J-HALEY wrote:I am not going to try and convince you guys how good Clapton is. He is no John Petruci or Yngvei. If you were to ask Petruci if he was inspired by Eric I guarentee you he will say yes. I have an old Guitar Player special Edition Mag. from 1983 with an interveiw with everything you wanted to know about EVH at the time and in the interview he talks about how Clapton inspired him and how he knew every guitar solo that Clapton played note for note. Clapton was a trail blazer just as Hendrix, and EVH, he was a bluesman first that got caught up in the rock star ways of the 60's and 70's it is easy to say after the fact that there are better guitar players than Hendrix and EVH but they did it first. I suppose those of you that don't like Clapton probably don't like George Harrison either. I mean if it takes Flawless technique and shredding to impress you I think you have lost track of American music and the bigger picture. As far as poles I think they are a bunch of B.S. more of popularity poles. Some people tend to get caught up in the sensationalism of music i.e. screaming Beatle and Elvis fans. Clapton was no Petruci but he was a tunesmith and one that had a huge impact on all of todays music. Just listen to the feel and shear emotion he put into the guitar solo of "Forever Man" that in my opinion is as good as anything Gilmor did including Time or Money and I love Floyd our band play's Money and I play the solo note for note. Clapton definately is in the top 10 of my favorite players. Whose helicopter do you think SRV was in the day he died, Claptons.
Also Eric went thru alot drug and alcohol addiction and the loss of his child. Yes a lot of musicians go that way but do they Sponsor and have anything like the Crossroads Festival every year where the proceeds go to help his fellow musicians fight their demons? 
Hmmm well put! If it wasn't for the older players, one of you guys might actually have invented the chopsticks tune by hitting some sticks together
And Chippy, when I read the OP's post, I wondered, do all of you guys post random factual stuff in here or what? Funny how people actually create these bot posters. I think it just struck a chord with JH, and he had to share -as it's struck a chord with others responding.
On a side...I am ranked as one of the "Top 100 Vocalists Of All Time" Of course it's my own poll and I was the only judge
