joined The Yardbirds as a fresh-faced 18-year-old and has never had a traditional job. Since that moment over six decades ago, he’s remained involved in the music industry, which is all he knows. Over that time, Clapton has witnessed the birth and erosion of genres, as well as the anointing of new stars before they become yesterday’s news. Therefore, he recognises true talent when it smacks him in the face.

Although the blues inspired Clapton, he’s not a traditional bluesman with his musical output and likes to break new ground through experimentation. Therefore, while he greatly respects the forefathers that came before him, such as Robert Johnson, whom he once hailed as “the most important blues musician who ever lived”, Clapton has a particular fondness for rulebreakers who ignore the blueprint.

In recent times, Clapton has waxed lyrical about his adoration of Mk.gee, whom he praised as playing the beloved instrument “like nobody else”, which is the key element he seeks from guitarists. Similarly, Prince was another figure who redefined the public’s perception of what a guitar could do, which appealed greatly to Clapton.

After the sad death of Prince in 2016, an alleged quote by Clapton surfaced on social media. It derived from a moment he was supposedly asked about what it’s like to be the best guitarist in the world, to which he humbly responded: “I dunno. Ask Prince”. Unfortunately, despite being shared on social media thousands of times, that quote was proven to be false. While Clapton never uttered those precise words, after the guitarist’s death, he shared a heartfelt tribute explaining how Prince was a constant source of inspiration.

Clapton has spoken positively about Prince numerous times, revealing that ‘Purple Rain’ remains his favourite song during an appearance on the BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs. Clapton described the track as a “lifesaver” and fondly remembered watching the live concert film of the same name during a dark moment in his personal life.

It was an eye-opening moment for Clapton, making him understand the gravity of Prince’s full talent. “At a time when I thought rock and roll was dead,” he said during the radio broadcast, before adding: “This is someone who is a reincarnation of Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown in one. I thought that’s exactly what the world needed.”

Clapton delved into more detail about his memories of watching Purple Rain in the cinema following Prince’s passing. The former Yardbirds guitarist explained how it comforted him during an extremely challenging time at the height of his drug addiction. “I’m so sad about the death of Prince, he was a true genius, and a huge inspiration for me, in a very real way,” he wrote. “In the ’80s, I was out on the road in a massive downward spiral with drink and drugs, I saw Purple Rain in a cinema in Canada, I had no idea who he was, it was like a bolt of lightning!”

He continued: “In the middle of my depression, and the dreadful state of the music culture at that time it gave me hope, he was like a light in the darkness I went back to my hotel, and surrounded by empty beer cans, wrote ‘Holy Mother.’ I can’t believe he’s gone.”

The thing about Clapton is, for all his accolades and stature, he’s never tried to be a myth. As we know from his despicable racist outburst, he is openly flawed and raw in reflection. His relationship with Prince, however, wasn’t built on industry camaraderie or shared stages, but on pure admiration. That’s what made Purple Rain hit so hard. For a man like Clapton, worn down by addiction and jaded by the direction music was heading, Prince wasn’t just a performer, he was a beacon of hope.

It says everything that ‘Holy Mother’, one of Clapton’s most vulnerable songs, was written off the back of that cinema trip. Prince didn’t pull him out of addiction, but he reminded him what was waiting on the other side: the craft, the feeling, the point of it all. In his darkest stretch, it wasn’t rehab or recovery slogans that jolted him awake, it was Prince.

Before watching Purple Rain, Clapton felt demotivated to write, and he was more inclined to pick up a bottle than his guitar. Yet, spending two hours in a Canadian cinema was the unlikely shot of inspiration he needed to create once again. It was a pivotal step that reignited Clapton’s spark for making music, which is his calling rather than merely a career. While they didn’t have a close relationship, Clapton will always be grateful for Prince entering his life when he desperately needed it, while at his lowest ebb.

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