"Be A God. Read." Unisex T-Shirt

1966. Eric Clapton Was 21 Years Old and London Was Writing His Name on Walls.

He had just quit The Yardbirds. They wanted hits. He wanted to play blues — real blues, not the pop version. He joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and walked into a studio on November 29, 1965 with a 1960 Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall combo. What came out of those sessions became Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton.

The album cover is a photograph of the four band members sitting on a wall. The other three look at the camera. Clapton is reading The Beano — a British children's comic — with complete indifference to the photo shoot happening around him. Nobody planned it. It became one of the most famous images in British rock history.

Around the same time, graffiti started appearing on walls and underpasses across London: Clapton is God. Nobody knew who wrote it first. It spread anyway. He was 21.

The guitar tone on that record — neck pickup, volume and tone both rolled off on the guitar, Marshall cranked — changed what British rock guitar sounded like. Peter Green studied it. Jimmy Page listened to it. The record is the origin point of a direct line through British blues-rock that runs through the next decade.

"Be A God. Read." is the lesson in the image. The most consequential young guitar player in Britain, at the height of his powers, reading a comic book because he felt like it. Confidence doesn't announce itself.

Premium Quality

• Unisex tee — Relaxed fit, true to size
• Available in White and Vintage White — Sizes XS–4XL
• Soft, comfortable fabric — Gets better with every wash

Made to Order

For environmental and quality reasons, this tee is made specifically for you after you order. Please allow approximately one week for production. Tracking information will be sent as soon as it ships.