Music Millennium

American singer-song writers and married couple Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett fronted the rock and soul ensemble Delaney & Bonnie & Friends in the late 60s and 1970s. The “Friends” part included a laundry list of legendary performers such as Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, George Harrison, Leon Russell, Bobby Whitlock, Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, King Curtis, and of course, Eric Clapton.

The duo signed with Stax in 1969 and released their debut album, Home. Despite excellent production and session assistance from Isaac Hayes and Donald “Duck” Dunn, the album was not commercially successful, suffering similar distribution woes as other Stax albums of the late 60s and early 70s. D&B signed with Elektra Records for their 1969 follow-up album, Accept No Substitute. Despite not selling well, it created a buzz in music industry circles and caught the attention of George Harrison who offered D&B a contract with Apple Records. The duo signed with Apple despite their prior commitment to Elektra. The Apple contract was voided, causing tension between the group and Elektra. They were eventually released from their contract in late 1969.

At the behest of Harrison, Eric Clapton took Delaney & Bonnie & Friends on the road in mid-1969 as the opening act for Blind Faith. Clapton became good friends with Delaney, Bonnie and their band and preferred their music over what he was doing with Blind Faith. Impressed with their live performance, he would often join them on stage and continued to record and perform with them following the demise of Blind Faith in August of 1969. Clapton helped get the band a record deal with his then-US label, ATCO Records, and even performed on their 3rd album: On Tour with Eric Clapton. The 1970 US Release would be their most successful release (#29 on the Billboard album chart) and achieved RIAA gold status.

Released in 1971, Motel Shot is their 4th studio album, their 3rd release for ATCO Records and their 5th album overall. The album’s title refers to the impromptu, late-night jam sessions that touring musicians would get into while on the road. The album reached #65 on the Billboard album chart and includes Delaney & Bonnie’s biggest chart single, “Never Ending Song of Love,” which peaked at #13. Guest musicians on the album include Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Duane Allman, Dave Mason, John Hartford, Clarence White, Gram Parsons and Bobby Whitlock. The performances are mostly acoustic and the song choices are mostly traditional gospel, blues and country standards. Eight of those impromptu, acoustic jam tracks will be included on this deluxe ROG edition and are available on wax for the first time.