ERIC CLAPTON BIOGRAPHY

Eric Patrick Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey on March 30, 1945 and became one of the most prominent musicians of his time. Raised by his grandparents, the Clapps, Eric was influenced by many blues artists such as Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, and others. Their music and style had a profound impact on Clapton, eventually formthe basis for his musical career. As a teenager he played in many small pubs and night clubs, his mind focused purely on blues and rock music. Eventually he was expelled from the Kingston College of Art at the age of seventeen for playing his guitar in class and decided to pursue his life-long passion of playing music. He first started out with small British bands like the Roosters and Casey Jones, then joined the Yardbirds. Two notable members of the Yardbirds that went on to become famous are Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. In 1965, after the Yardbirds' first album, Five Live Yardbirds, and the hit single, For Your Love, Clapton realized that he no longer wanted to remain with the group and left to join John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers for a short period. In mid-1966, Clapton left the Bluesbreakers to form a new band called Cream. In 1966, Cream became an international success with their first three albums: Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, and Wheels Of Fire. The last album would achieve platinum fame within a few months of its release. During the two years that Cream was together the group produced many hits, including Sunshine Of Your Love, Badge, and White Room. The feuding egos of the three members (Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker) soon led to Cream's demise in late 1968, and their last album was Goodbye, released in 1969. After Cream had dissolved, another group was formed by Clapton called Blind Faith. Following the same path as his other bands, Blind Faith faded away in less than a year, following a twenty-four city sold-out concert tour. Clapton then moved on to record his first solo album in 1970, becoming an occasional guest performer for the husband-wife team, Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett. Next came Derek and the Dominos, which would be the last group Clapton would be a part of in his musical career. D & D produced the hit double-album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, featuring the title song, Layla, which was a tribute composed by Clapton regarding his involvement with George Harrison's wife Patti (whom Clapton would later marry in 1979, but divorce in 1988). For the few years that followed Derek and the Dominos, Clapton remained out of the spotlight. He struggled to overcome a dependence on drugs and succeeded. The mid-late seventies helped Clapton make his mark in the music industry with songs like Wonderful Tonight, Cocaine, and Lay Down Sally from his 1978 release, Slowhand. In the eighties Clapton started to distinguish himself from other artists with albums like Just One Night (1980), Another Ticket (1981), Money and Cigarettes (1983), Behind The Sun (1985), August (1986), Backless, and Journeyman (1989), which netted him a Grammy in 1990 for the song Bad Love. The Crossroads box set released in 1988 became popular almost immediately, winning Grammy awards for Best Historical Album and Best Liner Notes. Clapton's performing and songwriting talents had transformed him into an international star as he entered the nineties. Other albums such as 24 Nights and contributions to various movie soundtracks (Rush, Backdraft) helped Clapton soar to fame. Tragedy struck in late 1990 when a helicopter crash took the lives of his friends Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nigel Browne, and Colin Smythe. As if this did not cause enough pain already, a few months later his four-year old son Conor (whose mother is Italian model Lori Del Santo) died from falling fourty-nine stories from his mother's Manhattan high-rise apartment. It was not until 1992 that he bounced back into the music industry with Unplugged. Clapton won six Grammies for the album, including best song for Tears In Heaven and album for Unplugged. This thriving collection of songs (a tribute to Conor) solidified his place in music history, and even caught the attention of the younger generation. One of Clapton's interesting albums is From The Cradle, released in 1994. The blues music is characteristic of many past blues masters and is Clapton's tribute to all of the musical influences in his life. Clapton has always strived to achieve blues perfection, and may have possibly accomplished this feat. At the 1997 Grammy Awards Clapton once again added to his collection of seven Grammies, bringing the total to eleven. The song Change The World (from the soundtrack for the movie "Phenomenon") brought him back into the spotlight and showed the world that he still can write and perform music better than ever. A new move for Clapton was an album called Retail Therapy by a band called TDF, of whom Clapton was only known as the mysterious "X-Sample". The mix of blues with rock and techno was a new and diverse path for the artist, demonstrating the range of his talent. After three decades in the music business, beginning in 1963, Eric Clapton has been able to establish a permanent sound and style that has made him one of the best guitarists in history. A double inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream), Clapton is still a strong presence. He is internationally known for his blues and rock music and his method of guitar playing earned him the nickname "Slowhand". A true sign of his forthcoming success came back in the 1960's, when the message "Clapton is God" was found scribbled on a wall in England. Eric Clapton is still a prominent figure in the music industry, he always has been, and he will be for many years to come.