Although his popularity was often eclipsed by the artists he mentored,
Delaney Bramlett was an accomplished guitarist and singer/songwriter whose style influenced the likes of
Eric Clapton,
J.J. Cale, and
Duane Allman. A native of Pontotoc, MS, he served time in the U.S. Navy before moving to Los Angeles in 1959. He soon became a member of the Shindogs, the resident band on the TV show Shindig. Such a job allowed
Bramlett to rub shoulders with other notable musicians, and in 1967 he met
Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell, a member of
Ike & Tina Turner's backup group
the Ikettes. The two were married within five days; they also formed a duo named
Delaney & Bonnie.
Delaney & Bonnie cut an album for Stax Records in Memphis, backed by
Booker T. & the MG's, but the record was not released at first. They then expanded the group (welcoming such musicians as
Leon Russell into the fold) and adopted the modified name Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. This new lineup recorded
Accept No Substitute in 1969, and although its sales were lukewarm, the album still endeared
Delaney Bramlett's music to a number of rock icons.
Eric Clapton took particular interest and invited Delaney & Bonnie & Friends to tour alongside
Blind Faith in mid-1969; he then left his band and joined
Bramlett's loose collective, along with such notables as
George Harrison and
Dave Mason. This resulted in the release of
On Tour with Eric Clapton, a live album recorded during a performance at London's Fairfield Halls.
Afterwards, members of
the Friends proceeded to work on solo albums by
Clapton and
Harrison, as well as
Joe Cocker's
Mad Dogs & Englishmen.
Delaney & Bonnie made several more albums before divorcing, although none of them fared as well as
On Tour.
Delaney Bramlett then released his debut solo effort,
Something's Coming, in 1972, followed by
Mobius Strip (1973), Giving Birth to a Song (1975), and Delaney Bramlett and Friends -- Class Reunion (1977). His studio work tapered off after the late '70s, although he returned to his craft two decades later with a handful of releases, the last of which -- A New Kind of Blues -- was issued in 2008. That year proved to be a fateful one, however, as
Bramlett suffered from complications of gall bladder surgery and died on December 27th. ~ William Ruhlmann & Andrew Leahey