Bobby Whitlock

Though primarily recognized for his role in the brief yet pioneering Derek and the Dominoes alongside Eric Clapton, Whitlock built an extensive and notable career in music. Raised across Arkansas and Memphis, he joined numerous recording dates at the storied Stax Studios while still a teenager and earned distinction as the label’s first white signee. A voice steeped in gospel, R&B, and blues, paired with strong keyboard command, soon attracted the spotlight.

Spotted performing in a Memphis club, he received an invitation from Delaney & Bonnie to join their group. The ensuing tour with Eric Clapton sparked a lasting friendship that led directly to Whitlock’s participation in the Derek and the Dominoes sessions. He co-wrote many of the songs, played on most tracks, and supplied the lead vocal for his own “Thorn Tree in the Garden,” making Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs nearly as much his album as Clapton’s. The same musicians supported George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and Whitlock later added uncredited contributions to the Rolling Stones’ landmark Exile on Main Street.

The decade also brought four introspective solo releases. His 1972 self-titled debut remains the strongest of the set. Raw Velvet proved somewhat less consistent yet showcased some of Duane Allman’s most moving and vivid slide guitar—left uncredited for contractual reasons—on “Dearest I Wonder,” captured shortly before the guitarist’s death. After issuing Rock Your Sox Off in 1976, Whitlock largely withdrew during the 1980s and 1990s, settling on a Mississippi farm and limiting his session work to a modest amount. He reemerged in 1999 with the appropriately titled It’s About Time.