[Mr. Mojo]

A great blues player. But you're right, innovation wasn't his forte. SRV wasn't exactly innovative either.

[Ex-Dem]

Why in the world start a vanity for this thought, instead of just replying to the Clapton thread you were posting to before?

[snarks_when_bored]

When you've recorded guitar tracks comparable to the ones on "I Feel Free", "Crossroads" and "Badge" (to take only three beautifully structured and executed examples), let us know, okay?

[shezza]

"I like Eric Clapner. I'm a big fan."

[Benrand]

As a drummer, Clapton's clean-ness impresses the hell out of me.

It is pretty amazing how clean he can play solos and riffs. Really good.

[flashbunny]

Still bitter over the ODB death thread?

Let it go.

[dennisw]

Eric Clapton has played many styles of music. He played a lot of great blues with John Mayall/Bluesbreakers.

After that he played blues tinged pop with Cream, the Yardbirds and all his other groups and solo endeavors. Each album would have one or two blues songs. I do believe he put out a straight blues album a few years back. But the bulk of Clapton's career has been pop with a leavening of blues.

Take Robert Cray in contrast. He is a blues player who also plays "soul" music reminiscent of the gritty R&B of the 50s-70s

[cardinal4]

He became a commodity in the sixties because he was a white American man playing delta blues and hard blues rock.

I always thought he was British. Im a guitar player myself, but I always leaned in the Grateful Dead, Hot Tuna and Little Feat direction. Check out Jorma on some of his live stuff, and I always loved Jerrys blugrass influence. On the opposite side of the spectrum, check out Eric Johnson. Now, thats clean playing! But when it comes down to it, I would have to say my favorite guitar player is Steve Howe from Yes. Check out his playing on the Tormato album and the riffs on Siberian Khatru. Yes is also one of the greatest live acts around, and this is coming from someone who has seen Jerry and the Dead close to a hundred times. To each his own, I suppose..

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

I tend to agree with your assessment

I think there are a lot of overrated musicians who-for one reason or another-garner undeserved critical acclaim from the music industry and popular culture.

For me, doing covers of old Muddy Waters tunes and hanging out with B.B. King doesn't necessarily merit inclusion among inductees into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

I feel exactly the same way about a host of other widely regarded rock icons, e.g. Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Van Halen, The Beach Boys, etc., whose popularity I can't even begin to fathom.

Then again, I listen to the Irish Rovers, so what the hell do I know?

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

I like Clapton OK, never cared for SRV. The best guitarist IMHO, hands down, is Les Paul. I'll never forget his HBO special - Eddie Van Halen and David Gilmore do their thing. Les comes on at the end, has a smirk that says "watch this, youngsters", and proceeds to rip off a supersonic "How High the Moon" that left my jaw on the floor.

Props also to Hubert Sumlin, George Van Eps, Zoot Horn Rollo, Jeff Beck and the late, great Snakefinger - saw Snakey twice in concert and the man was simply amazing. His backing band had all they could handle keeping up with him.