“RIP Bobby”: Eric Clapton pays tribute to Bobby Whitlock, the Memphis musician who sang and played keyboards in Derek and the Dominos and recorded with George Harrison

Bobby Whitlock, the Memphis musician who came of age alongside soul legends and went on to play with Eric Clapton and George Harrrison, has died at the age of 77.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Whitlock was signed to Stax Records in the ‘60s, where he befriended the likes of Booker T, Steve Cropper and Albert King. His first recording is believed to be the handclaps he provided on Sam & Dave’s I Thank You, in 1967, when Whitlock was still a teenager.

Despite being given the option to record an album for a Stax subsidiary label, Whitlock chose to leave Memphis soon after, recording with husband and wife duo Delaney & Bonnie, who ended up supporting Eric Clapton’s Blind Faith supergroup.

After parting company with Delaney & Bonnie, Whitlock would go on to work with Clapton on George Harrison’s post-Beatles All Things Must Pass, a triple album, which also featured Clapton, drummer Jim Gordon and bassist Carl Radle. Together, they became Derek and the Dominos, releasing their only album - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs - in 1970.

Whitlock played a key role on the record, writing or co-writing seven songs. He didn’t write or play the piano coda on Layla, though, and is one of those who’s supported Rita Coolidge’s claim that she co-wrote it with Jim Gordon - who did receive a writing credit - who she’d previously been in a relationship with.

“Jim took the melody from Rita’s song and didn’t give her credit for writing it,” Whitlock claimed in an interview in 2011. “Her boyfriend ripped her off. I knew but nobody would listen to or believe me. I have told this story for years.”

After Derek and the Dominos broke up, in 1971, Whitlock embarked on a solo career, and is also said to have made an uncredited appearance on the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. He later stepped back from the music business, but re-emerged at the turn of the century, and finally played with Eric Clapton again on the BBC’s Later… with Jools Holland show in 2000, performing Bell Bottom Blues.

Clapton is among those who’ve paid tribute to Whitlock since news of his death broke, writing on Facebook: “Our dear friend Bobby Whitlock, has passed away at 77, our sincere condolences to Bobby’s wife CoCo and his family on this sad day…. RIP Bobby xxx”