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5 clusters · 15 sources · 29 days · First seen · Last updated

Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Collection and Festival

Overview

Guitar Center and Eric Clapton launched the 2026 Exclusive Crossroads Guitar Collection, a limited-edition series of signature instruments from brands like Martin, Fender, PRS, and Ernie Ball. Proceeds benefit the Crossroads Centre Antigua, an addiction treatment facility founded by Clapton.

The collection includes a Martin Custom Shop 000-42 Brazilian and a recreation of Clapton’s Blind Faith Fender Telecaster. This launch coincides with Clapton’s North American tour, where the 81-year-old musician has performed rare songs, such as “Give Me Strength,” for the first time since 1975.

The 2026 Crossroads Guitar Festival was held on September 26 and 27 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Serving as the 7th iteration of the event, the festival featured Bill Murray as master of ceremonies. The lineup included Eric Clapton, Gary Clark Jr., Buddy Guy, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Trey Anastasio, Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer, Tommy Emmanuel, and Julian Lage. Notable collaborations included a set featuring Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Buddy Guy.

Gibson partnered with the festival to host an immersive booth featuring over 30 instruments and MESA/Boogie amplifiers, including a “world-first preview” of the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1964 ES-335 TDC Reissue. To reach a global audience, the festival was available for free livestreaming via crossroads.thenextguitar.com, offering four different feeds, including a “Guitar Stream” for close-up views of fretboards and pedalboards. Limited-time replays of the performances were made available following the live event.

Entities

Eric Clapton · Crossroads Centre Antigua · Moody Center · Crossroads Guitar Festival · Fender

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Timeline

  1. [CULTURE] 3 sources
    Eric Clapton hosts Crossroads Guitar Festival in Austin

    Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival returned to Austin, Texas, on September 26-27, featuring an all-star lineup to raise funds for the Crossroads Centre Antigua recovery facility.

  2. [CULTURE] 3 sources
    Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival to stream free online

    Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival will be streamed for free globally on September 26-27 from Austin, Texas, to raise funds for the Crossroads Centre Antigua addiction treatment facility.

  3. [CULTURE] 7 sources
    Gibson partners with Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival

    Gibson is partnering with Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, returning to Austin, Texas, in September 2026 with an all-star lineup and exclusive instrument previews.

  4. [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Eric Clapton unveils 2026 Crossroads Guitar Collection

    Eric Clapton has unveiled the 2026 Crossroads Guitar Collection to benefit his addiction treatment center and recently performed the song “Give Me Strength” live for the first time in over 50 years.

  5. [CULTURE] 3 sources
    Eric Clapton and Guitar Center launch 2026 Crossroads Collection

    Guitar Center has released the 2026 Crossroads Guitar Collection featuring Eric Clapton signature models. Proceeds support his Crossroads Centre Antigua, ahead of his upcoming Austin festival and tour.

Sources

austinchronicle.com · blog.andertons.co.uk · bluesmagazine.nl · bluesrockreview.com · bravewords.com · dropsdejogos.uai.com.br · guitarbomb.com · musicradar.com · nypost.com · ourdailynewsonline.com · realnewsmagazine.net · whereseric.com · wmgk.com · wrif.com · wrkr.com

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history