Eric Clapton’s Cotton Bowl benefit concert for his Crossroads Center Foundation will air next season on PBS as a Thirteen/WNET New York’s Great Performances special, concurrent with its home video release on WSM/Reprise. The gathering of guitar legends includes performances by Clapton, Jeff Beck, Robert Cray, Vince Gill, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Carlos Santana, James Taylor, Jimmie Vaughan, Joe Walsh and ZZ Top.
“This is the Super Bowl for music fans,” said David Horn, Great Performances series producer. “Only a legend as respected as Eric Clapton could assemble this group of guitar gods, representing the best of country, blues, jazz and rock. It’s the perfect event for us, as Great Performances prides itself on spotlighting the finest performers of every genre.”
“And we are delighted to partner again with Warners,” Horn continued. “Our last joint-venture with them, Josh Groban in Concert, was a major season highlight.”
Broadcast in high-definition, the concert telecast will be executive-produced by Horn and John Beug, Warner Strategic Marketing (WSM) senior VP of home video. Other performers at include Doyle Bramhall II, J.J. Cale, Larry Carlton, David Hidalgo, Eric Johnson, Sonny Landreth, Robert Randolph, Hubert Sumlin, Dan Tyminski and Steve Vai. The “house bands” will be Booker T. & The MG’s and Jimmie Vaughn’s band.
According to Beug, “Our relationship with PBS and Thirteen/WNET has been a most productive one. Both network and station offer an ideal venue for our roster of artists, artists as diverse as Josh Groban, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Eric Clapton. All have found ideal showcases on Great Performances. We look forward to future collaborations.”
Crossroads Center was founded by Eric Clapton in 1997 to provide treatment and education to chemically dependent persons. Now an independently run entity, it also aids those with other compulsive-addictive behaviors, their families and significant others.
Visit Great Performances online at thirteen.org and pbs.org for additional information.
