

It also placed seventh on the UK singles chart. When Layla came out a third time in 1972, the original seven-minute track finally broke into the top 10 of the Billboard 100 charts. This version cut out the piano section during the song’s second half, making it closer to three minutes long. In 1971, a shortened version of the song began enjoying more radio time. Though Eric Clapton and several of his collaborators already had an established reputation in the rock world, the lack of their names on the album cover caused it to fly under the radar. Over seven minutes, the length proved a prohibitive factor in radio airplay. The original studio version of the song, released in 1970, struggled to gain traction compared to the Unplugged Layla. Make sure you listen to the end of the track to hear Allman’s tribute to Charlie Parker, the bird chirps. You can hear both Clapton and Allman playing slide guitar over the piano riff written by Coolidge. The second half of the song recorded a week later, sounds entirely different. Although in recent years, it’s been acknowledged that his ex-girlfriend, Rita Coolidge, wrote the riff.Ĭlapton’s signature guitar sound starts the track out strong. Gordon took credit for writing the piano ending for the track. Duane Allman played a crying bird sound at the end of the track. The Dominos also paid tribute to jazz legend Charlie Parker, known as Bird. The main guitar riff emulates one written by blues guitarist Albert King for his song As The Years Go Passing By. She recalls that she “wasn’t so happy when Eric wrote ‘Layla’ while was still married to George.” She eventually married Clapton in 1979, though they divorced nine years later. During this time, Clapton fell in love with Harrison’s wife, Pattie.

Similarly, Eric Clapton collaborated on songs with George Harrison of the Beatles in the early 1960s. The story follows a poet that falls madly in love with Layla, who married another. The song was inspired both by a story of Arab origin and a real-life experience. The Unplugged version of Layla didn’t come out until much later. The new band played on Clapton’s solo album and eventually put out their own album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.Ĭlapton and Gordon wrote the titular song together in 1970. With bassist Carl Radle and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, they formed a new group called Derek and the Dominos. He joined Delaney & Bonnie’s backup band in 1969.Ĭlapton and Gordon scooped up the rest of the backing band’s rhythm section. Gordon often played evening shows in Las Vegas and flew to Los Angeles to record during the day. He toured with the Everly Brothers and played on albums such as The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.
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Instead of attending UCLA on a music scholarship, Gordon began his professional career in the early 1960s. While on tour, he met drummer, Jim Gordon.

When the band broke up in 1968, he began touring with the rhythm section of Delaney & Bonnie’s backup band. Hailing from England and widely considered one of the best rock guitarists ever, Eric Clapton began performing in the United States with his band Cream in the 1960s. We’re taking a closer look at the song’s origins and its diverse recordings. These two renderings of the song couldn’t be more different. Derek and the Dominoes originally released Layla in 1970, and Eric Clapton recorded his MTV Unplugged version in 1992.
