Michael Bolton is far from being one of the four most popular entertainers of the last five years or P Diddy either, maybe you meant top 400. P Diddy is not even the most popular rapper and I haven't heard him so I can't say anything about his talent but don't believe him to be as good as Biggie Smalls for one.
I spoke of FIVE DECADES wrt Clapton not five years and you seem to confuse talent with what YOU like, Bolton's type of music is not my taste but is about as good as most of the pleasant kind. JLO and Brittainy have talent just because I don't like them much doesn't make them untalented. Besides much of their "talent" is being nice to look at. JLO certainly isn't as talented as her new hubbie, Marc Anthony.
Apparently you don't get out as much as you think.
Look, LO, I wasn't flaming anyone. But Clapton does not compare favorably to B.B. King, who the story was about. Get the chip off.
The four I mentioned are, indeed, the highest grossing acts in the last five years. They are all billionaires and are extremely popular. And extremely untalented -- and they don't, by the way, hold a candle to Mr Clapton. The entertainment industry is mostly peopled with mediocrity.
But on Clapton's best day he couldn't hang with Mr King or Blind Willie McTell. But they'd probably like him just the same.