5. Eric Clapton, “I Shot the Sheriff”
Guitar hero Eric Clapton’s 1974 version of “I Shot the Sheriff” is certainly the most ubiquitous Bob Marley cover; it was also the first Marley-written tune to chart in the U.S, and the only one to top the Hot 100 singles chart. EPMD sampled it years later for their 1988 rap classic “Strictly Business”; things came full circle when Dogg Pound rapper/producer Warren G dropped a 1997 G-Funk version of “I Shot the Sheriff,” which EPMD’s Erick Sermon then remixed using samples of Clapton’s version. Check out Clapton’s performance of “I Shot the Sheriff” backed by a Sly & Robbie-led all-star team of Jamaican session men, from 1987’s Island Records 25th anniversary: