Eric Clapton in Kypseli
|
|
|
There is a little known story from the annals of Rock and Roll history that in 1965, a then twenty year old Eric Clapton and some British musical friends formed a band and came to Athens where they auditioned and got a job at The Igloo Club on Fokionos Negri, at the intersection with Drossopolou in the neighborhood of Kypseli, owned by a gentleman by the name of George Karamousalis. When they got the job they called themselves The Faces and played covers of Chuck Berry and Rolling Stones songs among others. (Not to be confused with the Small Faces who later became The Faces when Rod Stewart joined). They were the opening act for a popular Greek band called The Juniors. When a car accident killed a member of the Juniors and injured their guitarist, Clapton filled in and was playing in both bands, sometimes ten to twelve hours a night. When a rival club owner turned in The Faces for not having work permits, and the hotel they were staying at demanded the money that the club was supposed to be paying for them, the band decided to get out of town. Only by now the club owner realized that Eric was a former member of the Yardbirds and worth keeping around. The band decided to escape and after a concert at a movie theater, as they used to do in those days, they were able to get all their equipment into and on top of a taxi and drove to the train station and got out of the country. The photo is from a memorial concert in Pireaus at the Terpsithea Theater on October 10 1965, with Eric Clapton on the right, playing with the remaining members of The Juniors. Eric was able to retrieve his guitar but his Marshal Amp stayed in Greece and what happened to it is one of the unanswered mysteries of Rock and Roll. What if the community of Kypseli put a plaque commemorating the Igloo Club and a statue of Eric Clapton in Fokionos Negri? (Besides the fact that Eric Clapton is a total malaka). Would you come to visit it? Do you think it is a good idea? |
Help Support Matt's Greece Guides
Do you enjoy using my site? Have you found it entertaining as well as useful? If so please show your appreciation by booking hotels through the travel agencies and the links found on my Hotels of Greece site. The small commission I make on the bookings enable me to keep working and in most cases you won't find them any cheaper by searching elsewhere.
You can find
hotels in Greece by location, price, whether or not it has a swimming pool, and see photos and reviews by using this link to booking.com which also contributes to my website when you book. If you are appreciative of all the free information you get on my websites you can also send
a donation through Paypal or Venmo
Join Matt Barrett's Greece Travel Guides Group on Facebook for comments, photos and other fun stuff. If you enjoy this website please share it with your friends on Facebook and other social media.
