Eric Clapton headlines new "Crossroads Guitar Festival 3" Monday, June 6

Grammy Award-winning guitar superstar Eric Clapton has re-teamed with fellow “guitar gods” for a third Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago, America’s Blues Capital.

In June 2010, Clapton gathered a veritable Who’s Who of the world’s most talented guitar players at the third Crossroads Guitar Festival, an 11-hour celebration of the six-string that attracted a sold-out crowd of more than 27,000 music fans to Chicago’s Toyota Park. All profits from this daylong display of guitar virtuosity benefited The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and education facility Clapton founded to help people suffering from chemical dependency.

Two hours of highlights from the marathon event were recorded as Great Performances presents, "Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival 3."

Clapton notes, “The Crossroads Festival is the realization of a dream for me, to gather a group of amazingly talented musicians to perform on one stage,” and adding, “The Crossroads performers are all musicians I admire and respect.”

Actor-comedian Bill Murray – host of the second Crossroads Festival in 2007 – returns as MC, and supplies the festival’s nonmusical highlights with his inimitable style.

The rock contingent is also well represented by ZZ Top, Jeff Beck, the John Mayer Trio, Doyle Bramhall II, the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Warren Haynes and Steve Winwood, who teamed with Clapton for several performances including an epic cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile.”

Various styles find a home here too, with Vince Gill’s amazing take on Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally” accompanied by the legendary James Burton and others; and Jeff Beck who performs “Hammerhead” which won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Other artists making appearances include: Sheryl Crow, Ronnie Wood, Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Joe Bonamassa, Pino Daniele, and Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas.

Airs Monday, June 6 at 9 p.m. on WCVE PBS & WHTJ PBS