Eric Clapton's New CD Sets Sales Record; Crossroads Guitar Festival Ticket Information

Warner Brothers Music Group has announced that digital sales of Eric Clapton's new CD, Me and Mr. Johnson, has set a pre-release digital sales record for the company. The CD was made available on March 23, one week before its official retail release, through digital download music vendors such as applemusic.com, napster.com, musicmatch.com, listen.com, buymusic.com, liquidaudio.com, and the Warner Brothers Records Digital Music Store.

The CD became available at retail outlets on March 30, and debuted at #6 on Billboard's Top 200 album sales the week of April 5.

[Image: Me and Mr. Johnson CD artwork. The cover illustration by Peter Blake includes both published photographs of Robert Johnson: a rendering of the Robert Johnson Studio Portrait / Hooks Bros., Memphis c. 1935 / © 1989 Delta Haze Corporation / the Robert Johnson photo booth self-portrait, early 1930s / © 1986 Delta Haze Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.]

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival

Friday, June 4, Saturday, June 5, and Sunday, June 6, Dallas Fair Park.

Tickets are available now through ticketmaster.

The festival will be the first of its kind to create a unique bridge between fans and musicians through leading guitar manufacturer exhibits and guitar clinics. Attendees will be offered once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to be in an intimate setting as artists give fans the ultimate look into their craft. The Guitar Center Village activities for Saturday, June 5 include live music performances on three stages. SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Official Satellite Radio Partner, will host one of these stages and will broadcast from the Festival.

The Crossroads Guitar Festival culminates on Sunday, June 6 with an All-Star special benefit concert at the Cotton Bowl Stadium. The concert, which will begin at 1:00 p.m. and continue through Sunday evening will include performances by Eric Clapton and Doyle Bramhall II, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Larry Carlton, Robert Cray, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, Buddy Guy, David Hidalgo, Eric Johnson, B.B. King, Sonny Landreth, Brian May, John Mayer, Pat Metheny, Carlos Santana, Neal Schon, Hubert Sumlin, James Taylor, Dan Tyminski, Steve Vai, Jimmie Vaughan, Joe Walsh and ZZ Top. The extraordinary “house bands” will be none other than Booker T & The MG’s, Jimmie Vaughan’s band and Eric Clapton’s band. Other artists will be announced as details are confirmed.

Proceeds from the festival will raise money for Crossroads Centre Antigua, the treatment and education center founded in 1997 by Eric Clapton.

Although not yet ready to announce details, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation will also participate in the festival with an elaborate booth that Strat enthusiasts won't want to miss.

Crossroads Guitar Festival Hours and Ticket Prices

Friday, June 4, $15
4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Guitar Center Village open to the public

Saturday, June 5, $45
11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Guitar Center Village open to the public and live entertainment on three stages

Sunday, June 6, $60
11:00 a.m. Guitar Center Village open all day to the public & doors open to stadium
1:00 p.m. – TBD Cotton Bowl Concert