Guitar guru Eric Clapton is one prolific player. Think of all the bands he’s been in, not to mention his long and storied solo career. On top of that, he’s been a much-requested guest musician on an amazing amount of songs by a who’s who of talent. So much so that, for his birthday today, I have come up with 9 times you were listening to Eric Clapton, but possibly didn’t know.

Obviously I didn’t include his most famous guest appearance, on The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” but, once you hear these songs, that unmistakable style shines through. In just about every case, it adds to the song.

• Are You Hung Up? - Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention

  Yes, that is Clapton’s voice at the beginning. He’s on this opening track of Zappa’s “We’re Only In It For the Money,” as well as the first song on side 2, “Nasal Retentive Calliope Music.” These are perhaps two of the very few times he’s guested on a song without playing guitar.

• Save It For A Rainy Day - Stephen Bishop

  It’s actually kind of jarring, but in a good way, when Clapton shreds a :10 solo in the middle of Bishop’s soft rock debut hit.  Chaka Khan sings a beautiful backing vocal during the fade out. Some soft rock stations (I remember WIP being one!) played the song, but edited the solo out. Eric would appear on several other Bishop albums through the 70s and 80s.

• Good To Me As I Am to You - Aretha Franklin

  It must have been the Tom Dowd connection (he engineered Cream sessions) that brought Eric to The Queen Of Soul, and play on a track from her album Lady Soul. His blues playing on this track is delightful from start to finish.

• Fishes And Scorpions - Stephen Stills

  This is my favorite track from Still’s sophomore album Stephen Stills 2.  It starts off as a song that wouldn’t have been out of place on CSNY’s Deja Vu, then Clapton comes in on guitar and it sounds like a Derek And The Dominos outtake. A very underrated song, in my opinion!

• Love Comes To Everyone - George Harrison

  The lead off track from Harrison’s self-titled 1979 album opens with an excellent solo from George’s old pal, then he’s silent for the rest of the song! Eric would later play on virtually every track on George Harrison’s “Cloud Nine” album.

• The Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking - Roger Waters

  Clapton, and his guitar and keyboard playing, is all over Waters’ debut solo album.  Honestly, I though Clapton’s playing sounded at little “Gilmour-ish” on this passage from the album.

   

• Tonight Will Be Alright - Lionel Richie

  It doesn’t take long to realize that is Slowhand himself on the ending guitar solo, and he even gets some encouragement from Lionel on the track, taken from Richie’s third solo album Dancing On The Ceiling.

• The Calling - Santana

  Holy Stratocaster! It’s a guitar duet dream come true with two of the best, on one recording! They do not disappoint, blending like fine whiskey, on the marvelous closer from Supernatural.

• Fight (No Matter How Long) - The Bunburys

  Yes, Eric Clapton played on a track with The Bee Gees!  The Bunburys were the pseudonym of this supergroup, organized as part of a charity album for the Bunbury Cricket Club of the UK!  He’s on both vocals and guitar on the track.

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