By Mitchell Peters, Billboard | Bobby Whitlock, the keyboardist, singer-songwriter and co-founder of the blues-rock band Derek and the Dominos, has died at the age of 77. Whitlock passed away early Sunday morning (Aug. 10) at 1:20 a.m. following a brief battle with cancer, his manager Carol Kaye confirmed to Variety. He died at his home in Texas, surrounded by family.
Whitlock’s wife, Coco Carmel Whitlock, honored his extraordinary life in a statement to TMZ.
“How do you express in but a few words the grandness of one man who came from abject poverty in the south to heights unimagined in such a short time?” she said. “My love Bobby looked at life as an adventure taking me by the hand leading me through a world of wonderment from music to poetry and painting. I feel his hands that were so intensely expressive and warm on my face and the small of my back whenever I close my eyes, he is there.”
Born on March 18, 1948, in Memphis, Tenn., Whitlock made history as the first white artist signed to Stax Records when he was still a teenager in the mid-1960s. During his time with the legendary label, he performed alongside soul greats including Booker T. & the MG’s and Sam & Dave.
In 1968, Whitlock joined Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, a group whose collaborators included future Derek and the Dominos members Eric Clapton, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon. During this period, Whitlock also contributed to Clapton’s 1970 self-titled debut album and played organ and piano on George Harrison’s landmark 1970 release, All Things Must Pass.
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On Bobby Whitlock:
From COMBO Member Michael Hossler: I’ve told this story before, so at the risk of redundancy, I’m telling today because a musical hero of mine passed.
When I got out of the Navy I was living in Concord, CA. The first job I got was at a company called Synamed, about four blocks from the San Fransico Bay in Berkeley.
The building sharing an adjoining wall between the engineering lab I worked in was Cosmo’s Factory, still occupied by Doug ‘Cosmo’ Clifford.
He was rehearsing a new band, California Gold, if memory serves. In his band was Bobby Whitlock. I would see him coming and going sometimes. I mentioned this to Bobby a couple of years ago in a message and he told me I should have said “hi”, but I’ve always been too self-conscious to approach celebrities.
I would go up to the wall that separated Cosmo’s Factory and the engineering lab and press my ear against it to hear them play. One of those happy memories in my life.
If anyone is interested in his stories, there are quite a few videos on Youtube worth checking out.
Rest easy Bobby, thanks for the wonderful music.