As part of research for an article on rock music in Armenia, I’ve been trying to find out more about the rock scene in Azerbaijan and Georgia. In the latter, it’s meant to be very evolved but we know little about the rock music scene in Azerbaijan. Actually, in Armenia and the Diaspora we know very little about Azerbaijan fullstop but that’s another matter. Nevertheless, some searching on the Internet found out some details. For example, and as in Armenia, the Open Society Institute (OSI) have sponsored programs to support the development of the genre.

As with Arminrock, a portal for rock music in Armenia, OSI have also supported the development of something similar for Azerbaijan, http://azerirock.aznet.org. And although not exactly rock music but certainly part of an alternative youth culture in the South Caucasus, the U.S. Embassy even brough American rapper Coolio to perform in Baku. Last October, the British Council also brought a band from England to perform in the Azeri capital.

What I wasn’t expecting, however, was to find an article from Azerbaijani International Magazine linking an old Azerbaijani tale to the song that is perhaps Eric Clapton’s most famous composition of all, Leyla.

In 1969, Clapton fell in love with Pattie Boyd, the wife of one of his best friends, Beatles’ George Harrison. At about the same time, one of Clapton’s friends gave him a copy of “The Story of Layla and Majnun” as written by Azerbaijani poet Nizami. The book moved Clapton profoundly as it was the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful, unavailable woman and who went crazy because he couldn’t marry her. Clapton saw the correlation with his own life.

[…]

When the album came out, Clapton played the music for Boyd, gave her a copy of the book, and declared his love for her. They had a brief affair, but she broke it off and refused to leave her husband. But due to Clapton’s persistence, he eventually did succeed in marrying her several years later. The marriage ended unhappily in divorce in 1988. Even though the romance didn’t last, Eric Clapton’s song “Layla” has maintained its popularity and is considered by some to be one of rock music’s definitive love songs.

Well, there you go. An interesting if bizarre story. Talking of rock music in the South Caucasus, I’m glad to see the inclusion of two Georgian bands for Friday’s International Rock Festival in Republic Square. Armenian bands have taken part in the Tbilisi Rock Festival in recent years but this is the first time that I know that an Armenian audience can see bands such as the Young Georgian Lolitaz play live.

I wonder whether Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian rock bands might one day all share the same stage at rock festivals in Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi? For now at least, it can only happen in the Georgian capital.