Eric Clapton on Robert Johnson: "When I was younger, Hellhound used to frighten me when I listened to it. The idea that he was really singing about being pursued by demons was too much for me – for a while I really couldn’t deal with it"

Cover of Eric Clapton's Me and Mr Johnson.

Classic Interview: "I’m not as intimidated by Robert Johnson as I was," Eric Clapton told us in 2004. Entering the studio at the start of that year, the plan had been to record new material. Instead, apparently struggling to come up with enough new, finished songs for an album, Clapton had started jamming on Robert Johnson songs... and ended up with a whole LP, Me and Mr Johnson. 

Recorded in just two weeks with Clapton's AAA studio band, which at the time included Andy Fairweather Low, Billy Preston, Steve Gadd, Doyle Bramhall II, and Nathan East, the 14-track tribute is a collection of lovingly curated and performed Johnson covers.