Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton has delved into so many styles of music that I have to admit that I don't like some of it. What I love about Eric Clapton is that when it comes to blues, he's the most diverse guy on the planet. The defining characteristic of a bluesman is that there is a "bag of blues tricks" that he uses on the guitar. These are certain licks that a blues player will play over and over. It's kind of like their signature. But if you listen to a lot of Clapton's guitar playing, almost all of it is original. He doesn't pull music or guitar riffs from songs of the past. He does, but he doesn't use them exactly as he did before. He'll combine riffs and certain other notes to craft a totally different song every night. That's what I think is so amazing about him.

There's Clapton on the right doin what he does night and night again: shoutin' the blues from the bottom of his soul. Man, look at that face. You can tell he's pouring himself out for the whole audience. He's telling the story that can only be told by music.

Ah, what a picture this one on the right is. Two of the greatest guitarists of all time just hanging out together. This is a picture every guitar player wishes he could have and every photographer wishes he could've taken. It's a picture for the ages...