Drawn to the music of American blues masters like Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson and Blind Lemon Jefferson, legendary British rocker Eric Clapton began developing his own blues-based guitar licks at an early age, clearly demonstrating his unique style on The Yardbirds' 1964 album "Five Live Yardbirds", his recording debut. When the Yardbirds renounced power blues in favor of psychedelic pop, Clapton quit the band and worked construction until fellow Brit and bluesman John Mayall invited him to join his Bluesbreakers. While contributing to several Mayall LPs, he continued perfecting the blues runs that drew a cult of worshippers, the graffiti slogan "Clapton is God" appearing frequently throughout London during the mid- to late 1960s. Together with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker, Clapton formed the innovative blues-rock trio Cream in 1966, enjoying his first real commercial success and international recognition. In a mere three years, Cream sold 15 million records, played to SRO crowds across Europe and the USA and redefined the instrumentalist's role in rock, recording a string of classics that included "Sunshine of Your Love", "White Room", "Crossroads" and "Badge" (co-written by Clapton and George Harrison). When artistic tension within the band led to a breakup, Clapton and Baker surfaced with keyboardist-vocalist Steve Winwood and bassist Rick Grech in the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith, which survived only one album and one tour before splitting. Clapton then worked with both Delaney and Bonnie (the opening act of the Blind Faith tour) and John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band before recording his first solo LP "Eric Clapton" (1970), yielding a US No. 18 hit, the J J Cale song "After Midnight". The album marked his coming-out party as a strong lead vocalist, a role he filled for his next band, Derek and the Dominos, which included bassist Carl Radle, drummer Jim Gordon and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, all former Delaney and Bonnie sidemen. Their lone studio album, the two-record "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" (1970), was a guitar tour de force sparked by the contributions of guest artist Duane Allman. A signature song for Clapton, "Layla" grew out of one of rock's most famous love triangles, telling the tale of Clapton's unrequited feelings for Patti Boyd Harrison (wife of George Harrison) suffered for years as Harrison's friend and collaborator (in addition to "Badge", he had contributed guitar fills for the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", written by Harrison). Clapton played at Harrison's "The Concert for Bangladesh" in 1971, winning his first Grammy for the album recording of the benefit. He finally married the ex-Beatle's ex-wife in 1979.
Depressed (by his unrealized love for Boyd) and burdened by a heroin habit, Clapton retreated to the isolation of his Surrey home, emerging for a comeback concert at London's Rainbow Theatre in January 1973. By the time he released "461 Ocean Boulevard" (1974) and enjoyed a Number 1 single with its Bob Marley cover "I Shot the Sheriff", he had kicked heroin for good, and an extraordinary career as a solo artist lay ahead, though a bout with alcoholism would lead to a hospital stay in 1981. Clapton's first foray into film music was the Canadian movie "Slipstream" (1974), and he subsequently scored the three "Lethal Weapon" movies with Michael Kamen and David Sanborn (on the final two), "Rush" (1991) and Gary Oldman's directorial debut "Nil by Mouth" (1997), among his many projects. The tragic death of his young son Conor in 1990 topped the pain that had inspired "Layla" and led him to write the haunting "Tears in Heaven", which won three of the six 1993 Grammys generated by his "Unplugged" (1992) album (a new acoustic version of "Layla" also snagged one). Clapton's "From the Cradle" (1994) paid homage to the blues heroes of his youth, and he copped three more Grammys for his participation on "Change the World" (1997), a cut produced by Babyface on the soundtrack for "Phenomenon" (1997), starring John Travolta. A two-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream, Clapton will inevitably gain admittance to its hallowed halls as a solo performer.
Profession(s):
singer, composer, musician, construction worker
Sometimes Credited As:
Eric Patrick Clapton
Slowhand