Have you seen Eric Clapton at his best?

I think the only true way to measure a muscian's greatness is by what their peers think. The respect that has been shown to Clapton by countless guitar greats that came before and after him speak's for itself. Even Steve Morse sites Clapton as a major influence on his playing! Mabey Clapton isn't a Jazz or Classical master of the Guitar but he is a master of the Blues! I do not like all the music he has done over the years but I will say all that he plays truly comes from the heart.

" The greatest living Guitarist " BUDDY GUY!!!!!!!

Right on Blblues!

Blblues68 and/or Pops:

Please share the Buddy Guy equivalent to Eric's rendition of "Spoonful".
What is considered Mr. Guy's masterpeice?

Thanks

The beauty of this thread is that all of our opinions just underscore how influential Clapton, and so many others, have been - not just on us but on other guitarists/musicians. I would certainly have to add that, IMO, Bireli Lagrene has been much less of an influence on the world music scene than EC (though Lagrene is the most brilliant proponent of Django's legacy and deserves as much attention as EC, et al). I don't think that Clapton is the least bit concerned about his place in the pantheon.

For every 'best' musician one names, there are dozens of other candidates that could be counterposited. Is Buddy Guy the 'best' blues guitarist? There are many blues afficionados who might agree, but there are even more who would suggest that Freddie King, or Albert King, Albert Collins, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Hubert Sumlin, Jimi, or insert your favorite, is the 'best.' And let's not forget the white guys like SRV (or brother Jimmie), Benoit, Earl, Gatton, Gaar, Trout, Trucks, Duane (or Dickie or Toy...) or the great Roy Buchanan. How do you split the hairs? Is it on the basis of live performance, recordings, or a combination of the two? Very few of us here witnessed the wonder of Freddie King's playing, and his recordings really don't serve his memory all that well. But I can assure you that he was as moving a blues guitarist as I have ever had the privilege to see/hear in person. But the finest guitarist I have ever seen/heard (and in HIS living room to boot) is Jose Feliciano. He can literally play anything but his 12 string mastery is incredible. And he can mimic EC, Jimi - anybody you name.

This is all just mental masturbation, but it underscores how much music there is for us to discover.

Thanks for all your input! Saying Derek Trucks is the greatest living slide guitarist was a mistake on my part. Should have said my personal favorite. Those of you that saw Eric with the Dominoes and Cream I sincerely envy. I was just so excited to see him do a concert for himself instead of doing "hits" for his audience. That was the "Slowhand" I had to see!