Delaney and Bonnie’s Impact on Music

A few weeks ago one of the television networks aired an Eric Clapton 70s documentary, and it occurred to us that the real story behind the star was a married couple that enjoyed moderate success on the charts, yet deserve their own recognition.

Delaney and Bonnie Lynn O’Farrell came from different parts of the county, he from Mississippi, and she from Alton IL. They met, fell in love, and began playing music in Los Angeles in 1967, the year they married. They toured as “Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.”

How influential were they? Here’s a list of stars that played with the band, well before their own stardom… Dave Mason, Duane and Gregg Allman, Leon Russell, Jim Gordon, Rita Coolidge and Gram Parsons were all once in the band.

The duo’s biggest contribution to music came in the tutelage and safe harbor they provided Eric Clapton in 1969 and 1970. Eric had just left Cream and needed a place to find his voice. Delaney and Bonnie shielded Eric from the hot spotlight long enough for Eric to recover from the foils of celebrity, urging him to sing lead, play the slide more often, and take more control of his budding career.

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