Derek & The Dominos

Derek And The Dominos were a short-lived band who lasted barely a year and recorded only one album together and might have been forgotten completely were it not for one very special track - the mighty Layla. Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon all originally worked together on the road as Delaney And Bonnie's backing band and went on to play with George Harrison on his All Things Must Pass LP before deciding to release their own album. In 1970 they played at the London Lyceum as Eric Clapton & Friends, but adopted the name the Dominos in tribute to Fats Domino and, when another musician mistakenly called Eric Clapton "Derek", it stuck. On their subsequent tour of the UK, Clapton tried to keep his real identity secret. Produced by Tom Dowd and also featuring guitarist Duane Allman, the band recorded their double album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs in 1970 and many people still regard it as Clapton's masterpiece. He wrote the song Layla about his love for model Patti Boyd - who was then married to his friend George Harrison but who later married Clapton. Layla didn't initially set the world on fire and neither did the album, but it gradually acquired classic status and became a major hit several times over. The band disintegrated during rows as they attempted to record a second album.