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UNCOVERED: Slowhand org - The Untold Story

“These guitars are sacred things to me”: Guitar Center unveils its latest Eric Clapton charity collab, with the 2026 Exclusive Crossroads Guitar Collection featuring stunning Martin acoustics and the return of the Blind Faith Tele

Martin unveils a Brazilian rosewood $24,999 Custom 000-42, PRS paints the Silver Sky blue and more – all exclusive to Guitar Center with a portion of sales going to the Crossroads Centre

MusicRadar

“He fired the whole band at the end of that tour, and I managed to survive”: Albert Lee on his time as Eric Clapton’s sideman

Lee was Clapton’s right-hand man for five years and was part of Slowhand’s legendary live album Just One Night, recorded in Tokyo

Guitar World

“He said, ‘We’re going to make a record, and we’re going to have two guitar players.’ Then we made the Layla album”: Duane Allman on the first time he met Eric Clapton and made an instant classic

The two had huge respect for one another and quickly became close collaborators, resulting in a historic record

Guitar World

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“Listening to him had an effect on me similar to what I might feel if I were to meet an alien from outer space”: How Eric Clapton’s mission to spread the blues gospel was the making of the first guitar ‘god’

The discovery of Freddie King was the Eureka! moment in the origin story of Slowhand's ascent as the British blues scene's greatest player

MusicRadar

Eric Clapton announces US tour – and he’s bringing another blues guitar hero on the road with him

Nathan East and Doyle Bramhall II will make up Slowhand's band for the short run later this year

Guitar World

“He was standing two feet from me. When he was done, he said, ‘Well, what do you think?’ And I said, ‘I want to cry’”: How this bluesman linked up with Eric Clapton – and got him to play a solo on his album

They’ve forged a close friendship over the years, but getting Slowhand to play an “insane” solo on his record wasn’t easy

Guitar World

Two world leaders solidify diplomatic relations by delivering their own rendition of an Eric Clapton classic

The Philippines' President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Singapore's Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, showcased their musical chops during a recent presidential visit

Guitar World

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“I said, ‘I used to have a Les Paul Custom and I sold it like an idiot.’ Eric said, ‘Oh, I have one of those at home somewhere…’” Gibson unveils the Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom – a recreation of the Disraeli Gears LP that now belongs to Albert Lee

The Murphy Lab-aged LP faithfully recreates the original model, but Clapton has added a few personal modifications to the reissue

Guitar World

“One of our first and most important Cry Baby artists”: Eric Clapton was one of the Cry Baby’s earliest champions – now he’s been awarded a gold signature version of his favorite wah pedal

The special edition wah will help raise funds for Clapton’s Crossroads Centre

Guitar World

“Thank you for rescuing me when I decided that I was going to quit music”: Eric Clapton pays emotional tribute to his Bluesbreaker bandmate and blues mentor John Mayall

Clapton and Mayall joined forces in the 1960s to record one of British blues' most iconic records, which further established Slowhand as an up-and-coming blues great

Guitar World

“Eric called and said, ‘Buddy Guy, George Harrison and I are playing tonight. You’re going to come and jam’”: Richie Sambora recalls receiving Eric Clapton’s spontaneous invite to a star-studded jam session

Sambora once asked Slowhand to feature on one of his singles, and it wasn't long before the pair were trading licks at the Roxy with a couple of other blues greats

Guitar World

“Absolutely mind-blowing”: Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith rips through the blues on a ‘55 Gibson Les Paul Custom previously owned by Paul Kossoff and Eric Clapton

The early-years Black Beauty was reportedly Kossoff's first “real” guitar, and paved the way for the many Burst LPs that the Free great later became synonymous with

Guitar World

“Musically, Eric was a very generous guy. I loved working with him because he encouraged me to play”: How Eric Clapton used Roger Waters, George Harrison, and Stevie Ray Vaughan as foils to survive the ‘80s – the decade he was not prepared for

This was the decade that saw Slowhand board a train with Another Ticket and disembark as a fully-fledged Journeyman. Here, Albert Lee, Phil Palmer, and more recall a turbulent time in Clapton's career

Guitar World

A new in-depth look at Eric Clapton in the '60s, '70s and '80s – only in the new Guitar World

Featuring brand-new Slowhand-centric interviews with Steve Lukather, Eddie Kramer, Albert Lee, Phil Palmer, Chuck Kirkpatrick, Danny Flowers, Albhy Galuten, Joe Bonamassa and more

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“The most expensive Clapton guitar ever sold at auction”: Eric Clapton’s iconic ‘Fool’ Gibson SG just sold for more than $1,000,000 – and it was bought by a world-renowned guitar collector

The record-breaking auction sees the uniquely finished double-cut – which Slowhand used to develop his trademark “woman tone” – comfortably join the list of the most expensive guitars sold at auction

Guitar World

“Owned by, played by, signed by and designed by some of the brightest lights in rock ‘n’ roll”: Eric Clapton launches 25th anniversary Crossroads Festival auction – and it includes some serious instruments

Slowhand's 'Crash' Fender Stratocaster and a unique PRS Silver Sky are among the guitars up for sale, and all proceeds will go towards supporting the Crossroads Centre in Antigua

Guitar World

Guitar Center honors Eric Clapton with 25th Anniversary Crossroads Collection – a selection of guitars inspired by the most iconic instruments throughout his career

Ahead of this year's Crossroads Guitar Festival, an assortment of limited-edition Fender, Martin and PRS models have been unveiled – watch Slowhand get hands-on with his new signatures

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