Blues Hall Of Fame For Clapton and Little Richard
Eric Clapton and Little Richard are to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, to be held in conjunction with the 36th Blues Music Awards on May 7 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Clapton will join such great guitarists in the Blues Hall as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, Albert King, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, Lead Belly, Mike Bloomfield, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Blues Foundation recognises in particular Clapton’s role in popularising the blues in the 1960s, first with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and then in Cream and Derek and the Dominos. His later solo work, such as his ‘Riding With The King’ collaboration with B.B. King and his Robert Johnson tribute record ‘Me and Mr. Johnson,’ also contribute to the recognition.
Little Richard’s fellow rock ‘n’ roll pioneers who are already in the Blues Hall include Berry, Fats Domino and Bo Diddley. The induction acknowledges the blues idiom in Richard’s early recordings. He and Clapton will be inducted in May alongside Tommy Brown, the 1950s frontman for the Griffin Brothers Orchestra, of ‘Weepin’ & Cryin’’ fame.
The Blues Foundation preserves blues music history and recognises blues performances and recordings. It also oversees the Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which has welcomed some 130 performers into its ranks since the first inductees joined in 1980. Tickets for the three-day event including the ceremony, and more information, are available here.
Explore our dedicated Eric Clapton and Little Richard Artist Pages
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Jim Roberson
February 20, 2015 at 1:25 pm
It’s about time. I am sure there is another Hall of Fame Clapton should be in.
Darren
February 20, 2015 at 1:48 pm
Well deserved. I like Bonnie Raitt and nothing against her but was a little shocked to see she was in there before Clapton.
Debashish Ghosh
February 20, 2015 at 3:30 pm
Better late than never. Should have been inducted many years ago considering his contributions as a white blues musician in a domain dominated by black stalwarts
Dieter Ochsenbein
February 21, 2015 at 8:52 am
correct!
Michael D Gorman
February 21, 2015 at 12:01 am
Eric Clapton & The Blues are synonymous terms, it was his innate understanding and natural feel for this music that influenced so many musicians and bands in the U.K, and then of course America when Cream took it back to them in a form that was unique, powerful and irresistible. Regardless of any awards, or recognition from the industry itself, the global music loving community has been aware and appreciative of Mr Clapton’s singular contribution to modern music, and the Blues in particular.
Dan Barfod
February 21, 2015 at 6:17 pm
Congrats to Little Richard – who else ? LR Is the King <3
william mayeds
February 21, 2015 at 11:56 pm
Is chuck Willis in the hall? He should be
Riverside Kate
February 26, 2015 at 2:13 am
2015 Blues Hall of Fame Inductee
Tommy Brown, hailed during the 1950s as “one of the most dynamic entertainers in show business,” has spent most of the past four decades out of the performing spotlight, but his resume of vintage records, onstage theatrics and a 21st century career revival have brought him long overdue recognition among current blues aficionados. Brown was a friend of fellow Georgia singer and 2015 Blues Hall of Fame inductee Little Richard when both were starting out, and he remembers letting Richard sleep in his station wagon when times were tough. A young James Brown picked up cues for his fabled stage show from both of them.
Brown was born in Atlanta on May 27, 1931, and began performing as a dancer when he was in the first grade. He also worked as a drummer before he became a stand-up singer. But he did much more than stand, as the Atlanta Daily World reported in 1953: “. . . he jumped off the stage, fell prostrate on the floor, got up, banged his head on the wall then fell down on his knees and wailed the blues.” Brown began recording in 1950 and sang (and sobbed) on the No. 1 R&B hit Weepin’ and Cryin’ with the Griffin Brothers in 1951. The song evolved from a real life experience, when he broke down while singing onstage as he saw his fiance´ walk in with another man. Humor was an important part of his show, however, and in the 1960s he began performing and recording as a comedian.
After stays in St. Louis, Chicago (where he teamed on shows with Otis Clay), and New York, Brown settled back in Atlanta in 1977 to run the Landmark West Personal Care Center, a business his mother had founded. After fans sought him out to interview him and book him on festivals in the U.S. and Europe, he began traveling and recording again in the new millenium. His Classic Tommy Brown CD, on his own Chittlin’ Circuit label, reintroduced listeners to the rocking, crying and shouting blues he waxed on labels such as Savoy, King, United and Imperial. “I’m looking to retire at 103.” he says, “and take up a new profession — teach people how to love.”
– See more at: http://www.blues.org/awards-search/?cat=hof#sthash.COf6kmQu.dpuf