Bobby Whitlock, the keyboardist and co-founder of the blues-rock band Derek and the Dominos, died Sunday morning at his home in Texas. He was 77.
Whitlock’s manager Carol Kaye confirmed he passed away at 1:20 a.m. on August 10 after a brief battle with cancer. He was surrounded by family at the time of his death.
Born March 18, 1948, in Memphis, Tennessee, Whitlock began his musical career as a teenager in the mid-1960s. He was the first white artist signed to Stax Records, where he played on recordings by Sam & Dave and Booker T. & the M.G.’s. His early exposure to soul music while growing up in poverty shaped his distinctive sound throughout his career.
Whitlock’s breakthrough came when he joined Delaney & Bonnie and Friends in 1969. The group’s rotating lineup of musicians included Eric Clapton and George Harrison, both of whom became frequent collaborators. This association led to Whitlock playing on Harrison’s landmark 1970 album “All Things Must Pass,” contributing organ and piano to tracks including “My Sweet Lord” and “What Is Life.”
While working on Harrison’s album, Whitlock formed Derek and the Dominos with Clapton, bassist Carl Radle, and drummer Jim Gordon. The band released their sole studio album, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” in 1970. Whitlock wrote or co-wrote seven of the album’s 14 tracks, including “Bell Bottom Blues,” “Tell the Truth,” and “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?”
The album, featuring the iconic title track “Layla,” is considered one of rock’s greatest achievements and was later named one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Despite its eventual acclaim, the record was not commercially successful upon release.
Derek and the Dominos toured in 1970 with Elton John as their opening act. However, the band’s internal tensions and substance abuse issues led to their breakup in 1971 during attempts to record a second album. Whitlock later described the period as plagued by excessive drug and alcohol use among band members.
Following the group’s dissolution, Whitlock launched a solo career with his self-titled debut album in March 1972. The record featured contributions from his former bandmates Clapton, Harrison, and the Bramletts. He quickly followed with “Raw Velvet” in November 1972, which also included appearances by Clapton and Harrison.
During this period, Whitlock also made uncredited contributions to the Rolling Stones’ 1972 album “Exile on Main Street.” He later claimed he was denied proper writing credit for the song “I Just Want to See His Face,” which he said he co-wrote with Mick Jagger.
Whitlock released two additional solo albums in the mid-1970s, “One of a Kind” in 1975 and “Rock Your Sox Off” in 1976, before largely stepping away from the music industry. He moved to a farm in Mississippi and focused on raising his children, Ashley Faye and Beau Elijah, while doing occasional session work.
He returned to recording in 1999 with “It’s About Time” and married musician CoCo Carmel in December 2005. The couple relocated to Austin, Texas, in 2006 and collaborated on several albums throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.
In later years, Whitlock became an accomplished painter, with his artwork displayed at the Crockett County Museum in Ozona, Texas, in 2022. He also authored “Bobby Whitlock: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Autobiography” in 2010, which featured a foreword by Clapton.
Clapton paid tribute to his former bandmate in a Facebook post, stating said, “Our dear friend Bobby Whitlock has passed away at 77.”
Whitlock was inducted into Memphis’ Beale Street Walk of Fame in 2024, recognizing his contributions to the city’s musical heritage. His wife CoCo Carmel described him as someone who viewed life as an adventure, leading others through a world of music, poetry, and painting.
Whitlock is survived by his wife CoCo Carmel Whitlock, children Ashley Brown, Beau Whitlock, and Tim Whitlock Kelly, and sister Debbie Wade.
