For some reason I was a big Delaney and Bonnie fan. They were a band that gained some fame in the early 70's because they had some famous friends who liked to hang out and play with them. I'm pretty sure I discovered them because Duane Allman played with them, and when I was a wee lad Duane Allman's guitar sound was whirling around on my turntable quite a bit.
Delaney Bramlett has died. I wore out my copy of Delaney and Bonnie On Tour with Eric Clapton many times over. I owned the vinyl, then the CD. It's kind of an obscure record, a live show recorded in England. Clapton and Dave Mason and a guy named "Mysterioso" played guitar on some of the cuts.
It turns out Mysterioso was George Harrison. George credited Delaney with helping him refine his slide guitar chops. And George ended up giving Delaney his Rosewood Telecaster - yes the famous Tele that George plays on the rooftop in Let It Be.
Delaney and Bonnie created a unique vortex in the music world. They connected with all kinds of people such as Duane Allman, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Dave Mason, George Harrison and Joe Cocker. Clapton dissolved Blind Faith after being on tour with Delaney and Bonnie. He thought their band was much more exciting. Clapton's Derek and the Dominoes poached some of the members from Delaney's band.
Also George Harrison's All Things Must Pass has a whole contingent of players from the world of Delaney and Bonnie all over the sessions. Delaney and Bonnie had a cool thing going. They were both soulful singers evoking a joyful Southern R&B vibe. But their power was in the combo. When Delaney and Bonnie split, the vortex no longer had the power.
Still they left a couple of really cools discs of music and inspired a bunch more. Delaney Bramlett RIP.
