Eric Clapton’s Early Kinship With 1930s Blues Legend Robert Johnson

A well-established Carmel, California, private physician, Gregory Tapson, MD, provides patient-centered primary care. Dr. Gregory Tapson is also passionate about writing and recording music and enjoys creating songs in the classic rock and blues genres.

Interviewed by NPR a decade ago, British rock stalwart Eric Clapton drew attention to the blues roots of his musical identity. With 1950s influences including Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Clapton delved into his fascination with 1930s bluesman Robert Johnson in his autobiography.

Having recently acquired his first electric guitar and lacking an amplifier, the teenage Clapton found in Johnson an intensity that “almost repelled me.” He was transfixed by the raw pain expressed in songs such as Hellhound on My Trail, as well as the “beauty and eloquence" of Kindhearted Woman.

Another area of connection was Johnson’s legendary shyness, such that he faced the corner of the room while auditioning songs at a San Antonio hotel room. Having experienced paralyzing shyness himself, Eric Clapton found this an area of kinship spanning generations. Clapton’s major issue with Johnson was that he found it impossible to simultaneously play middle string rhythm, treble string lead, and disjointed bass line.