When Sheryl Crow looked at Eric Clapton with that cheeky grin, everyone knew this gig was gonna be a real corker. Crow introduced the legendary bluesman as “the man who’s changed so many lives,” and then the star-packed band kicked into a rollicking version of country classic “Tulsa Time.” Crow rocked the opening verse of the 1978 hit with a whole lot of swagger, and then she and Clapton sang the hook together on a single mic. Very rock ‘n’ roll.
Clapton looked like a proud dad watching Crow tear it up, and he even had the checked cargo shorts to match. The crowd might not have realized just how much guitar royalty was onstage with Clapton at first. Jerry Douglas took the opening lead, then traded fiery licks with Clapton. Next, it was Oklahoma hitmaker Vince Gill’s turn to shred it up, followed by a brilliantly shambolic improv by country legend Albert Lee. Last up, Clapton opened up the floodgates to close out the bridge, and The Music Man is here for it.
The quartet of guitar giants teamed up with Crow at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Bridgeview, Illinois. The footloose jam went down in guitar history, clocking up 13 million views on YouTube. Fans loved seeing the guitar royalty throw down together onstage, and added comments such as “I sometimes wonder if the crowd even realized what they were watching there. Even Clapton looks in awe half the time. Sensational” and “Some of the best musicians in the world on the same stage at the same time. Legends.”
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It probably won’t surprise The Music Man readers to hear that there have been many timeless performances at the Crossroads Guitar Festival over the years. One of the most memorable was when John Mayer played a blistering electric cut of Bill Withers’ hit “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Withers had maybe the funkiest right hand in the business, and Mayer sure does a cracking job keeping up with the soul legend here, which is no doubt why the cover clocked up 17 million views.
Nashville country songwriter Danny Flowers wrote “Tulsa Time,” and Don Williams recorded it for an October 1978 release. Williams, who also co-produced the tune with Garth Fundis, scored a number one on the US and Canadian country charts with the single. One month after Williams’s single, Clapton released his version “Tulsa Time” as part of his album Backless. In 1979, Clapton scored a number 30 Billboard Hot 100 hit with a live version of the song, which was featured on his double live album Just One Night.