Blue Öyster Cult guitarist and singer Eric Bloom elected in an interview with Classic Rock magazine his favorite guitarist and singer of all time. The musician also talked about the first song he recalls hearing and the first one he performed live.
Blue Öyster Cult’s Eric Bloom elects his favorite guitarist and singer:
His favorite singer
“Maybe he wasn’t the purest of vocalists, but for an overall rock’n’roll singer it can only be John Lennon. Some had better voices and others a superior style, but for me he could sing a rock song like nobody else.”
His guitar hero
“I’ve total respect for Jimi and his contemporaries, but I’m going with Prince. The guy was a fantastic guitar player but he wasn’t really known for that level of ability. People knew him more as a showman, also for his songwriting and performance, but Prince was an amazing guitar player. It’s a shame that those other attributes overshadowed his musicianship.”
The first music he remembers hearing
“My earliest memories of music go back to listening to AM radio at home in New York. The first actual song I have recognition of is Elvis singing Heartbreak Hotel. I’m guessing it would have been in 1956 or 1957, and I was ten years old.”
Eric Bloom
Eric Bloom was born December 1, 1944. He is a native New Yorker, being born in Brooklyn, the youngest of three children, and grew up in Queens. His mother was a housewife, active in local charities and family life. His father ran a picture frame and print company in Manhattan. He attended JHS 216 (George J. Ryan Junior High School), and then moved on to Woodmere Academy and Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. It was there that he purchased his first guitar, a $52 Harmony full-bodied electric.