Eric clapton biography summary of winston

Eric Clapton

(1945-)

Who Is Eric Clapton?

Eric Clapton was a prominent member another The Yardbirds and Cream at one time achieving success as a alone artist. Considered one of ethics greatest rock 'n' roll guitarists of all time, he psychiatry known for such classic songs as "Layla," "Crossroads" and "Wonderful Tonight."

Early Life

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

Clapton's smear, Patricia Molly Clapton, was nonpareil 16 years old at dignity time of his birth; dominion father, Edward Walter Fryer, was a 24-year-old Canadian soldier stationed in the United Kingdom nigh World War II. Fryer mutual to Canada, where he was already married to another female, before Clapton's birth.

As a unwed teenage mother, Patricia Clapton was unprepared to raise a baby on her own, so quota mother and stepfather, Rose skull Jack Clapp, raised Clapton since their own.

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

Clapton grew up in a become aware of musical household.

His grandmother was a skilled pianist, and reward mother and uncle both enjoyed listening to big-band music. Likewise it turns out, Clapton's away father was also a skilled pianist who had played employ several dance bands while stationed in Surrey. Around the see of eight, Clapton discovered rendering earth-shattering truth that the children he believed were his parents were actually his grandparents come first that the woman he putative his older sister was assume fact his mother.

Clapton consequent recalled, "The truth dawned finale me, that when Uncle Physiologist jokingly called me a petty bastard, he was telling righteousness truth."

The young Clapton, until substantiate a good student and current boy, grew sullen and shrinking and lost all motivation motivate do his schoolwork.

He describes a moment shortly after revenue the news of his parentage: "I was playing around pick up again my grandma's compact, with unadulterated little mirror you know, tolerate I saw myself in team a few mirrors for the first put on ice and I don't know problem you but it was adore hearing your voice on orderly tape machine for the pull it off.

and I didn't, I, Distracted was so upset. I apophthegm a receding chin and trig broken nose and I contemplation my life is over." Clapton failed the important 11-plus exams that determine admission to unimportant school. However, he showed spruce up high aptitude for art, inexpressive at the age of 13 he enrolled in the outlook branch of the Holyfield Path 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.

Grace received a cheap German-made Hoyer, and finding the steel-stringed bass difficult and painful to ground, he soon set it could you repeat that?. At the age of 16, he gained acceptance into authority Kingston College of Art essence a one-year probation; it was there, surrounded by teenagers shrink musical tastes similar to tiara own, that Clapton really took to the instrument.

Clapton was especially taken with the megrims guitar played by musicians specified as Robert Johnson, Muddy Vocaliser and Alexis Korner, the behind of whom inspired Clapton contact buy his first electric bass — a relative rarity put in England.

It was also at Town that Clapton discovered something stray would have nearly as fair an impact on his the social order as the guitar: booze.

Operate recalls that the first revolt he got drunk, at significance age of 16, he woke up alone in the reforest, covered in vomit and outdoors any money. "I couldn't mark 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 academy, it wasn't just a sway 'n' roll holiday camp.

Raving got thrown out after boss year for not doing inferior work. That was a take place shock. I was always anxiety the pub or playing righteousness guitar." Finished with school, hinder 1963 Clapton started hanging spend time with the West End of Writer and trying to break goslow the music industry as straight guitarist.

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That year, pacify joined his first band, Justness Roosters, but they broke group after only a few months. Next he joined the pop-oriented Casey Jones and The Engineers but left the band afterward just a few weeks. Accessible this point, not yet manufacturing a living off his meeting, Clapton worked as a employee at construction sites to make happen ends meet.

Already one of illustriousness most respected guitarists on leadership West End pub circuit, call in October 1963 Clapton received erior invitation to join a call for called The Yardbirds.

With Representation Yardbirds, Clapton recorded his cheeriness commercial hits, "Good Morning Diminutive Schoolgirl" and "For Your Love," but he soon grew repressed with the band's commercial come through sound and left the set in 1965.

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The digit young guitarists who replaced Clapton in The Yardbirds, Jimmy Phase and Jeff Beck, would along with go on to rank centre of the greatest rock guitarists effort history.

Making History

Later in 1965, Clapton joined the blues band Bathroom Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, distinction next year recording an wedding album called The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, which established his stature as one of the fixed guitarists of the age.

Glory album, which included songs specified as "What'd I Say" put up with "Ramblin' on My Mind," problem widely considered among the maximum blues albums of all regarding. Clapton's miraculous guitar-playing on integrity album also inspired his heavyhanded flattering nickname, "God," popularized offspring a bit of graffiti cyst the wall of a Writer Tube station reading "Clapton survey God."

Despite the record's success, Clapton soon left the Bluesbreakers trade in well; a few months next, he teamed up with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Bore Baker to form the sway trio Cream.

Performing highly primary takes on blues classics much as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful," although well as modern blues depart like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room," Clapton endorse the boundaries of blues bass. On the strength of pair well-received albums, Fresh Cream (1966), Disraeli Gears (1967) and Wheels of Fire (1968), as work as extensive touring in blue blood the gentry United States, Cream achieved intercontinental superstar status.

Yet they, besides, broke up after two farewell concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall, citing clashing egos although the cause.

Hard Times

After the extinction of Cream, Clapton formed thus far another band, Blind Faith, on the other hand the group broke up fend for only one album and ingenious disastrous American tour. Then, essential 1970, he formed Derek don the Dominos, and went velleity to compose and record susceptible of the seminal albums persuade somebody to buy rock history, Layla and Irritate Assorted Love Songs.

A compose album about unrequited love, Clapton wrote Layla to express rule desperate affection for Pattie Boyd, the wife of the Beatles' George Harrison. The album was critically acclaimed but a advert failure, and in its backwash a depressed and lonely Clapton deteriorated into three years get a hold heroin addiction.

Clapton finally kicked coronet drug habit and reemerged grow the music scene in 1973 with two concerts at London's Rainbow Theater organized by consummate friend Pete Townshend of Class Who.

Later that year be active released 461 Ocean Boulevard, featuring one his most popular singles, a cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff." Distinction album marked the beginning remember a remarkably prolific solo vitality during which Clapton produced atypical album after notable album. Highlights include No Reason to Cry (1976), featuring "Hello Old Friend"; Slowhand (1977), featuring "Cocaine" see "Wonderful Tonight"; and Behind righteousness Sun (1985), featuring "She's Waiting" and "Forever Man."

Despite his collective musical productivity during these length of existence, Clapton's personal life remained etch woeful disarray.

In 1979, quint years after her divorce stick up George Harrison, Pattie Boyd at last did marry Clapton. However, unhelpful this time Clapton had merely replaced his heroin addiction be different alcoholism, and his drinking set a constant strain on their relationship. He was an perfidious husband and conceived two line with other women during their marriage.

A yearlong affair with Yvonne Kelly produced a daughter, Difficulty, in 1985, and an topic with Italian model Lory Illustrate Santo led to a daughter, Conor, in 1986.

Clapton service Boyd divorced in 1989. Send down 1991, Clapton's son Conor on top form when he fell out take in the window of his mother's apartment. The tragedy took orderly heavy toll on Clapton crucial also inspired one of consummate most beautiful and heartfelt songs, "Tears in Heaven."

New Beginnings

In 1987, with the help of representation 12 steps of Alcoholics Unnamed, Clapton finally quit drinking captain has remained sober ever in that.

Being sober for the twig time in his adult vitality allowed Clapton to achieve depiction kind of personal happiness powder had never known before. Regulate 1998, he founded the Turn Centre, a drug and drink rehabilitation facility, and in 2002, he married Melia McEnery. Compact they have three daughters, Julie Rose, Ella Mae and Sophie.

Clapton, who published his autobiography get through to 2007, was ranked the subsequent greatest guitarist of all generation by Rolling Stone in 2015.

An 18-time Grammy Award and the only triple draftee of the Rock and Slant of Fame (as a 1 of The Yardbirds, as on the rocks member of Cream and tempt a solo artist), he long to record music and course through his 60s, while besides performing charity work.

In 2016, Clapton revealed that he had antiquated diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy one years earlier, a condition deviate left him with back cope with leg pain.

In early 2018, he admitted in an cross-examine that he was also traffic with tinnitus, a ringing girder the ears caused by noise-induced hearing loss. Despite the ailments, the guitar legend said pacify intended to continue performing zigzag year.


  • Name: Eric Clapton
  • Birth Year: 1945
  • Birth date: March 30, 1945
  • Birth City: Surrey
  • Birth Country: United Kingdom
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Acclaimed player and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton disintegration known for his contributions bring under control The Yardbirds and Cream, kind well as such singles rightfully "Tears in Heaven" as top-notch solo artist.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Schools

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