The musicians are lead vocalist-guitarist Eric Clapton, lead vocalist Yvonne Elliman, guitarist George Terry, bassist Carl Radle, drummer Jamie Oldaker, and organist Dick Sims.
"Willie and the Hand Jive" is a song written by Johnny Otis and originally released as a single in 1958 by Johnny Otis, reaching #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #5 on the Billboard R&B chart.The song has a Bo Diddley beat and was partly inspired by the music sung by a chain gang Otis heard while he was touring. The lyrics are about a man who became famous for doing a dance with his hands, but the song has been accused of glorifying masturbation,though Otis has always denied it.[It has since been covered by numerous artists, including The Strangeloves, Eric Clapton, Cliff Richard, Kim Carnes, George Thorogood and The Grateful Dead.Clapton's 1974 version was also released as a single and also reached the Billboard Top 40, peaking at #26. Thorogood's 1985 version reached #25 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.