The East London Gospel Choir Delivers an INCREDIBLE Duet of “Holy Mother” with Eric Clapton and Luciano Pavarotti

In 1986, Eric Clapton included the relatively obscure pop-rock ballad “Holy Mother” on his new album “August.” The song, with its magnificent gospel edge, was about prayer and salvation. A decade later, Eric’s stunning live duet of the track with renowned opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti garnered 12.8 million views on YouTube—millions more than the original upload—cementing Clapton’s song in popular memory.

The opening section of the song was performed solo by Eric Clapton, who was 51 years old at the time, maintaining its original clarity while the East London Gospel Choir swayed and provided gentle supporting vocals. In contrast to the traditional rock ballad, Luciano Pavarotti’s daring operatic vocals, enhanced by his lush Italian accent, completely transformed the song into an extraordinarily emotional hymn during the second verse.

When the song initially starts, Luciano’s voice is jarring because it doesn’t fit the style and sounds weird next to Eric’s verse. A strong sense of togetherness emerged, however, after Luciano (who was 61 years old at the time) took charge and Eric Clapton’s dazzling guitar solo sounded fantastic with the Gospel Choir’s sumptuous accompaniment. Even Luciano appears astounded by the music being created on stage by the conclusion of the popular film!