Steppin' Out (instrumental)
Steppin' Out is a blues instrumental by American musician Memphis Slim, recorded in 1959. It was released as a single by Vee-Jay Records and appeared on Slim’s album At the Gate of the Horn. The track is 2:07 long and written by L. C. Frazier, a pseudonym used by Memphis Slim; Vee-Jay owner James Bracken is often credited on other versions. The B-side of the single is “My Gal Keeps Me Crying.”
The song features Slim's piano opening, followed by a tenor sax solo and a guitar solo by Slim’s long-time guitarist Matt Murphy. A 1986 live version appears on Steppin’ Out: Live At Ronnie Scott’s, London.
Eric Clapton recorded several early versions of Steppin’ Out. In 1966 he did one with Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse for the Elektra compilation What’s Shakin’; another in 1966 with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers for Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton; and a Cream version from a 1967 BBC Radio live performance, later released on BBC Sessions (2003). Cream again performed it live in 1968 for BBC Radio, included on Clapton’s Crossroads box set (1988). Studio takes were short, while live Cream performances often stretched to 13 minutes or more, such as the 1968 Winterland show in San Francisco, released on Live Cream Volume II (1972) and later on the Cream box set Those Were the Days (1997). That 1968 version was used in the film Mean Streets (1973).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:05 (CET).