One of the next times I met Eric Clapton was after the 1969 Melody Maker awards, which we attended in order to pick up the trophy.

At the time, I had wanted to record an album of Buddy Holly’s songs but I heard from Jenny Boyd (Mick Fleetwood’s wife at the time and sister of Patti Boyd who was then married to George Harrison) that Eric Clapton was about to do the same. I told her that I would drop the idea, especially because he was going to be accompanied by the Crickets themselves!

Jenny came back to me with word from Eric that he, knowing I wanted to do that, would bow out and leave the project to me.

Anyway, Eric was present at the Melody Maker Award ceremony. He asked me about the ‘Boody Hoolly’ project, as he called it and he again told me to go ahead with it. I objected, but he insisted. A gracious move on his part. He ended up recording only a couple of numbers with the Crickets on his upcoming album with Delaney and Bonnie’s musicians (an excellent album, by the way) and I never pursued the Buddy Holly album idea. I would love to, however, and I would like to record his more obscure numbers that had moved me, some of the very ones that Eric had mentioned in our conversation.

I have had some opportunities to meet Eric — a congenial and respectful man. The first time was when Peter introduced me to him at the Windsor Jazz and Blues festival in 1967 — Fleetwood Mac’s first gig. We were in a backstage tent, and Eric was there in his latest psychedelic, Afro-permed splendour. I felt a little in awe, as I always admired him for stepping out and playing what he believed in despite public opinion.

“Is that your axe?” he asked me, pointing to the cello-bodied Jennings guitar that I was borrowing from John Charles, the former bass-player from the Levi Set. It was leaning against a couch. It had string for a strap and didn’t even have a case!

I said yes, and asked him the usual couple of questions that I would pose at meeting a fellow guitarist: “Do you play slide?”

To which Eric replied that he did sometimes.

And the second: “Do you listen to Elmore James?”

To which he replied that he did, but more to Robert Johnson.