Slowhand Eric Clapton, Enoch Powell And Rock Against Racism, 1976

Rockapedia | 4th Dec theBeat.ie

Thanks to the British invasion in the 1960's, a new generation of Americans were hearing Blues music for the first time. Bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Animals were hitting the charts, taking blues music out from the clubs and into the mainstream.

Through his stint in The Yardbirds, John Mayall's' Bluesbreakers and Cream, Eric Clapton would become one of the leading figures in the blues revival. With cover versions of tracks such as Hideaway, Crossroads and Spoonful, Clapton would champion a range of artists including Robert Johnson, Ottis Rush, Freddie King, Buddy Guy and many more.

As the 1970's rolled in, Clapton freed himself from the shackles of sideman, deciding to go solo. Now his own boss, he quickly fell into addiction. To make matters worse Clapton developed an unhealthy obsession with British model Patti Boyd. The fact that Boyd was married to his friend, and former Beatle, George Harrison, didn't help the situation.

Clapton was open with Patti about his feelings, even penning the classic Layla for her. Eventually he won her hand but was still not satisfied. Despite being with the woman of his dreams Clapton continued to live the Rock'n'Roll lifestyle for the rest of the 1960's.

Throughout the 1970's Clapton was a mess. A musician who earned a name for his playing abilites, he was now being slammed by critics and fans. In a haze of alcohol, Clapton was going through the motions, relying on his band to do most of the work on his behalf.

Despite a slip in his abilites Clapton still had a loyal fan-base. There would always be a chance that Clapton would deliver something special. By the time he reached Birmingham in 1976, his fans were in for a surprise.

Following the opening song Clapton approached the microphone. Over the next few minutes he delivered a rant against immigration which included a number of racial slurs. Making matters worse Clapton showed support for the politician, Enoch Powell.

Enoch Powell was a former Tory minister who made the infamous Rivers Of Blood speech, which condemned immigration into the UK. Just the mention of his name was enough to attract jeers and boos from a now angry audience.

In the aftermath of the event Clapton was unapologetic about his comments. Speaking with reporters he pointed out that he was not racist and making a comment about immigration. The fact that he used racial slurs didn't help his argument.

Speaking about the incident in Eric Clapton, The Autobiography (1999), Clapton would say;

Since then I've learned to keep my opinions to myself, even though that was never meant to be a racial statement. It was more of an attack on the government's policies on cheap labor, and the cultural confusion and overcrowding that resulted from what was clearly a greed-based policy.

I had been in Jamaica just before, and had seen countless commercials on TV advertising a new life in Great Britain, and then at Heathrow had witnessed whole families of West Indians being harassed by the immigration people, who had no intention of letting them in. It was appalling.

Of course, it might have also had something to do with the fact that Pattie had just been leered at by a member of the Saudi royal family - a combination of the two perhaps.

Regardless of the reasons, Eric Clapton's rant about immigration would cast a shadow over his long career. Two years later Rock Against Racism was founded, partially in response to Clapton's rant.

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