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{{Short description|English–American blues-rock band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Derek and the Dominos
|
| caption = L–R: [[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]], [[Carl Radle]], [[Bobby Whitlock]], [[Eric Clapton]]
|
| image_size =
| origin = [[London]], England
| genre = {{hlist|[[Blues rock]]|[[blue-eyed soul]]<ref name="Lankford">{{cite web|last=Lankford Jr.|first=Ronnie|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/accept-no-substitute-mw0000652153|title=Accept No Substitute – Delaney & Bonnie|publisher=[[AllMusic|Allmusic]]|access-date=June 26, 2013}}</ref>|[[rock and roll]]<ref name="Lankford"/>}}
| years_active = 1970–1971
| label = [[Polydor Records|Polydor]], [[Atco Records|Atco]], [[RSO Records|RSO]]
| associated_acts = [[Delaney & Bonnie and Friends]], [[Blind Faith]], [[George Harrison]], [[The Allman Brothers Band]]
| past_members = [[Eric Clapton]]<br />[[Bobby Whitlock]]<br />[[Carl Radle]]<br />[[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]]<br />[[Dave Mason]]<br />[[Duane Allman]]
}}
'''Derek and the Dominos'''
The band's only album release, ''[[Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs]]'', was produced by [[Tom Dowd]], and also featured extensive contributions on lead and [[slide guitar]] from [[Duane Allman]]. A [[double album]], ''Layla'' did not immediately enjoy strong sales or receive widespread radio airplay, but went on to earn critical acclaim. Although released in 1970 it was not until March 1972 that the album's single "[[Layla]]" (a tale of [[unrequited love]] inspired by Clapton's infatuation with his friend George Harrison's wife, [[Pattie Boyd]]) made the top ten in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The album is often considered to be the defining achievement of Clapton's career.<ref name="SuperSeventies">{{Cite web|url=http://www.superseventies.com/spderekdominoes.html|title=Derek and the Dominos – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs|website=Superseventies.com|access-date=23 August 2021}}</ref>
==History==
===Background and formation===
[[File:Delaney & Bonnie.png|thumb|The members of Derek and the Dominos met while touring as backing members of [[Delaney & Bonnie|Delaney & Bonnie and Friends]], a soul band fronted by [[Delaney Bramlett|Delaney]] and [[Bonnie Bramlett]].]]
Derek and the Dominos came about through its four members' involvement in the American [[Soul music|soul]] revue [[Delaney & Bonnie and Friends]].<ref name="Dominos/AM">{{cite web|author=Ruhlmann, William|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/derek-the-dominos-mn0000817369/biography|title=Derek and the Dominos|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=28 October 2014}}</ref> The group were anchored by the musical duo [[Delaney Bramlett|Delaney]] and [[Bonnie Bramlett]] with a rotating ensemble of supporting members. Delaney & Bonnie and Friends supported [[Blind Faith]], [[Eric Clapton]]'s short-lived supergroup with [[Steve Winwood]], on a US tour in the summer of 1969. While on that tour, Clapton was drawn to Delaney & Bonnie's relative anonymity, which he found more appealing than the excessive fan worship lavished on his own band.<ref>''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', pp. 88, 183, 254.</ref><ref name="Santoro p 62" />
Together with his fellow future Dominos – [[Bobby Whitlock]] (vocals, keyboards), [[Carl Radle]] (bass) and [[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]] (drums)<ref name="Dominos/AM" /> – Clapton toured Europe and the United States again between November 1969 and March 1970, this time as a member of Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.<ref>Whitlock, pp. 52, 60.</ref> In addition, the entire band backed him on his debut solo album, ''[[Eric Clapton (album)|Eric Clapton]]'',<ref>Reid, pp. xiii, 29.</ref><ref name="Shapiro/Mojo" /> recorded over the same period.<ref name="Sutcliffe/Mojo" /> Disagreements over money led several members to leave Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.<ref name="Shapiro/Mojo" /> Whitlock, recalling other difficulties with Delaney and Bonnie, noted the couple's frequent fights and described Delaney as a demanding band leader in the manner of [[James Brown]].<ref name="ReferenceA">''[[The Layla Sessions]]'' liner notes, page 5.</ref><ref name="Santoro p 63">Santoro, p. 63.</ref> Gordon, Radle and other Friends personnel, including drummer [[Jim Keltner]], immediately joined [[Joe Cocker]]'s ''[[Mad Dogs and Englishmen (album)|Mad Dogs and Englishmen]]'' tour with [[Leon Russell]], but Whitlock remained with Delaney and Bonnie for a short time.<ref name="Shapiro/Mojo" />
In April 1970, at the suggestion of his friend and mentor [[Steve Cropper]],<ref>Whitlock, p. 65.</ref> Whitlock travelled to England to visit Clapton.<ref name="Harris/Mojo p 70">Harris, p. 70.</ref> Whitlock subsequently lived in Hurtwood Edge, Clapton's house in [[Surrey]], where the two musicians [[Jam session|jammed]] and began to write the bulk of the Dominos' catalogue on acoustic guitars.<ref name="Sutcliffe/Mojo">{{cite magazine|author=Sutcliffe, Phil|title=Derek and the Dominos: The Story of ''Layla''|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=May 2011}} Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/derek-and-the-dominos-the-story-of-ilaylai Rock's Backpages] (subscription required).</ref> Many of the new songs reflected Clapton's growing infatuation with [[Pattie Boyd]],<ref name="Williamson/Uncut" /><ref name="Murray/AVClub" /> the wife of his best friend [[George Harrison]],<ref name="Sutcliffe/Mojo" /><ref name="Layla40/Goldmine">{{cite web|url=http://www.goldminemag.com/features/layla-turns-40|last=Evans|first=Rush|date=19 April 2011|title=Layla turns 40|work=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]]|access-date=4 August 2015}}</ref> who had joined Clapton as a guitarist on Delaney & Bonnie's European tour in December 1969.<ref>Clayson, pp. 275, 277–79.</ref>
{{quote box|quote=I was in absolute awe of these people ... All we did was jam and jam and jam and night would become day and day would become night, and it just felt good to me to stay that way. I had never felt so musically free before.<ref name="Clapton p 130">Clapton, p. 130.</ref>|source= – Eric Clapton, on the band's rehearsals at Hurtwood Edge|width=25em|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}
Soon after Whitlock's arrival, he and Clapton were eager to form a new band<ref name="Whitlock p 73">Whitlock, p. 73.</ref> and contacted Radle and Gordon in the United States. Although their first choice for a drummer was Keltner – like Radle and Russell, a native of Tulsa<ref>Reid, pp. 42, 47.</ref> – he was busy recording with [[jazz]] guitarist [[Gábor Szabó]].<ref name="Shapiro/Mojo" /><ref name="Whitlock p 73" /> Gordon, however, had been invited to London to work on Harrison's post-[[The Beatles|Beatles]] solo album ''[[All Things Must Pass]]''.<ref name="Shapiro/Mojo" /> In May that year, Clapton, Whitlock, Radle and Gordon reunited in London at a session for [[P.P. Arnold]],<ref name="Harris/Mojo p 72">Harris, p. 72.</ref> before going on to serve as the backing band on much of Harrison's album.<ref name="Shapiro p 116" /> In a 1990 interview, Clapton said, "We made our bones, really, on that album with George", since the four musicians had "no game plan" other than living at Hurtwood Edge, "getting stoned, and playing and semi-writing songs".<ref name="White/Spin" />
Clapton biographer [[Harry Shapiro (author)|Harry Shapiro]] comments on the unprecedented aspect of Clapton's bond with his new bandmates, in that from the Blind Faith tour onwards, the guitarist "had been able to build a working relationship in a slow and natural fashion" for the first time. Among the friendships formed before the group officially came into existence, Shapiro continues, "the empathy ... outcropped most noticeably in Bobby Whitlock, in whom Eric found an accomplished and sympathetic songwriting partner and back-up vocalist."<ref name="Shapiro p 118">Shapiro, p. 118.</ref> Clapton and Whitlock considered adding the Delaney & Bonnie [[horn section]] to their new band, but this plan was abandoned.<ref name="DeRiso/SN" /> Whitlock later explained the ethos of Derek and the Dominos: "we didn't want any horns, we didn't want no chicks, we wanted a rock 'n' roll band. But my vocal concept was that we approach singing like [[Sam and Dave]] did: [Clapton] sings a line, I sing a line, we sing together."<ref name="Santoro p 64">Santoro, p. 64.</ref>
===Concert
Towards the end of the sessions for the basic tracks on ''All Things Must Pass'',<ref name="Whitlock p 82" /> [[Dave Mason]] – another former guitarist with Delaney & Bonnie<ref>Reid, p. 47.</ref> – joined the Dominos at Clapton's home.<ref>Shapiro, pp. 115, 116.</ref> With the lineup expanded to a five-piece band, Derek and the Dominos gave their debut live performance on 14 June 1970.<ref name="Shapiro p 115">Shapiro, p. 115.</ref> The event was a charity concert in aid of the [[Benjamin Spock|Dr Spock]] Civil Liberties Legal Defence Fund, held at London's [[Lyceum Theatre (London)|Lyceum Theatre]].<ref name="Shapiro/Mojo">{{cite magazine|author=Shapiro, Harry|title=The Prince of Love ... Or How the Recording of 'Layla', Clapton's Ode to Forbidden Love, Made Victims of Derek and the Dominos|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=January 2001}} Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-prince-of-love-or-how-the-recording-of-layla-claptons-ode-to-forbidden-love-made-victims-of-derek-and-the-dominos Rock's Backpages] (subscription required).</ref>
The group had been billed as "Eric Clapton and Friends", but a discussion ensued backstage just before their appearance, with Harrison<ref>Clayson, p. 290.</ref> and pianist [[Tony Ashton]] among those involved, in an effort to find a proper band name.<ref name="Shapiro p 115" /> Clapton recalls that Ashton suggested "Del and the Dominos",<ref>Clapton, p. 133.</ref> having taken to calling the guitarist "Derek" or "Del" since the Delaney & Bonnie tour the previous year.<ref name="DeRiso/SN" /> Whitlock maintains that "the Dynamics" was the name chosen and that Ashton, following his opening set with [[Ashton, Gardner and Dyke]], mispronounced it when introducing the band.<ref name="Shapiro/Mojo" /> Writing in 2013, Clapton and Whitlock biographer Marc Roberty quoted [[Jeff Dexter]], the [[Master of ceremonies|compere]] at the Lyceum show, who recalled that "Derek and the Dominos" had already been decided on before they went on stage. According to Dexter, Clapton was immediately taken with the name, but Whitlock, Radle and Gordon – all Americans – were concerned that they might be mistaken for a [[doo-wop]] act.<ref name="DeRiso/SN">{{cite web|last=DeRiso|first=Nick|url=http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/06/16/books-eric-clapton-day-by-day-the-early-years-1963-1982-by-marc-roberty-2013/ |title=Books: ''Eric Clapton, Day by Day: The Early Years, 1963–1982'', by Marc Roberty (2013)|website=Something New!|date=16 June 2013|access-date=4 November 2014}}</ref>
{{quote box|quote= Everybody knew [about Clapton's infatuation with Pattie Boyd]. George didn't give a shit – but Eric didn't know that.<ref name="Harris/Mojo p 72" />|source= – Bobby Whitlock, on the obsession that drove Clapton's creativity in Derek and the Dominos |width=25em|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
The reception afforded the band from critics and fans was mixed.<ref>Reid, pp. 104–05.</ref><ref>Shapiro, pp. 115–16.</ref> Together with the unfavourable reviews for Clapton's eponymous solo album, particularly in Britain, this reaction was reflective of a widespread reluctance to view Clapton as a singer and frontman, rather than as the virtuoso guitarist synonymous with his role in bands such as [[Cream (band)|Cream]] and [[The Yardbirds]].<ref>Sandford, pp. 112, 114, 116.</ref> In his 2007 autobiography, Clapton wrote that his main recollection of the Lyceum show was consulting [[New Orleans]]–born musician [[Dr. John]], a self-styled practitioner of [[Louisiana Voodoo|voodoo]],<ref>''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', p. 276.</ref> and receiving a package made of straw that would serve as a means of winning Boyd's affection.<ref>Clapton, pp. 133–34.</ref>
===Recording with Phil Spector===
In return for the Dominos' assistance on ''All Things Must Pass'', Clapton and Harrison had agreed that the latter's co-producer, [[Phil Spector]], would produce a single for the new group.<ref name="White/Spin">{{cite magazine|author=White, Timothy|title=Rollin' & Tumblin'|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|date=March 1990|page=36}}</ref><ref>Reid, pp. 92–93, 105.</ref> On 18 June, the five band members, together with Harrison on guitar, took part in a session for the single at the Beatles' [[Apple Studios (recording studio)|Apple Studio]] in central London.<ref>Madinger & Easter, p. 427.</ref><ref name="Reid pp 104, 105">Reid, pp. 104, 105.</ref> With Spector producing, two Clapton–Whitlock compositions were recorded that day<ref>Clapton, p. 132.</ref> – "[[Tell the Truth (Derek and the Dominos song)|Tell the Truth]]" and "Roll It Over"<ref name="Reid p 105" /> – along with two instrumental jams that would be included on the ''[[Apple Jam]]'' disc of Harrison's triple album.<ref name="Whitlock p 82">Whitlock, p. 82.</ref>
After this London session, Mason departed from the lineup; he later told ''[[Melody Maker]]'' that he was impatient to see the band start working full-time whereas Clapton was committed to helping Harrison complete ''All Things Must Pass''.<ref>Clayson, pp. 289, 478.</ref> Clapton and Whitlock then contributed to the [[overdubbing]] phase of Harrison's album, including adding backing vocals with Harrison (as "the George O'Hara-Smith Singers") to tracks such as "[[All Things Must Pass (song)|All Things Must Pass]]" and "[[Awaiting on You All]]".<ref>Whitlock, p. 81.</ref> In addition, while continuing to rehearse at Hurtwood Edge,<ref name="Shapiro p 116">Shapiro, p. 116.</ref> all four band members participated in London sessions for Dr. John's album ''[[The Sun, Moon & Herbs]]'' (1971).<ref name="Reid p 105">Reid, p. 105.</ref>
===UK summer tour===
Early in the summer of 1970, Clapton asked former [[Apple Records]] employee Chris O'Dell to find accommodation for Whitlock, Gordon and Radle in [[central London]], telling O'Dell that they were "going bonkers" out in the Surrey countryside.<ref>O'Dell, p. 170.</ref> The band then moved into a two-storey flat at 33 [[Thurloe Place]],<ref>Whitlock, p. 98.</ref> close to [[South Kensington tube station]].<ref>O'Dell, pp. 170–71.</ref> The flat also served as a meeting place for Clapton and Boyd,<ref>O'Dell, p. 172.</ref> who found herself flattered by Clapton's attention in light of her husband's infidelities<ref name="Black/Blender" /> and his preoccupation with Eastern spirituality.<ref>Boyd, pp. 119–20, 135, 138.</ref> In his autobiography, Clapton wrote that he was both inspired and "tormented" by his feelings for Boyd, which he channelled into his music, beginning with a UK tour by Derek and the Dominos.<ref name="Clapton p 135">Clapton, p. 135.</ref>
For three weeks from 1 August,<ref name="Shapiro p 116" /><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Clapton Hits the Road|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|date=18 July 1970|page=3}}</ref> the group performed in clubs and other small venues in Britain,<ref>Reid, p. 107.</ref> where Clapton chose to play anonymously, still weary from the fame that he felt had plagued Cream and Blind Faith.<ref>''[[The Layla Sessions]]'' liner notes, page 4.</ref> Admission for the shows was set at £1, and clauses in the contract with each venue stipulated that Clapton's name was not to be used as a crowd-puller. Shapiro writes that the band had "made great strides" since the Lyceum concert;<ref name="Shapiro p 116" /> their set list included "Tell the Truth",<ref name="Sandford p 116">Sandford, p. 116.</ref> covers of [[Billy Myles]]' "[[Have You Ever Loved a Woman]]" and [[Jimi Hendrix]]'s "[[Little Wing]]", and songs such as "Bottle of Red Wine" and "Don't Know Why",<ref name="Shapiro/Mojo" /> both from the ''Eric Clapton'' album.<ref>{{cite web|author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/eric-clapton-mw0000624369|title=Eric Clapton ''Eric Clapton''|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=31 October 2014}}</ref> Clapton has said of this UK tour, "no one knew who we were, and I loved it. I loved the fact that we were this little quartet, playing in obscure places, sometimes to audiences of no more than fifty or sixty people."<ref name="Clapton p 135" />
===''Layla'' sessions===
{{Main|Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs}}
The band flew to [[Miami, Florida]], on 23 August 1970 to begin recording with [[Atlantic Records]] producer [[Tom Dowd]].<ref name="Sutcliffe/Mojo" /> Until early September,<ref name="Santoro p 62">Santoro, p. 62.</ref> sessions took place at [[Criteria Studios]] for what became the double album ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs''.<ref name="Sutcliffe/Mojo" /> Most of the material, particularly the track "[[Layla]]", was inspired by Clapton's unrequited love for Boyd.<ref name="Williamson/Uncut">{{cite web|author=Williamson, Nigel|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/eric-clapton/the-making-of-derek-and-the-dominos-layla-feature|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814173341/http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/the-making-of-derek-and-the-dominos-layla-24633|title=The Making of ... Derek and the Dominos' Layla
|work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|date=October 2006|archive-date=14 August 2017|access-date=30 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="Murray/AVClub">{{cite web|author=Murray, Noel|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/derek-and-the-dominos-when-god-walked-among-us-54170|title=Derek and the Dominos: When God walked among us
|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=6 April 2011|access-date=30 October 2014}}</ref> After Clapton and Whitlock's initial experimentation with [[heroin]] while recording ''All Things Must Pass'',<ref name="Harris/Mojo p 72" /> the band's time in Miami was marked by all four members' excessive use of [[hard drugs]].<ref name="Shapiro p 120">Shapiro, p. 120.</ref> According to Clapton, "We were staying in this hotel on the beach, and whatever drug you wanted, you could get it at the newsstand. The girl would just take your orders."<ref name="Black/Blender" /> The Thunderbird Motel, in current Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.<ref>Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars (2017)</ref>
The first few days of the ''Layla'' sessions were unproductive.<ref name="Black/Blender">{{cite magazine|author=Black, Johnny|title=Derek and the Dominos: 'Layla'|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|date=January 2006}} Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/derek-and-the-dominos-layla Rock's Backpages] (subscription required).</ref><ref name="Santoro p 66">Santoro, p. 66.</ref> On 26 August, Dowd, who was also producing [[the Allman Brothers Band]]'s album ''[[Idlewild South]]'', took the Dominos to an Allman Brothers concert, where Clapton, already a fan of the Nashville-born guitarist, first heard [[Duane Allman]] play in person.<ref name="Santoro p 66" /><ref name="ReferenceB">''[[The Layla Sessions]]'' liner notes, page 6.</ref> After Clapton invited the whole band back to Criteria that night,<ref name="Reid p 123">Reid, p. 123.</ref> he and Allman formed an instant bond that provided the catalyst for the ''Layla'' album.<ref>Santoro, pp. 66–67.</ref><ref name="Clapton p 136" /> Over ten recording dates,<ref name="Black/Blender" /><ref name="Williamson/Layla review">{{cite web|author=Williamson, Nigel|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/eric-clapton/derek-and-the-dominos-layla-other-assorted-review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107052525/http://www.uncut.co.uk/eric-clapton/derek-and-the-dominos-layla-other-assorted-review|title=Album Review: Derek and the Dominos – Layla & Other Assorted ...
|work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|date=November 2004|archive-date=7 November 2014|access-date=6 November 2014}}</ref> Allman contributed to most of the tracks on the album,<ref name="Murray/AVClub" /> in between his commitments to the Allman Brothers Band. Only three songs – "I Looked Away", "[[Bell Bottom Blues (Derek and the Dominos song)|Bell Bottom Blues]]" and "Keep on Growing" – were recorded without his participation. The band remade "Tell the Truth" during the sessions and subsequently attempted to have the Spector-produced single cancelled.<ref>Sandford, p. 117.</ref> In the United States, [[Atco Records]] released the original version of "Tell the Truth" backed with "Roll It Over" in September, but soon withdrew the single.<ref name="Reid p 123" />
Clapton has described Allman as "the musical brother that I never had, but wished I did".<ref name="Clapton p 136">Clapton, p. 136.</ref> Allman's [[slide guitar]] playing elevated the album's [[blues]] covers,<ref name="Murray/AVClub" /> which included "[[Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out]]" (by [[Jimmy Cox]]), "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" (the Billy Myles song, originally recorded by [[Freddie King]]) and "[[Key to the Highway]]" ([[Big Bill Broonzy]]).<ref name="ReferenceB" /><ref>Santoro, pp. 67–68.</ref> Clapton invited him to become a member of Derek and the Dominos,<ref name="Murray/AVClub" /> but Allman demurred, choosing to remain loyal to his own band.<ref name="Williamson/Uncut" /><ref name="Clapton p 136" /> According to Whitlock, however, Allman was "a hired gun" and an "unnecessary" addition; Whitlock added, "He played with us twice, and it was not good both times he played, because he was not a fluid player ... He could play parts, but he couldn't sing with his guitar."<ref name="Layla40/Goldmine" /> The jams from Allman's first night at Criteria with the Dominos were issued on the second CD of ''[[The Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary Edition]]'' in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Layla Sessions|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/layla-sessions/|website=uDiscover Music|access-date=18 August 2018}}</ref>
The album's best-known track, "Layla", was compiled from recordings from two separate sessions. The main, guitar-oriented section was taped on 9 September, after the band had recorded their version of Hendrix's "Little Wing"; the closing section was added several weeks later, after Clapton had decided that the song lacked a suitable ending. The answer was an elegiac piano piece composed by Gordon (and an uncredited [[Rita Coolidge]])<ref name="Shapiro/Mojo" /> and played by the drummer, with Whitlock providing a second piano part to cover Gordon's relative inexperience on the instrument.<ref name="Black/Blender" /> During the ''Layla'' sessions, Gordon had been writing and playing songs for an intended solo album when, by chance, Clapton first heard the piano piece. According to Clapton's recollection, in return for continuing to use the Dominos' studio time for his own project, Gordon agreed to have the segment used as the ending for "Layla".<ref name="Williamson/Uncut" />
===October–December 1970 live shows===
After the recording of ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'', the four-piece Derek and the Dominos returned to the UK to continue touring there before heading back to America to start the US tour on 15 October. Allman performed two shows with the group near the end of the US tour: at [[Curtis Hixon Hall]], in Tampa, Florida, on 1 December, and at the [[Onondaga County War Memorial]] in Syracuse, New York, the following night.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sean Kirst |url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/music_legends_from_aerosmith_t.html#incart_hbx |title=Music legends from Aerosmith to ZZ Top made our War Memorial the place to be |website=Syracuse.com |date=15 January 2012 |access-date=2012-02-27}}</ref>
Whitlock recalled of their drug consumption during the tour: "We didn't have little bits of anything. There were no grams around, let's just put it like that. Tom couldn't believe it, the way we had these big bags laying out everywhere. I'm almost ashamed to tell it, but it's the truth. It was scary, what we were doing, but we were just young and dumb and didn't know. [[Cocaine]] and [[heroin]], that's all and [[Johnnie Walker|Johnny Walker]]."<ref>''[[The Layla Sessions]]'' liner notes, page 12.</ref> [[Elton John]], who opened for them, said that despite the reports of drugs and booze, "They were phenomenal. From the side of the stage, I took mental notes of their performance ... it was their keyboard player Bobby Whitlock that I watched like a hawk ... You watched and you learned, from people that had more experience than you."<ref>{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Elton |title=Me: Elton John the Official Autobiography |date=2019 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |isbn=978-1-50-985331-1 |page=86}}</ref> In 1973, a live double album, titled ''[[In Concert (Derek and the Dominos album)|In Concert]]'', was released, culled from the band's October 1970 shows at the [[Fillmore East]] in [[New York City]]. Six of the recordings from that album were digitally remastered, remixed and expanded with additional material from the same shows to become ''[[Live at the Fillmore (Derek and the Dominos)|Live at the Fillmore]]'', released in 1994.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r195524|tab=review|label=Album review|first=William|last=Ruhlmann|access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref>
===Album release===
''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' was issued in November 1970. According to Shapiro, relative to the band and Dowd's high expectations, it was a "critical and commercial flop".<ref name="Shapiro p 123" /> Clapton similarly describes ''Layla'' as having "died a death" on release.<ref>Clapton, pp. 136–37.</ref> Although it received favourable reviews in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' and ''[[The Village Voice]]'', the album missed the top ten in the United States and failed to chart at all in the United Kingdom, until a reissue on CD resulted in a one-week stay at number 68 in 2011. It garnered little attention,<ref name="Santoro p 69">Santoro, p. 69.</ref> partly as a result of a lack of promotion by [[Polydor]], and partly due to the public's ignorance of Clapton's presence in the band.<ref name="Shapiro p 123">Shapiro, p. 123.</ref> Dowd said that he "felt it was the best album I'd been involved with since ''[[The Genius of Ray Charles]]''" and was disappointed at the lack of acclaim it initially received.<ref name="Santoro p 69" />
"Layla" was included on ''[[The History of Eric Clapton]]'' in 1972, and Atlantic issued the song as a single in July that year.<ref name="Shapiro p 123" /> It became a hit, reaching number 10 in America and number 7 in Britain.<ref>Sandford, p. 119.</ref> The success of the title track in 1972 led to a reappraisal of ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs''. It has since received widespread critical acclaim and has been ranked among the best albums of all time by [[VH1]] (at number 89)<ref>{{cite web|title=VH1's List of Greatest Albums| url=http://www.dailycelebrations.com/vh1_albums.htm|website=Dailycelebrations.com|access-date=2006-10-06}}</ref> and ''Rolling Stone'' (number 115).<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938178/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060409210802/https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938178/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time |access-date=15 September 2018|url-status=dead |archive-date=9 April 2006 }}</ref> ''Layla'' is considered one of Clapton's most outstanding achievements.<ref name="SuperSeventies" />
===''Johnny Cash Show'' appearance===
The band appeared on ''[[The Johnny Cash Show]]'', in their only television appearance. Filmed at the [[Ryman Auditorium]] in [[Nashville]], [[Tennessee]], and broadcast on 6 January 1971, the band performed "[[It's Too Late (Chuck Willis song)|It's Too Late]]" and then joined Cash and [[Carl Perkins]] to play Perkins' "[[Matchbox (song)|Matchbox]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=Derek + the Dominos Play The Johnny Cash Show|url=https://bestclassicbands.com/derek-dominos-johnny-cash-6-18-166/|website=Bestclassicbands.com|date=6 June 2015 }}</ref>
===Tragedy and dissolution===
Tragedy and misfortune dogged the group throughout and following its brief career. In September 1970, Clapton was devastated by the death of his friend and professional rival Jimi Hendrix; having just recorded a version of "Little Wing" in Miami, the Dominos included the track on ''Layla'' as a tribute to Hendrix. In October 1971, Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident. Clapton later wrote in his autobiography that he and Allman had been inseparable during the sessions at Criteria.<ref>Clapton, p. 128.</ref> In addition, Clapton took the lukewarm critical and commercial reception to ''Layla'' personally, which accelerated his spiral into drug addiction and depression.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography on Clapton Fanclub Magazine| url=http://www.ericclaptonfaq.com/biography-ecs-life-career/clapton-biography-mother-father-grandparents-wife-children-son-daughter-addiction-.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119103230/http://www.ericclaptonfaq.com/biography-ecs-life-career/clapton-biography-mother-father-grandparents-wife-children-son-daughter-addiction-.html| archive-date=19 January 2008|access-date=2006-09-27}}</ref> In 1985 when talking about the band, Clapton said:
{{blockquote|We were a make-believe band. We were all hiding inside it. Derek and the Dominos – the whole thing. So it couldn't last. I had to come out and admit that I was being me. I mean, being Derek was a cover for the fact that I was trying to steal someone else's wife. That was one of the reasons for doing it, so that I could write the song, and even use another name for Pattie. So Derek and Layla – it wasn't real at all.<ref name="autogenerated1998">DeCurtis, Anthony (May 1998). ''Rocking My Life Away'', Duke University Press, {{ISBN|0-8223-2184-X}}</ref>}}
[[File:Bobby Whitlock (1972).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Bobby Whitlock in 1972]]
In February 1971, Radle and Gordon participated in sessions, produced by Spector and Harrison, for a [[Try Some, Buy Some#Planned Ronnie Spector solo album|planned solo album]] by [[Ronnie Spector]].<ref>Madinger & Easter, p. 434.</ref> Later that year, the Dominos disbanded acrimoniously in London, just before they could complete their second LP. In a subsequent interview with music critic [[Robert Palmer (American writer)|Robert Palmer]], Clapton said the second album "broke down halfway through because of the paranoia and tension. And the band just dissolved."<ref name="Santoro p 69" /> After the dissolution, Clapton turned away from touring and recording to nurse an intense heroin addiction.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Eric Clapton on Addiction, Cream, the Future of the Guitar |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/eric-clapton-talks-addiction-creams-brilliance-the-future-of-the-guitar-127052/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=4 December 2017 |access-date=15 September 2018}}</ref><ref>Harris, p. 74.</ref> This three-year career hiatus was interrupted only by his participation in Harrison's [[Concert for Bangladesh]] shows in August 1971, along with a large cast of musicians, including Leon Russell, Keltner and Radle;<ref>Clayson, pp. 309–310, 313.</ref> a guest appearance at Russell's December 1971 show at London's [[Rainbow Theatre]];<ref>Shapiro, pp. 123–24.</ref> and his own [[Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert|Rainbow Concert]], in January 1973. The latter event was organised by [[Pete Townshend]] of [[The Who]] to help Clapton kick his drug habit and build momentum for his return.<ref name="New RS Encyclo p 183">''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', p. 183.</ref><ref>Shapiro, pp. 126–27.</ref> Whitlock signed with the US record label [[ABC-Dunhill]], for which he recorded the albums ''[[Bobby Whitlock (album)|Bobby Whitlock]]'' and ''[[Raw Velvet]]''. Both albums were released in 1972 and included contributions from all the Dominos (recorded in early 1971), along with Harrison, the Bramletts, Keltner, and the former Delaney & Bonnie horn section.
Following Clapton's return as a solo artist in 1974, he and Radle worked together until 1979, when Clapton abruptly dismissed him from his band. Radle died in June 1980 of complications from a kidney infection<ref>Shapiro, p. 152.</ref> associated with alcohol and drug use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/carl-radle-mn0000792981/biography|title=Carl Radle | Biography & History|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=23 August 2021}}</ref> Whitlock and Clapton did not work together again until 2000, when they performed on [[Jools Holland]]'s BBC show ''[[Later... with Jools Holland]]''. In 1983, Gordon, who had undiagnosed [[schizophrenia]] at the time, killed his mother with a hammer during a psychotic episode. He was confined to a mental institution in 1984,<ref>Sandford, p. 120.</ref> until his death in 2023.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/16/jim-gordon-session-drummer-on-dozens-of-hits-such-as-layla-dies-aged-77 | title=Jim Gordon, session drummer on dozens of hits such as Layla, dies aged 77 | newspaper=The Guardian | date=16 March 2023 | last1=Beaumont-Thomas | first1=Ben }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated2003">Romanowski, Patricia (2003). ''Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' Rolling Stone Press, {{ISBN|0-671-43457-8}}</ref> Recordings from the 1971 sessions for the band's cancelled second album were included on Clapton's four-CD/cassette box set ''[[Crossroads (box set)|Crossroads]]'', released in 1988.<ref name="Santoro p 69" />
Bobby Whitlock died after a brief illness at his home in Texas, on August 10, 2025, at the age of 77.<ref>{{cite news |title=Derek & the Dominos’ Bobby Whitlock dies at 77 |url=https://www.everettpost.com/music/rock/derek-the-dominos-bobby-whitlock-dies-at-77/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |publisher=Everett Post |date=10 August 2025}}</ref> It meant that Eric Clapton was the sole surviving member of the band.
==Band members==
'''Official line-up'''
* [[Eric Clapton]] – vocals, guitars (1970–1971)
* [[Bobby Whitlock]] – organ, piano, vocals (1970–1971; died 2025)
* [[Carl Radle]] – bass guitar (1970–1971; died 1980)
* [[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]] – drums, percussion (1970–1971; died 2023)
'''Occasional members'''
*[[Dave Mason]] – guitar (1970)
*[[Duane Allman]] – guitar (1970; died 1971)
==Discography==
'''Pre-album single'''
*"[[Tell the Truth (Derek and the Dominos song)|Tell The Truth]]" / "Roll It Over" (September 1970)
Recorded during the sessions for [[George Harrison]]'s 1970 triple album ''[[All Things Must Pass]]''; produced by [[Phil Spector]] but pulled by Clapton, stating it didn't reflect their sound. "Tell the Truth" was later re-recorded for the band's debut album, but "Roll It Over" was only performed live. Harrison and Dave Mason contributed guitar to "Roll It Over".<ref name="Reid pp 104, 105" /> Both tracks were included on the 2011 reissue of ''Layla''.
'''''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'''''
* Debut album ''[[Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs]]'' recorded during September 1970, released on 9 November. [[Billboard 200]] # 16 <ref name="Whitburn Albums">{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |title=Top Pop Albums 1955-2016 |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-89820-226-7}}</ref>
* In 1990 a new mix was released as ''[[The Layla Sessions: 20th Anniversary Edition]]'' with unreleased tracks and jams. Billboard 200 # 157<ref name="Whitburn Albums" />
* The original version was reissued in 2011 as the 40th Anniversary Edition with other unreleased tracks.
* several other reissues
'''Singles'''
*"[[Bell Bottom Blues (Derek and the Dominos song)|Bell Bottom Blues]]" / "Keep on Growing" (1971) [[Billboard Hot 100]] # 91<ref name="Whitburn">{{cite book| last = Whitburn| first = Joel| title = The Comparison Book Billboard/Cash Box/Record World 1954-1982| publisher = Sheridan Books| year = 2015| isbn = 978-0-89820-213-7|page=142}}</ref>
*"[[Layla]]" / "I Am Yours" (1971) ''Billboard'' Hot 100 # 51<ref name="Whitburn" />
*"Layla" / "Bell Bottom Blues" (1972) ''Billboard'' Hot 100 # 10<ref name="Whitburn" />
*"Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?" / "Presence of the Lord" (1973) [[Bubbling Under Hot 100]] # 120<ref name="Whitburn" />
'''Other songs recorded during ''Layla'' sessions'''
* Tell the truth Jam (released on "The History of Eric Clapton" in 1972)
*"[[Got to Get Better in a Little While]]" (wasn't completed but was played live. The incomplete version with only Clapton's verse vocals was released on Clapton's ''[[Crossroads (Eric Clapton album)|Crossroads]]'' box set, credited as a '71 Olympic Studios track. The 40th deluxe edition of ''Layla'' features a version with chorus vocals performed by Whitlock in 2010 mixed into the original take.)
*"[[Mean Old World]]" ([[T-Bone Walker]] cover, released on ''Crossroads'', ''The Layla Sessions'' and the 40th deluxe edition).
*"(When Things Go Wrong) It Hurts Me Too" and "Tender Love" (Short jams officially released on ''The Layla Sessions'').
* various untitled jams (five were released on ''The Layla Sessions'').
'''Live recordings'''
* ''[[In Concert (Derek and the Dominos album)|In Concert]]'' (1973), Billboard 200 # 20,<ref name="Whitburn Albums" /> and ''[[Live at the Fillmore (Derek and the Dominos album)|Live at the Fillmore]]'' (1994)
Live recordings of the concerts at the [[Fillmore East]] on 23 and 24 October 1970 were released on those two live albums (some of the recordings are present on both albums).
*live at the [[The Johnny Cash Show (TV series)|Johnny Cash Show]]<ref>{{Cite web|via=[[YouTube]]|title=Derek & the Dominos visit 1970 Johnny Cash & Carl Perkins|date=2015-02-07|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkY1XLfd-tI|access-date=2017-07-09}}</ref> recorded on 5 November 1970.
# "[[It's Too Late (Chuck Willis song)|It's Too Late]]"
# "[[Got to Get Better in a Little While]]"
# "[[Matchbox (song)|Matchbox]]" ([[Carl Perkins]] cover played with [[Johnny Cash|Cash]] and Clapton)
# "[[Blues Power]]"
The band's performance aired on 6 January 1971. This is the only known video performance of the band. It was officially released as part of the 40th anniversary edition of their debut album.
'''Sessions for the second album, Olympic Studios, April and May 1971'''<br>All available in bootlegs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/it/Derek-The-Dominos-Into-The-Mystic-Layla-Sessions-And-More/release/8793307|title=Derek & The Dominos – Into The Mystic (Layla Sessions And More)|publisher=Discogs|language=it|access-date=2017-07-09}}</ref> Some were officially released on the ''Crossroads'' box set and the ''Layla'' album's 40th anniversary deluxe edition.
*"Gold Devils Roads" (recorded at Clapton's home in March, features vocals by Gordon's wife, Renée Armand)
*"One More Chance" (officially released)
*"Mean Old Frisco" (officially released)
*"High" (instrumental officially released on the Clapton "12 Bars" documentary soundtrack)
*"Snake Lake Blues" (officially released)
*"[[Evil (Howlin' Wolf song)|Evil]]" ([[Willie Dixon]] cover, officially released)
*"Son of Apache"
*"Moody Jam"
*"Chocolate"
*"I've Been All Day"
*"Got to Get Better in a Little While" (new jam version, officially released)
*"Sick at Heart"
*"Is My Love"
*"It's Hard to Find A Friend", "Will I See You Again" and "Yes, I Love You" (Jim Gordon original songs)
==Citations==
{{Reflist}}
==General sources==
{{refbegin}}
* Boyd, Pattie; with Junor, Penny (2007). ''Wonderful Today: The Autobiography''. London: Headline Review. {{ISBN|978-0-7553-1646-5}}.
* Clapton, Eric; with Sykes, Christopher Simon (2007). ''Eric Clapton: The Autobiography''. London: Century. {{ISBN|978-1-8460-5309-2}}.
* {{cite book|last=Clayson|first=Alan|title=George Harrison|publisher=Sanctuary|___location=London|year=2003|isbn=1-86074-489-3}}
*{{cite magazine|author=Harris, John|title=A Quiet Storm|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=July 2001|pages=66–74}}
* {{cite book|last1=Madinger|first1=Chip|last2=Easter|first2=Mark|title=Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium|publisher=44.1 Productions|___location=Chesterfield, MO|year=2000|isbn=0-615-11724-4}}
* ''The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' (1995). New York: Fireside/Rolling Stone Press. {{ISBN|0-684-81044-1}}.
* O'Dell, Chris; with Ketcham, Katherine (2009). ''Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved''. New York: Touchstone. {{ISBN|978-1-4165-9093-4}}.
* {{cite book|last=Reid|first=Jan|title=Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos|publisher=Rodale|___location=New York |year=2006|isbn=978-1-59486-369-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Sandford |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Sandford (biographer) |year=1999 |title=Clapton: Edge of Darkness |___location=New York |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=0-306-80897-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Santoro|first=Gene|title=Dancing in Your Head: Jazz, Blues, Rock, and Beyond|publisher=Oxford University Press|___location=New York |year=1995|isbn=0-19-510123-5|url=https://archive.org/details/dancinginyourhea00sant}}
* {{cite book|last=Schumacher|first=Michael|title=Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton|publisher=Hyperion|___location=New York |year=1995|isbn=0-7868-6074-X|url=https://archive.org/details/crossroadslifemu00schu}}
* {{cite book|last=Shapiro|first=Harry |title=Eric Clapton: Lost in the Blues |publisher=Da Capo Press |___location=New York |year=1992 |isbn=0-306-80480-8}}
* Whitlock, Bobby; with Roberty, Marc (2010). ''Bobby Whitlock: A Rock 'n' Roll Autobiography''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-6190-5}}.
{{refend}}
==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070402214624/http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/derek_the_dominos/bio.jhtml VH1.com: Derek & the Dominos: Biography]
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p70464|label=Derek & the Dominos}}
*{{Discogs artist|Derek & The Dominos}}
*{{imdb name|3170558}}
{{Derek and the Dominos}}
{{Eric Clapton}}
{{Allman Brothers Band}}
{{George Harrison}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derek and the Dominos}}
[[Category:Eric Clapton]]
[[Category:Musical quintets]]
[[Category:Polydor Records artists]]
[[Category:Atco Records artists]]
[[Category:RSO Records artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1970]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1971]]
[[Category:1970 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1971 disestablishments in England]]
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