There was a widely reported publicity stunt in May '64 where The Yardbirds played in the garden of Lord Ted Willis, who'd spoken that month in the House of Lords about "the problem of young people and leisure" and, on the subject of pop music, said: "This is a cult-a cheap, plastic, candyfloss substitute for culture." The Yardbirds' publicity guy spotted an opportunity, and the newspapers took the bait. But Chris was playing the Yardbirds block 335 well before that. I checked the serial number of the Albert Hall 335 with Gibson's records, which revealed the guitar was shipped on May 20, 1964. Perhaps Eric was mistaken about the Yardbirds 335 and the Albert Hall 335 being one and the same guitar? After all, a lot had happened to him between 19. Occasionally, Eric would pick up the 335 and Chris would switch to another guitar (in the early days a Harmony). The rhythm guitarist, Chris Dreja, usually played a block-marker cherry 335, while Eric usually played that "pinky red" Telecaster. If that were true, where did it leave Eric's Yardbirds story? Eric joined that band late in 1963. He played that guitar for the entire evening. You can imagine my amazement and joy later as I sat watching Cream come on to the Albert Hall stage, Eric with the 335 I'd sold him strapped on. But I told him I'd already bought tickets, and he seemed pleased. We had a nice conversation during the process, and just as we were wrapping it up, Eric mentioned the upcoming shows, in a manner that felt as though he was about to offer me a complimentary ticket or two. It was one of my main highlights of working at Selmer's. "My memories going back that far can often be a little inaccurate," Jerry admitted, "where just another day in the life is considered, but this was a huge moment for me, and my memory here is razor sharp. He'd told me he sold Eric a 335 just before the Albert Hall shows, and I'd figured he must be mistaken. Years before Jerry came to prominence with Fairport Convention, Joan Armatrading, The Hellecasters, and more, he'd worked as a sales clerk at the Selmer shop in London. When I wrote my book about 335s in 2016, I remembered something Jerry Donahue had told me. This had become the accepted story: Eric got the Albert Hall 335 during his time in The Yardbirds, didn't use it for years, and then dug it out again for the Albert Hall.
Eric Clapton's Albert Hall 1964 Gibson 335TDC
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