School of Rock

From his landmark work with The Yardbirds, John Mayall and Cream, through his later amazing solo career, Eric Clapton stands at the summit of rock 'n' roll greats. Recently the legend took a break in Los Angeles to chat with David Horn, executive producer of a new performance special on Clapton's all-star Cotton Bowl benefit concert for his Crossroads Centre Foundation.

That program, "Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival," premieres Tuesday, March 15 at 8 p.m. on TV12. The star and producer spoke about the Festival, Texas and jammin' with buddies. Below are excerpts from that conversation:

Q: So, Eric, how did the Crossroads Guitar Festival come about?

A: It had been an ambition of mine for a little while to put something like this together. It came from the experience of watching a movie called Jazz on a Summer's Day. I've always been very inspired by the way it was shot, the way it was put together. I've always loved the concept of music festivals. And I've thought it was probably getting towards being almost too late to stage something like this, because a lot of the great guitar players are already gone, you know.

So I just sat down and started to compile the list of people that I would want to see. It was a purely selfish thing. I mean, I didn't try to be politically correct and ask people that I thought I ought to ask.

Q: What was your yardstick?

A: I just asked people that I really had in my record collection – people that I had been motivated or inspired by. It was a personal dream to have all of these people together for one gathering.

Q: Since you picked Dallas for the event, do you feel there is a Texas regional sound, as opposed to, say, a Memphis or Delta sound?

A: Yeah, but it's pretty hard to define verbally what the differences of those regions are. I think the easiest thing to identify with the Texas sound is the rhythmic side of it, the Texas Shuffle. It's something (the late) Stevie Ray (Vaughan) would have personified, or ZZ Top, or those guys. It's probably as much an attitude as anything else.

I think the further south it got, the more mellow it seemed to be. You know if you're going through Memphis and down into the Delta, it would become more melodic and sometimes more lyrical. I think the Texas thing, for sure, is a pretty macho form of blues. It's quite aggressive.

Q: How about a Chicago sound?

A: The Chicago stuff is probably more ensemble oriented. The bands were as much as anything you had. In its heyday, the great artists were Buddy Guy and Otis Rush. But the bands were Howlin' Wolf Band, the Muddy Waters Band. Those ensemble sounds were as identifiable as anything else. It's almost like a conceptual thing there.

Q: Was America always a dream for you, as a youngster in England?

A: When I was a kid at school, I won a first prize for neatness and tidiness – can you believe this? – and my prize was a book on America. It was this little book with photographs of skyscrapers and prairies and cowboys and Indians. And I became obsessed with the West. When I first came here in the '60s, the places I wanted to go were New York and the West.

Q: And the West became a favorite?

A: Oh yeah. When Cream came here, we bought up every bit of American Indian jewelry we could find. You know, turquoise and silver and buckskin. And I was wearing moccasins. So Texas, (with its) cowboys and cowboy boots and Stetsons and guns and horses, and that kind of countryside, and ribs, and music, I mean, what could be better? It was always the first choice for the Festival.

Q: The Festival, as you've put it together, is essentially one large jam session, no star turns. Is that you way you like it?

A: Yes, because it's just more fun, and it's more of a shared experience when you're just one of the team. When I sing, I can entertain myself, or other people, too, without having to have an ensemble. But for pure fun, nothing beats just sitting around on an equal footing, with about three or four other musicians, and not having anyone be boss.