Eric Clapton



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Bio

Eric Patrick Clapton was born on 30 March 1945 in his grandparents' home. Quiet and polite, Clapton was characterized as an above-average student with an aptitude for art. . He became moody and distant and stopped applying himself at school. Emotionally scarred by this event, Clapton failed the all-important 11 Plus Exams. He was sent to St. Bede's Secondary Modern School, and two years later, entered the art branch of Holyfield Road School. In 1961, Clapton began studying at the Kingston College of Art on a one-year probation. He was expelled at the end of that time for not submitting enough work. The reason was that guitar playing and listening to the Blues dominated his waking hours. Before turning to music as a career, he supported himself as a laborer at building sites, working alongside his grandfather. Clapton was raised in a musical household. His grandmother played piano and his mother and uncle both enjoyed listening to the sounds of the big bands. In early 1963, Clapton joined his first band, The Roosters. Following the band's demise, he spent one month in the pop-oriented Casey Jones and The Engineers. In October 1963, Keith Relf and Paul Samwell-Smith recruited him to become a member of The Yardbirds because Clapton was the most talked about player on the R&B pub circuit. It was with The Yardbirds that Clapton made his first albums Five Live Yardbirds, Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds, and the single, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl". During this time, he also earned his nickname, "Slowhand", because whenever he would break a string on stage, he would change it to the accompaniment of a "slow hand clap" from the audience. His serious research into the American Blues continued and when The Yardbirds began moving towards a more commercial sound with the single "For Your Love", he quit the band. His path in music was the blues. While a member of Cream, he cemented his reputation as rock's premier guitarist. The band crumbled beneath the weight of the member's egos and constant arguing. Following Cream's break-up in 1968, Clapton founded Blind Faith - rock's first "supergroup" - with Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Rick Grech. Disbanding after one album and a disastrous American tour, Clapton tried to hide from his growing fame by touring as a sideman with Delaney & Bonnie. A live album from that tour was released in 1970. Clapton's self-titled debut was also released in that year. In the summer of 1970, he formed Derek and the Dominos with members from Delaney & Bonnie's band. The Dominos would go on to record the seminal rock album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. A concept album, its theme revolved around Clapton's unrequited love for George Harrison's wife, Patti**. The band would drift apart following an American tour and a failed attempt at recording a second album. . In 1998, Clapton released Pilgrim, his first album of all new material in nine years.

Top Songs



  1. Layla
  2. Cocaine
  3. Wonderful Tonight