Derek and the Dominos Biography

Derek and the Dominos were a blues-rock supergroup formed in the spring of 1970 by guitarist and singer Eric Clapton with Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon, who had all played with him in Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. The band would release only one studio album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs which featured "a guitar tour de force sparked by the contributions of guest artist Duane Allman", from the Allman Brothers Band. The album would go on to receive critical acclaim but initially falter in sales and in FM radio airplay. Although released in 1970 it wasn't until March 1972 that the album's single "Layla," (a tale of unrequited love inspired by Clapton's relationship with his friend George Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd Harrison) would make the top ten in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The album, which has received praise from both critics and fans alike, is often considered to be the defining achievement of Clapton's career.

The seeds of Derek and the Dominos can be found in their involvement with Delaney, Bonnie & Friends from which they were all members of including Duane Allman who had played prior to Clapton. The member's departures from the group were caused by the constant infighting between Delaney and Bonnie, Whitlock explains:

After the recording of Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, the group undertook a drug-riddled and vice-prone U.S. tour that didn't include Allman, who had returned to The Allman Brothers Band after the recording process. However, Allman did perform one show with the group at Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, in Florida, on December 1, 1970, and that was recorded. Whitlock recalls their drug situation as: