Bobby Whitlock, Co-Founder of Derek and the Dominos, Dies at 77
He also performed on classic albums such as George Harrison's All Things Must Pass.
Bobby Whitlock poses for a portrait in front of an old car next to a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne holding an acoustic guitar in circa 1975.
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.
Later that same year, Clapton, Whitlock, Radle and Gordon formed Derek and the Dominos. Whitlock co-wrote half the tracks on the band’s first and only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, including “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Tell the Truth.” Derek and the Dominos embarked on a U.S. tour in support of the album, with Elton John serving as their opening act.
“It was their keyboard player Bobby Whitlock that I watched like a hawk,” John wrote in his autobiography, according to the Los Angeles Times. “He was from Memphis, learned his craft hanging around Stax Studios and played with that soulful, deep Southern gospel feel.”
Amid escalating drug use and growing personal tensions within the group, Derek and the Dominos split in 1971 while in the midst of recording their sophomore album. Whitlock went on to release a string of solo albums in the 1970s, beginning with his self-titled debut, which featured contributions from all the members of Derek and the Dominos, as well as Harrison. He followed it later that same year with Raw Velvet.
As a session musician, Whitlock also appeared on the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St., Dr. John’s The Sun, Moon & Herbs, and Stephen Stills & Manassas’ Down the Road.
Whitlock released additional solo music throughout the 1970s and returned in the 1990s, often collaborating with his musical partner and future wife, CoCo Carmel, whom he married in December 2005.
Whitlock is survived by his wife, CoCo Carmel, and his children Ashley Faye Brown, Beau Elijah Whitlock, and Tim Whitlock Kelly, according to the Los Angeles Times.
