"Delaney & Bonnie with Eric Clapton" Unisex T-Shirt

Eric Clapton Left One of Rock's First Supergroups to Play Second Guitar in Someone Else's Band. That Decision Shaped the Next Decade of His Career.

In 1969, Blind Faith — the group Clapton had formed with Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood, and Rick Grech — completed a financially enormous and artistically unsatisfying tour. Clapton didn't want to do another one. Instead, he joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends as a sideman. No headline. No spotlight. Just a slot in the band.

Delaney Bramlett had grown up in Pontotoc, Mississippi, in a sharecropper family steeped in Southern gospel and country. Bonnie had come up through a different path but arrived at the same sound. Together they'd built a traveling band that functioned more like a family than a conventional rock group — at various points the Friends roster included Leon Russell, Dave Mason, Bobby Keys, Jim Price, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, and Bobby Whitlock. That's the nucleus of what would become Derek and the Dominos, and a substantial portion of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen band. The music those people made together in 1969 and 1970 runs through some of the most important rock records of the era.

George Harrison joined the European leg of the tour. He took the gospel-influenced, open, communal approach he found there directly into "My Sweet Lord." Clapton took something different: the confidence to sing. Delaney had spent the tour telling Clapton his voice was good, pushing him to step up to a microphone. When the tour ended, Clapton asked Delaney to help him make a solo album. Delaney essentially produced it, shaped it, and handed Clapton the sound he'd spend the rest of his career refining. The live album from the tour — On Tour with Eric Clapton — documents what sparked it.

Delaney & Bonnie never became famous in proportion to their influence. That's part of the story too.

Also in the collection: See the Clapton Connection Bundle — this tee paired with the "No Snow No Show" tee for the full arc.

Premium Quality

• Bella + Canvas 3001 — Premium unisex tee, true to size
• Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton — Exceptionally soft from the first wear
• Classic unisex fit — Relaxed, versatile, works for everyone
• Tear-away label — Clean comfort, all day

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.