Question One: Eric Clapton is probably the biggest proponent of American blues and certainly the most influential these days. What 5 bands was he part of over the years? Oh... in chronological order!

Answer: Eric Clapton, along with being an enormously successful solo artist, has been a member of several bands. He has also performed with nearly every major – and some burgeoning – artists over the years. The bands he played with as a full-fledged member were:   1) The Yardbirds (1963 – 1964)   2) John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1966)   3) Cream (1966 – 1968)   4) Blind Faith (1968 – 1969)   5) Derek and the Dominoes (1970 – 1971) He also performed with Delaney and Bonnie (Bramlett) as part of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends and even with the Plastic Ono Band. However, he was not actually a member of the group. Finally, back to the beginning, the first group he performed with, in 1963, was called The Roosters. That was a bit too obscure to include in the question.

Question Two: Another early British artist playing American blues and rock music was Long John Baldry (Listen to the remarkable "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock 'n' Roll"). Which 2 very popular artists did he help get started with their careers?

Answer: Long John Baldry, who passed away July 21, 2005, was never able to gain wide popularity in the US. However, he had moderate success with his 1971 album, It Ain't Easy, because of the help he received from two former band members. Side one was produced by Rod Stewart, fresh from his success with "Maggie Mae." Side two was produced by Elton John, who was establishing himself as a major international artist at the time. At Long John's funeral, Rod Stewart spoke of their friendship and sang "I'll Be Seeing You" as a tribute to his mentor.

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