Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse
Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse | |
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Also known as |
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Origin | London |
Genres | Blues rock |
Years active | 1966 |
Labels | Elektra |
Past members |
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Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse was a British blues rock studio group formed in 1966.[1] They recorded three songs, which were released on the Elektra Records compilation What's Shakin' in 1966. A possible fourth song remained unreleased.
History
The Powerhouse was formed with full intention of being a short-lived studio project. In 1965 and 1966, American record producer Joe Boyd was in the process of opening a London office for Elektra Records and was looking for some British talent to feature on the first release from the label's local division, a sampler compilation album. Manfred Mann's singer Paul Jones suggested putting together an all-star band to mark the occasion.[2]
This band featured Jones playing harmonica alongside
What's Shakin'
The Powerhouse only recorded a few songs in March 1966 (produced by Boyd), three of which were released on the Elektra compilation album What's Shakin' alongside tracks by the Lovin' Spoonful, Al Kooper, Tom Rush and the Butterfield Blues Band. The album was later reissued in the UK under the title Good Time Music.[5]
The tracks included were "
Due to contractual constraints, Winwood was credited as Steve Anglo in the original album's liner notes.[2] It has also been suggested that the song "I Want to Know" was in fact written by Jones under a pseudonym named for his wife, Sheila McLeod.[2]
After the Powerhouse
Many members of the Powerhouse later played together as members of other bands. Bruce and Clapton formed Cream in 1966 with Ginger Baker, and Palmer later joined them as their tour manager.[1] Clapton and Winwood have appeared together on numerous occasions, most notably from 1968 to 1969 as half of Blind Faith, with Ric Grech and again Ginger Baker.
Since their original release the Powerhouse recordings have been re-released intermittently, with the band being credited differently depending on the release: "Crossroads" was included on Winwood's compilation album Winwood in 1971 credited to 'Powerhouse'; "I Want to Know" was included on Clapton's compilation The History of Eric Clapton in 1972, crediting the band as 'The Powerhouse'; both "Crossroads" and "I Want to Know" were released together on Winwood's box-set The Finer Things in 1995, attributed simply to Eric Clapton; and all three previously released tracks, "Crossroads", "I Want to Know", and "Steppin' Out", were included in Jack Bruce's 2008 anthology Can You Follow? credited to 'Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse'.
Band members
- Eric Clapton – guitar
- Steve Winwood (as Steve Anglo) – vocals
- Paul Jones – harmonica
- Jack Bruce – bass
- Pete York – drums
- Ben Palmer – piano
References
- ^ a b c d e f Unterberger, Richie. "The Powerhouse – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Unterbereger, Richie. "Liner notes for What's Shakin'". RichieUnterberger.com. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- ^ "55 Years Ago: Eric Clapton's First Band, The Roosters, Breaks Up". UltimateClassicRock.com. August 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^
Bowling, David (May 2013). Eric Clapton FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Slowhand. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781617135750.
- ^ Good Time Music at Discogs