Photo Credit:
Writer: Bob Marley
Producer: Tom Dowd
Recorded: Spring 1974 at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida
Released: August 1974
Players: | Eric Clapton — vocals, guitar George Terry — guitar Dick Sims — organ Carl Radle — bass Jamie Oldaker — drums Yvonne Elliman — vocals |
Album: | 461 Ocean Boulevard (RSO, 1974) |
Thanks to a strong reggae presence in the British music scene, Eric Clapton was aware of Bob Marley & the Wailers long before mainstream rock audiences were.
"I Shot The Sheriff" was the first Clapton single to hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
It also reached Number Four in the U.K.
The song's success gave reggae, and Marley, their first exposure to mass audiences in the U.S.
461 Ocean Boulevard was Clapton's first studio album under his own name in four years. It marked a comeback following a debilitating heroin addiction that kept him out of sight for many months. He helped overcome it with the help of acupuncture treatments in 1973.
Produced by veteran Tom Dowd — best known for his work with the Allman Brothers Band — it was recorded with a group that featured bassist Carl Radle from Derek & the Dominos and backup singer Yvonne Elliman, who later had a Number One hit of her own with "If I Can't Have You" from theSaturday Night Fever soundtrack.
461 Ocean Boulevard was Clapton's first Number One album on the Billboard 200 chart. It's sold more than four million copies.