Music world lost a legend with passing of Bobby Whitlock

• Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Whitlock lived a quiet life on his farm in Mississippi where he raised his three children.

The music world lost a legend last month with the passing of Bobby Whitlock. Most famous for his work with Eric Clapton and Derek and the Dominos, Whitlock had an outstanding music career as a singer, songwriter, keyboard player, and guitarist that spanned several decades.  

He was born in Memphis on March 18, 1948, where he honed his skills with the likes of Sam & Dave, The Staples Singers, and Booker T. & the M.G. ‘s at Stax Records. He was the first white artist signed to the label.

In his 1970 biography by Rob Calwell, Whitlock is quoted as saying, “It (Memphis) was a great time and town for music then, especially soul music. It was real rhythm and blues. Albert King R&B, that’s what I’m talking about. It was loose and all about music everywhere that you turned.”

He joined Delaney & Bonnie and Friends in 1968, where he was a bandmate with British guitar phenom Eric Clapton. That association led to recording sessions for George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album in 1970, the same year that Derek and the Dominos formed. 

Surprisingly, that band only produced one studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Whitlock wrote or co-wrote seven of the fourteen tracks on the album, including “Tell the Truth,” “Why Does Love Have to Be So Sad?,” and “Bell Bottom Blues.” He shared vocal duties with Clapton on two of the album’s songs.

The band toured for two years, but an abundance of drugs on the road led to their demise. “Still, on a bad night, we were the best band on the planet,” said Whitlock. 

He recorded four solo albums during the 1970s, and contributed to albums by The Rolling Stones, Dr. John, and Clapton. He also recorded with his wife, Coco Carmel, and other musicians in Austin, Texas, in the 2000s. 

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Whitlock lived a quiet life on his farm in Mississippi where he raised his three children. He did occasional session work and began painting.

In 2003, Whitlock collaborated with his partner, CoCo Carmel, on Other Assorted Love Songs, a live album covering the songs of Derek and the Dominos. The album received raving reviews from music critics. He and Carmel got married in Nashville in December 2005 and moved to Austin, where they recorded several albums with artists including David Grissom, Willie Nelson, Stephen Bruton, and Brannen Temple.

Carmel encouraged Bobby’s art, and he began painting in his home studio. He was a self-taught artist, and his work became widely collected. 

In his later years, he battled cancer at home in Ozona, Texas, where he passed away at the age of 77 on August 10.