Eric Clapton will feature on two records :

• the last Paul McCartney record on "Freedom" which will be the B-side of "From A Lover To A Friend",
• the Sun Records tribute on "Walkin' The Rain" originally sung by prsionners. Sheryl Crow, Elton John and many more are participating.

On November 20, 2001, "Cream's Frewell Concert" will be released. It will include the BBC version (45') and the integral one (80').

The DVD contains :

1. Sunshine Of Your Love : 5'23
2. Politician : 7'45
3. White Room :8'08
4. Spoonful : 9'37
5. Toad Drum Solo : 11'52
6. I'm So Glad : 4'03
7. End Credits : 0'54

Backstage interviews of the 3 musicians and live picture gallery are also of the party.

On Octobre 30, 2001 will be released in DVD Live in Hyde Park (June 29,1996). And for our greatest pleasure, we will find on it 2 extra-songs than in the CD. I let you discover which ones.

It is official, Eric will marry Mellia at the end of summer. He present his request on father's day by gaving her a 4 carat diamon ring.

Eric with Reptile equals Paul Mc Cartney to the top sales of the year with his 21 gold discs. The discs were awarded by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).

Congratulations to Eric and Melia who gave the life to a little girl, Julie Rose Clapton, on Wednesday 13 June at 9:53 p.m, at the Riverside Methodist Hospital, Colombus, ohio, (USA). We think the father is happy as he sang "I Want A Little Girl" during his last 10 converts.

A tsunami for EC fans. The June 2001 issue of Rolling Stone purposes an interview of EC. This one declares that the Reptile Tour is his last world tour. The full article here.

Even if Guitar Player is only one to get EC's interview, the Guitarist Magazine gets Doyle Bramhall II and Lee Dickson for his May issue (on-line here ), and BB King in December 2000 about Riding With The King (on-line here ).

This issue is the only one which gets an interview of Eric Clapton about his Reptile tour. On-line here

The Sun ( www.thesun.co.uk ) reveals, that Melia McEnery, 25, is expecting Eric Clapton's baby in two months. The grandfather of EC's girlfriend, from whom the affair comes from, reveals that :

• they are going on marriage,
• this relationship comes up in the family at Christmas,
• they decided to keep secrecy for a while,
• Eric is said to be thrilled about being dad again.

You can watch the Reptile rehersals and interviews at the following address :

Rock and Folk Avril 2001 consacre plusieurs articles sur Clapton :

• un article sur la représentation au Royal Albert Hall d'Eric pour le "Reptile - Riding With The King - Tour"
• une critique sur le nouvel album Reptile
• une critique sur le coffret Deluxe Edition de Blind Faith
• une description de l'origine de "Layla & Others Assorted Love Songs" par Philippe Manoeuvre dans le cadre de sa cdthèque idéale.

Here it is, the first 3 track CD from the album "Reptile". it is named "i Ain't Gonna Stand For It" and contains this song of course, or 2 unreleased song : "Johnny Guitar" and "Losing Hand".

ROGER WATERS, previous PINK FLOYD singer, has to cancel his tour because ERIC CLAPTON 'has taken' all his musicians.

Among all the musicians who work with Roger Waters, are on the Riding with The King tour with Eric Clapton. Roger Waters confirmed he has the intention to waith the end of EC's tour to go in, because he doesn't want to change his band.

In fact, if we look at the band employed for the latest Roger Waters album THE FLESH, we note the presence of Andy Fairweather-Low (guitar), Snowy White (guitar), Doyle Bramhall II (guitar and vocals), Graham Broad (drums), Jon Carin (keyboards), Andy Wallace (keyboards), Katie Kissoon (vocals), Susannah Melvoin (vocals), and PP Arnold (vocals).

Eric Clapton, himself was in Roger Waters band in 1984, for the album THE PROS AND CONS OF HITCH HIKING, and for the tour which had followed.

A news from RTL-Zikweb.

The WNED Buffalo Guitar Festival will be a collaborative celebration of the rich cultural offerings of Buffalo through the magic of the guitar and the artistry that brings the instrument to life. The WNED Buffalo Guitar Festival will premiere in June 2001 as a four-day celebration throughout downtown and the Theatre District. The talents of locally, nationally and internationally renowned guitarists will be the attraction for the 2001 WNED Buffalo Guitar Festival. WNED expects this first Festival to be primarily a regional attraction for people from Buffalo, Western and Central New York, Southern Ontario, Western Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio. The inaugural festival will take place Thursday, June 14 - Sunday, June 17, 2001.

The dates of the festival were finalized just five days before the 21st Century Fund deadline with confirmation that Eric Clapton will perform at HSBC Arena on Friday, June 15, 2001. WNED made a conscious decision to schedule the Festival around Eric Clapton's availability, since having an internationally respected performer is imperative to the 2001 Festival's success.

Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton, Sting, Paul Williams, and Willie Nelson will be the next inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF), Billboard Bulletin reports. Billy Joel will also receive the Johnny Mercer Award, named after the organization's founder, at the 32nd annual awards ceremony to be held June 14 at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers.

Eric's new solo studio album, titled "Reptile", was released on March 5, 2001.

All the details on this album in the discography.

Some samples are given on the site www.wea.de (follow Clapton in the artist list, then Listen).

The first single will be "Superman Inside".

About the meaning of "Reptile" here is the explanation from Eric Clapton :

"Where I come from, the word "Reptile" is a term of endearment, used in much the same way as "toe rag" or "moosh". It is used sparingly and with the greatest respect, it's not an insult, it's a sign of recognition... In my recollection the first person ever to use the word in reference to me was Charlie Cumberland: "Here comes the reptile that plays the banjo." And coming from Charlie, that was indeed a compliment, for Charlie is, himself, a very fine example of a "reptile"... Included in the artwork of this album will be a sort of rogues' gallery of some of the most siginificant "reptiles" I have ment on my travels, starting with the Ripley variety (Charlie is the one with the cloth cap on), and going on to include the people who have helped me to make this album... The music itself is dedicated to the man who was, in my opinion, the greatest reptile of them all, my uncle Adrian, who passed away in the spring of two thousand... He was a fine man, very gifted and widely creative, an important member of our family, and the community... Unfortunately in the last years of his life, I saw very little of him, and so for a while after attending his funeral I found myself in the state of suspended animation, remembering my early childhood and the precious times I had spent with him... In those early days I was given to believe that he was my brother, and as a result he had an incredibly profound effect on my view of the world... I realise now that most of my tastes in music, art, clothes, cars, etc., etc., were formed in this period of my life, and were due mostly to the wonderful relationship I had with my uncle Adrian (a.k.a. "son") and his wife Sylvia... I thank you both for the joy and love you shared, this album is for you, for all that you gave to me..."

For people who can wait to read the latest news on EC, they can find them on the wap side of "Eric Clapton - The French Site". Only one address :

"Riding with the King" received a Grammy Award as best Traditional Blues Album of the year.

It was in competition with :
- "Superharps," James Cotton, Billy Branch, Charlie Musselwhite and Sugar Ray Norcia;
- "Riding with the King," B.B.King and Eric Clapton;
- "Let the Good Times Roll," B.B. King;
- "Delta Crossroads," Robert Lockwood Jr.;
- "Milk Cow Blues," Willie Nelson.

Eric & BB king have been nominated again for "Best Contemporary Blues Album of the Year" at the 22nd Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards which is the highest honor bestowed upon artists in the Blues industry.
The awards will be presented on Thursday, May 24, 2001 at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, and will be followed by two-days of Blues music on Beale Street, 'the home of the Blues.' Dr John will host the ceremony.

Rapper-producer Wyclef Jean was joined by Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Marc Antony, Charlotte Church, and R&B trio Destiny's Child in his Jan. 19 Carnegie Hall benefit for the Wyclef Jean Foundation, a non-profit organization aimed at providing children around the world with musical instruments, education and therapy. The show, which was the first event headlined by a rapper at the prestigious New York venue, was announced as a revue of musical eras since the 1930s.

Eric Clapton offered up a reggae-flavored version of "Wonderful Tonight." Wearing a suit and seemingly embarrassed by the crowd's attention, Clapton concentrated on playing leads that were sweet and subtle. He and Jean also traded guitar lines and sang on a number Jean had whipped up for the occasion. "This is our first time playing this song," Jean told the crowd.

Eric performed only two songs:

• Wonderful tonight
• Is this romance? (duet w/ Wyclef Jean)

A new book about Cream written by Chris Welch who was documenting the band in Melody Maker as it happened has just been released. "Cream" by Chris Welch copyrighted 2000 by Balafon is 192 pages with 100s of photos and lists for US $19.95. Includes analyses of each band member by musician/writers who play the respective instruments, old and new interviews (EC is not newly interviewed), and comprehensive concert and recording chronology.

A posthumous Rick Danko album has been released which includes a song, "All Our Past Times," co-written by EC and Rick in the late seventies.
But Eric actually does not perform on this album.