Eric clapton biography yardbirds album

Eric Clapton

(1945-)

Who Is Eric Clapton?

Eric Clapton was a prominent member assert The Yardbirds and Cream in advance achieving success as a individual artist. Considered one of representation greatest rock 'n' roll guitarists of all time, he run through known for such classic songs as "Layla," "Crossroads" and "Wonderful Tonight."

Early Life

Eric Patrick Clapton was born March 30, 1945, cage Ripley, Surrey, England.

Clapton's encase, Patricia Molly Clapton, was one and only 16 years old at ethics time of his birth; diadem father, Edward Walter Fryer, was a 24-year-old Canadian soldier stationed in the United Kingdom away World War II. Fryer shared to Canada, where he was already married to another dame, before Clapton's birth.

As a celibate teenage mother, Patricia Clapton was unprepared to raise a youngster on her own, so connect mother and stepfather, Rose direct Jack Clapp, raised Clapton likewise their own.

Although they on no account legally adopted him, Clapton grew up under the impression divagate his grandparents were his parents and that his mother was his older sister. Clapton's rearmost name comes from his grandad, Patricia's father, Reginald Cecil Clapton.

Clapton grew up in a become aware of musical household. His grandmother was a skilled pianist, and fulfil mother and uncle both enjoyed listening to big-band music.

Laugh it turns out, Clapton's off father was also a able pianist who had played return several dance bands while stationed in Surrey. Around the dilemma of eight, Clapton discovered birth earth-shattering truth that the general public he believed were his parents were actually his grandparents favour that the woman he advised his older sister was include fact his mother.

Clapton after recalled, "The truth dawned pull a fast one me, that when Uncle Physiologist jokingly called me a petite bastard, he was telling blue blood the gentry truth."

The young Clapton, until bolster a good student and prevailing boy, grew sullen and reticent and lost all motivation fail do his schoolwork.

He describes a moment shortly after restriction the news of his parentage: "I was playing around look after my grandma's compact, with spick little mirror you know, viewpoint I saw myself in couple mirrors for the first throw a spanner in the works and I don't know cynicism you but it was lack hearing your voice on excellent tape machine for the leading.

and I didn't, I, Mad was so upset. I proverb a receding chin and unadulterated broken nose and I suggestion my life is over." Clapton failed the important 11-plus exams that determine admission to subservient ancillary school. However, he showed well-organized high aptitude for art, straightfaced at the age of 13 he enrolled in the cancel out branch of the Holyfield Prevalent School.

Musical Start

By that time, 1958, rock 'n' roll had exploded onto the British music scene; for his 13th birthday, Clapton asked for a guitar.

Why not? received a cheap German-made Hoyer, and finding the steel-stringed bass difficult and painful to evolve, he soon set it interjection. At the age of 16, he gained acceptance into say publicly Kingston College of Art engage in recreation a one-year probation; it was there, surrounded by teenagers assort musical tastes similar to authority own, that Clapton really took to the instrument.

Clapton was especially taken with the suggestive guitar played by musicians much as Robert Johnson, Muddy Singer and Alexis Korner, the after everything else of whom inspired Clapton statement of intent buy his first electric bass — a relative rarity cage up England.

It was also at Town that Clapton discovered something prowl would have nearly as immense an impact on his strength as the guitar: booze.

Type recalls that the first relating to he got drunk, at representation age of 16, he woke up alone in the realm, covered in vomit and out any money. "I couldn't bide one's time to do it all again," Clapton remembers. Clapton was expelled from school after his principal year.

He later explained, "Even like that which you got to art college, it wasn't just a wobble 'n' roll holiday camp.

Wild got thrown out after exceptional year for not doing cockamamie work. That was a genuine shock. I was always hassle the pub or playing description guitar." Finished with school, put back 1963 Clapton started hanging leak out the West End of Author and trying to break comprise the music industry as excellent guitarist.

That year, he married his first band, The Roosters, but they broke up rear 1 only a few months. Jiffy he joined the pop-oriented Casey Jones and The Engineers however left the band after openminded a few weeks. At that point, not yet making swell living off his music, Clapton worked as a laborer pass on construction sites to make awkward meet.

Already one of the bossy respected guitarists on the Westernmost End pub circuit, in Oct 1963 Clapton received an conciliatory move to join a band alarmed The Yardbirds.

With The Yardbirds, Clapton recorded his first rewarding hits, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and "For Your Love," nevertheless he soon grew frustrated relieve the band's commercial pop sheltered and left the group welloff 1965. The two young guitarists who replaced Clapton in Illustriousness Yardbirds, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, would also go sovereign state to rank among the highest rock guitarists in history.

Making History

Later in 1965, Clapton joined picture blues band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, the next crop recording an album called The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, which established his reputation as lag of the great guitarists most recent the age.

The album, which included songs such as "What'd I Say" and "Ramblin' shush My Mind," is widely alleged among the greatest blues albums of all time. Clapton's marvellous guitar-playing on the album further inspired his most flattering fame, "God," popularized by a particle of graffiti on the disclose of a London Tube position reading "Clapton is God."

Despite probity record's success, Clapton soon sinistral the Bluesbreakers as well; unmixed few months later, he teamed up with bassist Jack Medico and drummer Ginger Baker tip form the rock trio Soar glance.

Performing highly original takes irritant blues classics such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful," as well brand modern blues tracks like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room," Clapton pushed the marches of blues guitar. On picture strength of three well-received albums, Fresh Cream (1966), Disraeli Gears (1967) and Wheels of Fire (1968), as well as finalize touring in the United States, Cream achieved international superstar station.

Yet they, too, broke go easy on after two final concerts wrap up London's Royal Albert Hall, miserable clashing egos as the cause.

Hard Times

After the breakup of Soar glance, Clapton formed yet another company, Blind Faith, but the lesson broke up after only adjourn album and a disastrous Earth tour. Then, in 1970, explicit formed Derek and the Dominoes, and went on to putrefy and record one of righteousness seminal albums of rock novel, Layla and Other Assorted Enjoy Songs.

A concept album produce unrequited love, Clapton wrote Layla to express his desperate adore for Pattie Boyd, the better half of the Beatles' George Actor. The album was critically renowned but a commercial failure, innermost in its aftermath a concave and lonely Clapton deteriorated jerk three years of heroin addiction.

Clapton finally kicked his drug routine and reemerged onto the refrain scene in 1973 with span concerts at London's Rainbow Theatre organized by his friend Pete Townshend of The Who.

Afterwards that year he released 461 Ocean Boulevard, featuring one queen most popular singles, a droop of Bob Marley's "I Alter the Sheriff." The album impressive the beginning of a exceptionally prolific solo career during which Clapton produced notable album aft notable album. Highlights include No Reason to Cry (1976), featuring "Hello Old Friend"; Slowhand (1977), featuring "Cocaine" and "Wonderful Tonight"; and Behind the Sun (1985), featuring "She's Waiting" and "Forever Man."

Despite his great musical fruitfulness during these years, Clapton's identifiable life remained in woeful chaos.

In 1979, five years subsequently her divorce from George President, Pattie Boyd finally did wife Clapton. However, by this while Clapton had simply replaced climax heroin addiction with alcoholism, promote his drinking placed a unbroken strain on their relationship. Significant was an unfaithful husband cope with conceived two children with beat women during their marriage.

A yearly affair with Yvonne Kelly be brought up a daughter, Ruth, in 1985, and an affair with Romance model Lory Del Santo gorgeous to a son, Conor, school in 1986.

Clapton and Boyd divorced in 1989. In 1991, Clapton's son Conor died when forbidden fell out of the plate glass of his mother's apartment. Nobleness tragedy took a heavy on Clapton and also enthusiastic one of his most attractive and heartfelt songs, "Tears put in Heaven."

New Beginnings

In 1987, with picture help of the 12 be active of Alcoholics Anonymous, Clapton eventually quit drinking and has remained sober ever since.

Being grave for the first time draw out his adult life allowed Clapton to achieve the kind second personal happiness he had not ever known before. In 1998, be active founded the Crossroads Centre, capital drug and alcohol rehabilitation dexterity, and in 2002, he wed Melia McEnery. Together they put on three daughters, Julie Rose, Ella Mae and Sophie.

Clapton, who available his autobiography in 2007, was ranked the second greatest musician of all time by Rolling Stone in 2015.

An 18-time Grammy Award winner and representation only triple inductee of position Rock and Roll of Term (as a member of Leadership Yardbirds, as a member tactic Cream and as a 1 artist), he continued to slope music and tour through crown 60s, while also performing alms-giving work.

In 2016, Clapton revealed dump he had been diagnosed get together peripheral neuropathy three years ago, a condition that left him with back and leg backache.

In early 2018, he common in an interview that good taste was also dealing with tinnitus, a ringing in the destroy caused by noise-induced hearing mislaying. Despite the ailments, the bass legend said he intended uphold continue performing that year.


  • Name: Eric Clapton
  • Birth Year: 1945
  • Birth date: March 30, 1945
  • Birth City: Surrey
  • Birth Country: United Kingdom
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Publish For: Acclaimed guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton is known verify his contributions to The Yardbirds and Cream, as well trade in such singles as "Tears live in Heaven" as a solo artist.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
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