Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse

Last updated

Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse
Also known as
  • Powerhouse
  • The Powerhouse
OriginLondon
Genres Blues rock
Years active1966
Labels Elektra
Past members

Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse was a British blues rock studio group formed in 1966. [1] They recorded three songs, which were released on the Elektra Records sampler album What's Shakin' in 1966. A possible fourth song remained unreleased.

Contents

History

The Powerhouse was formed with full intention of being a short-lived studio project. In 1965 and 1966, American record producer Joe Boyd was in the process of opening a London office for Elektra Records and was looking for some British talent to feature on the first release from the label's local division, a sampler compilation album. Manfred Mann's singer Paul Jones suggested putting together an all-star band to mark the occasion. [2]

This band featured Jones playing harmonica alongside Eric Clapton on guitar and Manfred Mann's Jack Bruce on bass together with Steve Winwood on vocals and Pete York on drums (both from the Spencer Davis Group), and Ben Palmer on piano, who had previously played with Clapton and Jones as a member of the Roosters and the Glands. [1] [3] [4] Originally, Ginger Baker was intended to fill the drummer's position, but he was unavailable at the time. [1] [2]

What's Shakin'

The Powerhouse only recorded a few songs in March 1966 (produced by Boyd), three of which were released on the Elektra compilation album What's Shakin' alongside tracks by the Lovin' Spoonful, Al Kooper, Tom Rush and the Butterfield Blues Band. The album was later reissued in the UK under the title Good Time Music. [5]

The tracks included were "Crossroads" (R. Johnson), "Steppin' Out" (M. Slim) and "I Want to Know" (S. McLeod). [1] There was a fourth song recorded, a "slow blues", but to this day it remains unreleased. [1] "The slow blues was never issued, so they must have it on tape at Elektra somewhere", said Clapton in a March 1968 interview, printed in Guitar Player magazine in 1992. "It was pretty good, too." [2]

Due to contractual constraints, Winwood was credited as Steve Anglo in the original album's liner notes. [2] It has also been suggested that the song "I Want to Know" was in fact written by Jones under a pseudonym named for his wife, Sheila McLeod. [2]

After the Powerhouse

Many members of the Powerhouse later played together as members of other bands. Bruce and Clapton formed Cream in 1966 with Ginger Baker, and Palmer later joined them as their tour manager. [1] Clapton and Winwood have appeared together on numerous occasions, most notably from 1968 to 1969 as half of Blind Faith, with Ric Grech and again Ginger Baker.

Since their original release the Powerhouse recordings have been re-released intermittently, with the band being credited differently depending on the release: "Crossroads" was included on Winwood's compilation album Winwood in 1971 credited to 'Powerhouse'; "I Want to Know" was included on Clapton's compilation The History of Eric Clapton in 1972, crediting the band as 'The Powerhouse'; both "Crossroads" and "I Want to Know" were released together on Winwood's box-set The Finer Things in 1995, attributed simply to Eric Clapton; and all three previously released tracks, "Crossroads", "I Want to Know", and "Steppin' Out", were included in Jack Bruce's 2008 anthology Can You Follow? credited to 'Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse'.

Band members

Related Research Articles

Eric Clapton English guitarist, singer, and songwriter (born 1945)

Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". He was also named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009.

Cream (band) 1960s British rock supergroup

Cream were a British rock band formed in London in 1966. The group consisted of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Bruce was the primary songwriter and vocalist, although Clapton and Baker also sang and contributed songs. Formed from members of previously successful bands, they are widely regarded as the world's first supergroup. Cream were highly regarded for the instrumental proficiency of each of their members.

Jack Bruce Scottish musician and composer (1943–2014)

John Symon Asher Bruce was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the co-lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a solo career and also played with several bands.

Blind Faith English rock supergroup

Blind Faith were an English supergroup featuring Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They were eagerly anticipated by the music press following on the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton and Baker's former group Cream and Winwood's former group Traffic, but they split after a few months, producing only one album and a three-month long summer tour.

Steve Winwood English musician and songwriter

Stephen Lawrence Winwood is an English professional musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his distinctive, soulful high tenor voice, Winwood plays other instruments proficiently, including drums, mandolin, guitars, bass and saxophone.

<i>Wheels of Fire</i> 1968 studio album / Live album by Cream

Wheels of Fire is the third album by the British rock band Cream. It was released in the US in June 1968 as a two-disc vinyl LP, with one disc recorded in the studio and the other recorded live. It was released in the UK on August 9. It reached number three in the United Kingdom and number one in the United States, Canada and Australia, becoming the world's first platinum-selling double album. In May 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at number 205 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was voted number 757 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).

Steve Cropper American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer

Steven Lee Cropper, sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas and Johnnie Taylor. He also acted as the producer of many of these records. He was later a member of the Blues Brothers band. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 36th on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, while he has won two Grammy Awards from his seven nominations.

<i>The History of Eric Clapton</i> 1972 compilation album by Eric Clapton

The History of Eric Clapton is a compilation double LP, released in 1972 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom, and Atco Records in the United States. It features Eric Clapton performing in various bands between 1964 and 1970, including The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos.

<i>BBC Sessions</i> (Cream album) 2003 live album by Cream

BBC Sessions is a live album by the British rock band Cream, released on 25 May 2003 on Polydor Records. It contains 22 tracks and 4 interviews recorded live at the BBC studios in London.

<i>Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream</i> 1983 compilation album by Cream

Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream is a 1983 compilation album by the British rock band Cream.

<i>The Finer Things</i> 1995 box set by Steve Winwood

The Finer Things is a compilation album box set of recordings by Steve Winwood. It includes songs from his early days with The Spencer Davis Group through Traffic and Blind Faith and into his work during his solo career.

Cross Road Blues Blues standard written by Robert Johnson

"Cross Road Blues" is a blues song written and recorded by American blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936. Johnson performed it as a solo piece with his vocal and acoustic slide guitar in the Delta blues-style. The song has become part of the Robert Johnson mythology as referring to the place where he supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his musical talents, although the lyrics do not contain any specific references.

<i>Whats Shakin</i> 1966 Elektra compilation album with various artists

What's Shakin' is a compilation album released by Elektra Records in May 1966. It features the earliest studio recordings by the Lovin' Spoonful and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, as well as the only released recordings by the ad hoc studio group Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse, until they were reissued years later.

<i>Eric Clapton at His Best</i> 1972 greatest hits album by Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton at His Best is a two-LP compilation of Eric Clapton's work after he left his earlier band Cream, released in September 1972. It was concurrently released with a two-LP compilation of Cream tracks, Heavy Cream, along with "at His Best" solo retrospectives by Cream's other members Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.

Steppin Out (instrumental) Instrumental first recorded by Memphis Slim in 1959

"Steppin' Out" is a blues-instrumental composition recorded by American blues musician Memphis Slim in 1959. It was released by Vee-Jay Records as a single and on Slim's At the Gate of the Horn album. Although both releases list L. C. Frazier as the writer, Vee-Jay owner James Bracken is often credited on versions by other performers.

<i>Backtrackin</i> 1984 compilation album by Eric Clapton

Backtrackin' is a two-disc compilation album by Eric Clapton spanning the years 1966 to 1980. It was released in 1984. The compilation contains all of Clapton's best known songs with Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos, and his solo 1970s work through his 1980 live album Just One Night. This compilation album is made in Germany and is only available in the United States as an import. It was originally released by Starblend Records, and has since been reissued by Polydor Records. This 2 CD compilation is currently out of print in some markets while still available in some form in others.

Ric Grech British musician

Richard Roman Grechko, better known as Ric Grech, was a British rock musician and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for playing bass guitar and violin with rock band Family as well as in the supergroups Blind Faith and Traffic. He also played with ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker.

<i>Live from Madison Square Garden</i> (Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood album) 2009 live album by Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood

Live from Madison Square Garden is a double CD and DVD live album by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, which was released on 19 May 2009 by Duck / Reprise Records. The album is made up of recordings from Clapton and Winwood's performances at Madison Square Garden in February 2008. It is Clapton's ninth live album and Winwood's first live album as a solo artist.

<i>Stages</i> (Eric Clapton album) 1993 compilation album by Eric Clapton

Stages is a compilation album by Eric Clapton, which was released in May 1993. It contains a collection of tracks from various stages of Clapton's long career up to that point in time.

<i>Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007</i> 2007 film

Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 is the Rhino Entertainment and Warner Brothers release to the 2007 Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival. The concert was recorded on July 28, 2007 at the Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The recordings were released on both Compact Disc and DVD on November 28, 2007 in the United States. The CD and DVD releases sold more than two million copies worldwide and reached various international charts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Unterberger, Richie. "The Powerhouse – Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Unterbereger, Richie. "Liner notes for What's Shakin'". RichieUnterberger.com. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  3. "55 Years Ago: Eric Clapton's First Band, The Roosters, Breaks Up". UltimateClassicRock.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  4. Bowling, David. Eric Clapton FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Slowhand.
  5. Good Time Music at Discogs