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Bobby Whitlock, a co-founding member of Derek and the Dominos, died Sunday at 77.
Variety confirms his death was the result of “a brief bout with cancer.”
Born March 18, 1948, in Memphis, Whitlock was a Stax Record artist who worked with Sam & Dave and other big names of the ’60s.
During this period, he toured with Eric Clapton, with whom he formed Derek and the Dominos, a short-lived act with a long, long legacy. Their only album, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” (1971), included many contributions by Whitlock, among them “Bell Bottom Blues,” “Tell the Truth,” and the iconic hit “All Things Must Pass.”
The group’s “Beware the Darkness” is integral in the opening of the current horror movie “Weapons.”
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In 2015, Whitlock spoke about the “lightning in a bottle” quality of Derek and the Dominos, revealing to Best Classic Bands, “We did one club tour, we did one photo session, then we did a tour of a bit larger venues. Then we did one studio album in Miami. We did one American tour. Then we did one failed attempt at a second album.”
All of that happened in the space of one year, in 1970, and he chalked up their failure to go on to drug and alcohol abuse, as well as ego.
Whitlock became a beloved solo act, releasing some 14 studio albums, live albums, and collections.
He is also noted for his work with other greats, including George Harrison, Dr. John, and the Rolling Stones, whose “I Just Want to See His Face” he claimed to have co-written, though he never received credit for it.
In the 2000s, battling an inner-ear issue and drug dependency, Whitlock got his act together, reunited with Clapton, reclaiming his rights to Derek and the Dominos royalties, and profiting from session work.
He also resumed touring, often with his wife, CoCo Carmel Whitlock, with whom he recorded the album “Other Assorted Love Songs” (2003).
Becoming a painter, he also released his memoirs in 2010, “Bobby Whitlock: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Autobiography.”
Whitlock is survived by his wife and three children, as well as one sister.
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