Watch Eric Clapton perform Motherless Children live

Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton (Image credit: Getty)

A video of Eric Clapton performing Motherless Children live has been made available.

It’s from Slowhand’s Live In San Diego with Special Guest JJ Cale album, which launched last month. The performance was filmed on a 2007 tour with his the late singer-songwriter Cale, in support of the pair’s The Road To Escondido work – and it won the 2008 Grammy Award For Best Contemporary Blues Album.

Originally recorded by Blind Willie Johnson in 1927, Clapton’s own version of Motherless Children featured on his 1974 album, 461 Ocean Boulevard.

Clapton, 71, admitted earlier this year that he felt lucky to be alive – considering his history of booze and drug addiction.

He told Classic Rock: “Because I’m in recovery from alcoholism and addiction to substances, I consider it a great thing to be alive at all. By rights I should have kicked the bucket a long time ago. For some reason I was plucked from the jaws of hell and given another chance.”

Clapton last released his 23rd solo album I Still Do. He’s scheduled to play three dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall next May.

Eric Clapton tour dates 2017

May 22: London Royal Albert Hall
May 24: London Royal Albert Hall
May 25: London Royal Albert Hall

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Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.