Eric Clapton was born in , , as the son of Patricia Molly Clapton and Edward Walter Fryer, a 24-year-old soldier. Fryer shipped off to war prior to Clapton's birth and then returned to Canada.
Clapton grew up with his grandmother, Rose, and her second husband Jack, believing they were his parents and that his mother was his older sister.
(Their surname was Clapp, which has given rise to the widespread but erroneous belief that Eric's real name is Clapp.) Years later his mother married another Canadian soldier, moved to Canada and left Eric with his grandparents. When Clapton was 9 years old he discovered this family secret, and the experience became a defining moment in his life.
Clapton grew up quiet, shy, lonely and in his words a "nasty kid". During his secondary school years he attended the in . His first job was as a postman.
Influenced by the from an early age; at 13, Clapton received an for his birthday, but he found learning the instrument so difficult he nearly gave up. He practiced for hours on end, struggling to learn chords and trying to copy the exact sounds of black blues artists such as that he had on his little . After leaving school Clapton completed a one-year art course in at the , one of the forerunners to (which then became in ); he did not go on to undertake an art degree at Kingston.
Around this time Clapton began around , and the . Clapton joined his first band at 17 and stayed with this band - the early British R B outfit - from January through to August 1963. Clapton did a seven-gig stint with Casey Jones and the Engineers in October 1963
Clapton joined , a -influenced band in 1963 and stayed with them until March .
Synthesising influences from Chicago blues and leading blues guitarists such as , and , Clapton forged a distinctive style and rapidly became one of the most talked-about guitarists in the British music scene. The band initially played / / blues numbers and began to attract a large cult following when they took over the ' residency at the in . They toured England with American bluesman ; a joint LP, recorded in December 1963, was issued belatedly under both their names in 1965.
In March 1965, just as Clapton left the band, the Yardbirds had their first major hit, on which Clapton played guitar: " ."
Still obstinately dedicated to blues music, Clapton took strong exception to the Yardbirds' new pop-oriented direction, partly because "For Your Love" had been written by pop songwriter-for-hire , who had also written hits for teen pop outfit and harmony pop band . Clapton recommended fellow guitarist as his replacement, but Page was at that time unwilling to relinquish his lucrative career as a freelance studio musician, so Page in turn recommended Clapton's successor, (although Page would also eventually join the band).
While Beck and Page played together in the Yardbirds, the trio of Beck, Page, and Clapton were never in the group together. However, the trio did appear at the 1983 ARMS charity concerts, as well as on the rare blues album .
Having quit the Yardbirds in March, Clapton joined in April 1965.
His passionate playing in nightclubs — and on the immensely influential album, — established Clapton's name worldwide as a blues guitarist. With his 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar and Marshall amplifier, Clapton's playing by then had inspired a well publicised that deified him with the famous slogan "Clapton is God". The phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an station in the fall of .
The graffito was captured in a now-famous photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall. Clapton is well reported to have been embarrassed by the slogan, saying in profile of him made in , 'I never accepted that I was the greatest guitar player in the world. I always wanted to be the greatest guitar player in the world, but that's an ideal, and I accept it as an ideal.
' Contrary to a popular myth (perpetuated by, amongst others, the South Bank Show programme itself), "Clapton is God" slogans did not appear all over the place but only on that wall.
Clapton left the Bluesbreakers in mid-1966 (to be replaced by ) and then formed , one of the earliest bands. Cream was also one of the earliest " ", with (also of , the Bluesbreakers and the ) and (another member of the GBO).
Before the formation of Cream, Clapton was all but unknown in the United States; he left before "For Your Love" hit the American Top Ten. During his time with Cream, Clapton began to develop as a singer and songwriter, as well as guitarist, though Bruce took most of the lead vocals and wrote the majority of the material with lyricist . Cream's first gig was a low key performance at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester on July 29, 1966 before their full debut at the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival.
Cream established an enduring legend on the high-volume blues jamming and extended solos of their live shows, while their studio work was more sophisticated than original rock.
In early 1967, Clapton's status as Britain's top guitarist was shaken by the arrival of . Hendrix attended a performance of the newly formed Cream at the on , , during which Hendrix sat in on a shattering double-timed version of "Killing Floor".
Hendrix's early club performances were avidly attended by top UK stars including Clapton, , and . Hendrix's arrival had an immediate and major effect on the next phase of Clapton's career, although Clapton continued to be recognised in UK music polls as the premier guitarist. Clapton and Hendrix remained friends up until Hendrix's death in 1970.
The day before Hendrix's death, Clapton had found and purchased a left handed Stratocaster, and planned on giving it to Hendrix, but never got the chance.
Cream's repertoire varied from soul (" ") to lengthy blues-based instrumental jams (" ") and featured Clapton's searing guitar lines, Bruce's soaring vocals and prominent, fluid bass playing, and Baker's powerful, polyrhythmic jazz-influenced drumming.
In a mere three years Cream had immense commercial success, selling 15 million records and playing to standing-room only crowds throughout the U.
S. and Europe. They redefined the instrumentalist's role in rock and were one of the first bands to emphasise musical virtuosity, skill and flash.
Their U.S. hit singles include " " (#5, 1968), " " (#6, 1968) and " " (#28, 1969) - a live version of 's "Crossroad Blues.
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Although Cream was hailed as one of the greatest groups of its day, and the adulation of Clapton as guitar hero reached new heights, the band was destined to be short-lived. The legendary infighting between Bruce and Baker and growing tensions between all three members eventually led to Cream's demise. Another significant factor was a strongly critical review of a concert of the group's second headlining U.
S. tour, which affected Clapton profoundly. By this time he had also fallen deeply under the spell of the music of after they had released the album and began to believe that rock music was heading in a new direction.
He was so infatuated with them that he even asked to join them, but was turned down.
Cream's farewell album, Goodbye, featured live performances recorded live at The Forum, Los Angeles, October 19, 1968, and it was released shortly after Cream disbanded in 1968, and also featured the studio single " ", co-written by Clapton and , whom he had met and become friends with after had shared a bill with the Clapton-era Yardbirds at the . The close friendship between Clapton and Harrison also resulted in Clapton's playing on Harrison's " " from the Beatles' —according to some, a tactic intended to make the other Beatles take Harrison's song more seriously, but whatever the truth, by all accounts the presence of an outsider, especially of Clapton's calibre, had the effect of bringing harmony to the irritable band.
In January 1969, during the making of what would become the Let It Be album, Harrison walked out after an argument and in his absence—fearing Harrison had gone for good and concerned that the album could not be completed— proposed that Harrison be replaced by Clapton. In the same year of release as the White Album, Harrison released his solo debut which became the first of many Harrison solo records to feature Clapton on guitar, who would go largely uncredited due to contractual restraints. The pair would often play live together as each other's guests, right up until Harrison's death in 2001 and the following in his name, for which Clapton was musical director.
Since their 1968 breakup, Cream briefly reunited in 1993 to perform at the ceremony inducting them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A full-scale reunion of the legendary trio took place in May 2005, with Clapton, Bruce and Baker playing 4 sold-out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall (the scene of their 1968 farewell shows) and 3 more at New York's Madison Square Garden that October. Recordings from the London shows were in September 2005.
A desultory spell in a second supergroup, the short-lived (1969), which was composed of Cream drummer Ginger Baker, of and of , resulted in one LP and one arena-circuit tour. The supergroup debuted before 100,000 fans in London's on June 7, , and began a sold-out American tour in July before its one and only album had been released. The LP was recorded in such haste that side two consisted of just two songs, one of them a 15 minute jam entitled "Do What You Like".
Nevertheless, Blind Faith did include two classics: Winwood's "Can't Find My Way Home" and Clapton's "Presence of the Lord". The album's jacket image of a topless prepubescent girl was deemed controversial in the U.S.
and was replaced by a photograph of the band. Blind Faith dissolved after only a year together, and while Winwood returned to Traffic, by now Clapton was tired of both the spotlight and the hype that had surrounded Cream and Blind Faith, and wanted to make music that more closely resembled that of .
Clapton decided to step into the background for a time, touring as a sideman with the American group .
He moved to in late 1969 and worked with the band through early . He became close friends with , who encouraged him in his singing and writing, which would show determined growth in his next effort.
Using the Bramletts' backing group and an all-star cast of session players (including and , on whose solo albums Clapton played), he released his first solo album in 1970, fittingly named , which included the Bramlett composition, "Bottle Of Red Wine", and one of Clapton's best songs from this period, "Let It Rain".
It also yielded an unexpected U.S. #18 hit, 's "After Midnight".
Clapton's "between-bands" period from 1969 to 1970 also saw him appear on a large number of other artists' records, ranging from George Harrison's (for contractual reasons, Clapton's contributions went uncredited for decades) to 's and 's Sun Moon and Herbs.
Working at in Miami with legendary producer , the band recorded a brilliant double-album which is now widely regarded as Clapton's masterpiece. The two parts of "Layla" were recorded in separate sessions: the opening guitar section was recorded first, and for the second section, laid down several months later, drummer Jim Gordon composed and played the elegiac piano part.
The Layla LP was actually recorded by a five-piece version of the group, thanks to the unforeseen inclusion of guitarist of . A few days into the Layla sessions, Dowd — who was also producing the Allmans — invited Clapton to an Allman Brothers outdoor concert in Miami. The two guitarists — who previously knew each other only by reputation — met backstage after the show, and then both bands retired to the studio to jam.
Clapton and Allman played all night and became instant friends, and Allman was immediately invited to become the fifth member of The Dominos. (These studio jams were eventually released as part of the 3-CD 20th-anniversary edition of the Layla album.)
When Allman and Clapton met, The Dominos had already recorded three tracks ("I Looked Away", "Bell Bottom Blues" and "Keep On Growing"); Allman debuted on the fourth cut, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out", and contributed some of his most sublime slide-guitar playing to the remainder of the LP.
The album was heavily blues-influenced and featured a winning combination of the twin guitars of Allman and Clapton, with Allman's incendiary slide-guitar a key ingredient of the sound. Many critics would later notice that Clapton played best when in a band composed of dual guitars; working with another guitarist kept him from getting "sloppy and lazy and this was undeniably the case with Duane Allman." It showcased some of Clapton's strongest material to date, as well as arguably some of his best guitar playing, with Whitlock also contributing several superb numbers, and his powerful, soul-influenced voice.
Tragedy dogged the group throughout its brief career. During the sessions, Clapton was devastated by news of the death of Jimi Hendrix; eight days previously the band had cut a blistering version of "Little Wing" as a tribute to him which was added to the album. One year later, on the eve of the group's first American tour, Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident.
Adding to Clapton's woes, the Layla album received only lukewarm reviews on release; Clapton took this personally, accelerating his spiral into drug addiction and depression.
The shattered group undertook a US tour. Despite Clapton's later admission that the tour took place amidst a veritable blizzard of drugs and alcohol, it resulted in the surprisingly strong live double album In Concert.
But disintegrated messily in just as they commenced recording for their second LP. Although Radle would be Clapton's main bass player until the summer of 1979 (Radle died in May 1980 from the effects of alcohol and narcotics), the split between Clapton and Whitlock was apparently a bitter one, and it wasn't until 2003 before they worked together again (Clapton guested on Whitlock's appearance on the show, playing and singing " ", available on a "Later with Jools" DVD). Another tragic footnote to the Dominos story was the fate of drummer Jim Gordon, who was an undiagnosed who some years later during a episode murdered his mother with a hammer and was confined to 14 years to life imprisonment.
Gordon was moved to a mental institution after several years, where he remains today.
Despite his success, Clapton's personal life was in a chaotic mess by late 1971. In addition to his (temporarily) unrequited and intense romantic longing for Pattie Boyd-Harrison, he withdrew from recording and touring to isolation in his Surrey, England residence.
There he nursed his addiction, resulting in a career hiatus interrupted only by the in August of 1971 (where he passed out on stage, was revived, and continued the show). In January of , 's organised a comeback concert for Clapton at London's Rainbow Theatre aptly titled the " " to help Clapton kick his addiction. Clapton would return the favour by playing 'The Preacher' in Ken Russell's film version of The Who's in 1975; his appearance in the film (performing "Eyesight To The Blind") is notable for the fact that he is clearly wearing a fake beard in some shots, the result of deciding to shave off his real beard after the initial takes in an attempt to force the director to remove his earlier scene from the movie and leave the set.
By the mid 70's, now partnered with Pattie (they would not actually marry until 1979) and free of heroin (although starting to drink heavily), Clapton put together a strong new touring band that included Radle, guitarist , drummer and vocalists and (later better known as of 1980s pop duo ). With this band Clapton recorded ( ), an album with the emphasis on more compact songs; the cover-version of " " was a major hit and was important in bringing and the music of to a wider audience. The band toured the world and subsequently released the live LP, .
The album continued the trend of 461. Its original intended title The World's Greatest Guitar Player (There's One In Every Crowd) was altered, as it was felt the ironic intention would be missed. (Clapton's own original cover artwork, a (self-)portrait of a miserable-looking character with a pint glass, was also replaced by a photograph of Clapton's dog Jeep, apparently with its muzzle on a coffin.
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In 1976, Clapton appeared at 's on November 26. It was the second farewell concert Clapton had played on that date; eight years earlier, he had played Cream's farewell concert in London. Ironically, it was partially because of The Band's music that Clapton had decided to leave Cream in the first place.
Clapton continued to release albums sporadically and toured regularly, but much of his output from this period was deliberately low-key and failed to find the wide acceptance of his earlier work; highlights of the era include No Reason to Cry, whose collaborators included and , and , which featured " ", another song inspired by Patti Boyd-Harrison, and a second J.J. Cale cover, " ", which has since become a rock staple.
Clapton has performed songs by myriad artists, most notably and . Other artists Clapton has covered include and . He cites Freddie King, B.
B. King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin and primarily Robert Johnson as major influences on his guitar playing, stating in the liner notes of his Robert Johnson tribute album "It is a remarkable thing to have been driven and influenced all of my life by the work of one man..
. I accept that it has always been the keystone of my musical foundation..
. I am talking of course about Robert Johnson".
In 1974, Clapton persuaded Freddie King to sign for , Clapton's own record label at the time, and produced the first of King's two albums for the label, Burglar.
He has recorded more than six of J.J. Cale's originals and has put out an album with the artist.
Other artists Clapton has made collaborations with include , , , , , and .
Clapton also collaborated with singer/songwriter on his 2006 album release, Continuum. Mayer cites Clapton in his liner notes "Eric Clapton knows I steal from him and is still cool with it.
" Clapton and Mayer wrote several songs together which have yet to be released. Clapton's influence inspired Mayer to write "I Don't Trust Myself with Loving You" which loosely holds characteristics of Clapton's style.
Clapton in Concert in Switzerland, June 19, 1977
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