April 1, 1979

Field Adjacent to the Riverside Pool

Nineteen days after the Sunday afternoon show headlined by the Texas country-blues icon, Alabama Union Programs (formerly known as the University Program Council) was set to present Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters in concert at Memorial Coliseum. It proved to be the perfect vehicle to promote Clapton’s tour which featured one of the British guitarist's favorite American blues musicians, 61-year-old McKinley Morganfield (Waters). When McClinton took the stage on a sunny, blustery day after a series of support acts, he opened his dogeared songbook performing a series of old favorites. Born in Lubbock and raised in Fort Worth, McClinton had been playing professionally since the late 1950s, backing established blues artists like Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, and Howlin’ Wolf. At one point in his career, he toured Europe with The Beatles, became friendly with the band, and reportedly shared blues harp pointers with a young John Lennon. The year before the Tuscaloosa show, McClinton struck 1970s gold when his song “B Movie Box Car Blues” found its way onto The Blues Brothers' top-selling debut album, “Briefcase Full of Blues.” The Riverside crowd recognized the song, and loved his version, while they sang, danced, and enjoyed the rare outdoor concert event. McClinton would return to Tuscaloosa later in 1979 on a bill with fellow Lubbock musicians Waylon Jennings, and The Crickets.