On Tour With Eric Clapton

I'd never heard of Delaney and Bonnie until relatively recently. It was like they didn't exist, and then one day they did.

Their names would pop up in articles and they would be name dropped by other musicians who were a big deal in the early '70s. It makes sense that they flew on the periphery of my musical radar as they were only active for a couple of years (1969 - 1970) and their recorded output actually outlived the band.

I found a stained copy (I hope that's coffee) of the record in a box of records my buddy Paul was getting rid of. The vinyl was in surprisingly good shape. My gain, his loss. More than he knows.

On Tour With Eric Clapton was recorded in 1969 in England, with at least one song recorded in Croydon, and by all accounts is the duo's crowning achievement, capturing them with an all-star cast of supporting musicians. Delaney & Bonnie had great friends. This would be their best selling album and it would be certified gold in the US.

Who were these friends?

Glad you asked, let me get my readers on because it's hard to make out the words on the back cover. Whoever thought the sepia tones and a brown font was a good idea was a sadist. Sure it looked cool, but dagnabbit, having to hold it up just right to the light to read the names is cruel.

With friends like this you're in rare company (I've written them out as they were on the cover):

Delaney Bramlett - rhythm guitar and vocals / Bonnie Bramlett - vocals / Eric Clapton - lead guitar / Dave Mason - guitar / Carl Radle - bass guitar / Jim Gordon - drums / B. Whitlock - organ and vocals / Jim Price - trumpet and trombone / Bobby Keys - saxophone / Tex Johnson - conga and bongo drums / Rita Coolidge - vocals.

The cover photo of the Rolls Royce features a pair of feet hanging out the window. Rumour has it they're Bob Dylan's. The photo was taken by Barry Feinstein, who would later become Delaney & Bonnie's manager. Apparently they couldn't agree on a live shot for the cover, so this is what they used. Delaney & Bonnie were so cool even Bob Dylan found a way to get in on the action.

This is also the only time I've seen the brother Johns listed together on the same record. Both Andy & Glyn are credited as recording engineers. That was cool.

Musically this is blues based rock and roll and it's cool. The band is on fire and Eric Clapton is a great addition, but honestly is playing the role of the perfect sideman and is there to support and not distract. The stars of the show are Delaney and Bonnie. Delaney leads the band through its paces, but it's Bonnie with her pleasing voice and wide, slow vibrato that brings the songs an extra depth.

While this sort of blues infused rock and roll was never really my thing, it was a big part of the late '60s and early '70s. Think Big Brother and the Holding Company, or Janis when she went solo. Her posthumous release Pearl was the pinnacle of this era.

As the applause settles after "Coming Home," a song written by Bramlett and Clapton, the promoter came on stage to talk to the audience. He goes on to say, "... one of the greatest shows we've had in Croydon in a long, long time. All honour is due to this fabulous couple Delaney and Bonnie, and a very big hand for Eric Clapton."

It was as if the audience knew they were part of something special. The cheer for the duo was huge, but after Eric's name, in his home country, the applause was nearly deafening. 

On Tour With Eric Clapton seemed to be in the right place at the right time and even Delaney comments at one point that "We've had a fantastic time and we've never been received like this in our lives and we appreciate it."

One thing that struck me listening to this was how come they weren't more well known? Sure this was a gold record, but after 1970 it was like Delaney & Bonnie seemed to disappear and be erased from the musical landscape.

Bonnie Bramlett had a hell of a voice, but it would be backing vocalist Rita Coolidge who would go on to a solo career.

Even Delaney Bramlett, who is rumoured to have taught George Harrison how to play slide guitar and who Eric Clapton credits with teaching him how to sing, seemed to vanish.

Of course I suspect the reality is they faded but never disappeared...

This was a really cool album that was a near perfect encapsulation of the times. Rhythm and blues was never really my thing, but it can be fun to listen to, and it's even more fun to hear live.

To me this was more cool than good.

Boy was it cool.