Being Eric Clapton’s sideman is no easy feat. Around 1978, Albert Lee found himself in the unenviable position of being Clapton’s right-hand man for five years, following the release of two back-to-back albums, 1977’s Slowhand and 1978’s Backless – and just as Clapton was in the midst of firing his entire backing band.
“We’d met a few times,” Lee tells Guitar World in a recent interview. “When he was with Mayall, I was with Chris Farlowe; we’d play at the Flamingo Club and run into each other fairly often. We didn't hang out much, but he was really friendly; we saw each other a lot and admired each other’s playing.”
