Let’s imagine that there is a church of guitar gods with a sacred duty to defend the sanctity of each six-stringed icon. One of the names to defend would probably be Eric Clapton, but it is safe to say that not everyone agrees with his name being mentioned among other legends. In his recent interview with the Metal Voice, Jay Jay French revealed that he thinks Clapton didn’t have a unique sound.
Jay Jay French made this statement not to attack Slowhand’s abilities but point out a difference. French’s argument was that there are certain guitar players, like B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck, whose sound is so unique that you can immediately name them just by listening. He then compared them with Eric Clapton, who he argued has not evolved much over the years.
“Having witnessed all that stuff and realizing that then Beck goes on and develops this incredible style of guitar playing over the next 50 years, it’s okay,” French said about experiencing the rise of rock before evaluating some most iconic guitarists. “Guess what? Jimi’s dead, and you [Jeff Beck] developed, and Jimi didn’t have the luxury of developing. Eric [Clapton] didn’t change much. Eric stayed the same. Jimmy Page got worse as time went on; he got sloppier and eventually straightened himself out. I guess he’s okay today.”
He continued, “By the way, I’m not knocking these people; these people were my heroes. When you think of the greatest guitar players, though, the ones that when they play, you know who they are. Not just that they’re technically great, but you know who they are. So you can add to this list if you want. But these are the guitar players that I know – when I hear them, I can tell you who it is.”
“B.B. King; no one sounds like B.B. King,” started listing Jay Jay. “Leslie West: no one sounds like Leslie West. Carlos Santana; nobody sounds like Carlos Santana. Jimi Hendrix; nobody sounds like Jimi Hendrix. Jeff Beck; nobody sounds like Jeff Beck. When you get to Eric Clapton, there are millions of guys that played like that. Like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Bonamassa. Million of them. But that doesn’t take away how great they are.”
Discovering your unique signature as a musician is a journey akin to unearthing buried treasure. It demands the intrepidity and virtuosity of the seeker, delving deep into the innermost depths of the soul, unearthing melodic treasures long-forgotten. And when the musician finds that sound, it becomes a treasure of aesthetic beauty and wonder, an ode that resonates with the very essence of those who lend an ear. The names Jay Jay French mentioned in the interview fit this description perfectly.
