WHO IS ERIC CLAPTON?
SON ERIC CLAPTON
British rock artist Eric Clapton rose to prominence as a singer-songwriter and guitarist in the ’60s and ’70s. Prior to embarking on a successful career as a solo musician, he was a key member of both The Yardbirds and Cream. Famous for tunes like Layla, Crossroads, and Wonderful Tonight, he is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished rock and roll guitarists in the history of the genre.
Clapton’s birth occurred as a result of his adolescent mother’s relationship with a Canadian soldier who was stationed in England during World War II. The soldier returned to his wife before Clapton’s birth. Clapton had the privilege of being raised by his grandparents. He started playing the guitar during his teenage years and had a short stint at the prestigious Kingston College of Art.
Eric Clapton’s Early Years of Life
Located in Ripley, Surrey, England, Eric Patrick Clapton was born on March 30th, 1945. Clapton was born to Patricia Molly Clapton, who was just sixteen years old, and Edward Walter Fryer, a Canadian soldier stationed in the UK during World War II, who was twenty-four years old. Before Clapton was born, Fryer went back to Canada, where he was already married to another woman (at the time). Patricia Clapton felt unprepared to raise a kid as a teen mother, so her stepfather Jack Clapp, and mother Rose took her son in and brought him up as their own.
As Eric Clapton was growing up, he was led to believe that his grandparents were his parents and that his mother was his older sister, despite the fact that they never became formally adopted. Reginald Cecil Clapton, Patricia’s grandfather, is the origin of Clapton’s surname, which was passed down to him.
As a child, Eric Clapton was surrounded by music. There was a talented pianist in his grandmother, and his mother and uncle were also fans of listening to music from large bands. Furthermore, it was discovered that Clapton’s absent father was also a gifted pianist who had participated in a number of dance bands while he was stationed in Surrey.
At the age of eight, Clapton made the shocking discovery that the people he thought were his parents were, in reality, his grandparents and that the woman he thought was his older sister was, in fact, his mother. This revelation shatteringly altered his life forever. The truth eventually dawned on Clapton, and he realized that when Uncle Adrian made a joke about calling him a little bastard, he was actually stating the truth.
Music Aspirations
Both Eric’s grandma Rose and her second husband Jack were involved in the artist’s upbringing and schooling. Clapton did not perform well on the crucial 11-plus examinations that are used to determine his entry to secondary school. However, he demonstrated a strong talent for art, and as a result, he enrolled in the art department of Holyfield Road School when he was just 13 years old.
At the age of fourteen, Eric Clapton went to see the singer Jerry Lee Lewis perform. After witnessing a dynamic and captivating artist captivate the audience at a performance, Eric knew exactly what he wanted to be. An interest in the illusory world of sounds led to Clapton’s expulsion from Kingston College of Arts, where he had only managed to study for a couple of months when he was seventeen years old.
Following that, Eric spent all of his spare time playing the electric guitar, having been encouraged to do so by both his grandmother and his grandfather. Additionally, he dedicated his time to listening to records of blues musicians from the United States. Clapton had a particular fondness for the musical compositions of Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Bill Broonly, and Skip James. Rhythm and blues enthusiasts in London formed The Ealing Club in March 1962. After becoming a frequent customer, Eric frequently filled in for Mick Jagger in Blues Incorporated, Alexis Korner’s band.
Eric Clapton’s Professional Musical Career
A youthful member of the Yardbirds band, Eric Clapton joined the group in 1963. He achieved his first achievement with the help of this organization. Blues tunes were performed by the group, and several performance records were recorded by them as well. Although Clapton was a member of The Yardbirds when he produced his first commercial singles, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl and For Your Love, he eventually became dissatisfied with the band’s commercial pop sound and left the group in 1965. The two young guitarists Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, who took over for Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds, would go on to become two of the most influential rock guitarists in the history of the genre.
Making History
Later on in 1965, Eric Clapton became a member of the blues band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. The following year, he recorded an album titled The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, which went on to establish his reputation as one of the most talented guitarists of the era.
It is generally agreed upon that this album, which featured songs such as What’d I Say and Ramblin’ on My Mind, is among the best blues albums ever written and released. The album’s incredible guitar work by Clapton also gave rise to his most favorable moniker, “God,” which became famous after a graffiti piece stating “Clapton is God” appeared on a wall of a London Underground station.
Despite the success of the record, Eric Clapton left the Bluesbreakers not long after it was released. A few months later, he joined up with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker to form the rock rock trio Cream. By delivering extremely creative renditions of blues classics like Crossroads and Spoonful, as well as contemporary blues songs like Sunshine of Your Love and White Room, Clapton pushed the frontiers of blues guitar throughout his career.
The band Cream earned the status of an international superstar as a result of the success of three albums, namely Fresh Cream (1966), Disraeli Gears(1967), and Wheels of Fire (1968), as well as significant touring in the United States with their albums. Despite this, they also disbanded after two last performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall, citing a clash of egos as the reason for their termination.
eric Clapton it’s in the way that you use it
Eric Clapton’s “It’s in the Way That You Use It” is a song from his 1986 album August. Written with Robbie Robertson, the song showcases Clapton’s talent for handling rock and pop with good lyrics. Its inclusion in Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money gave it a larger audience and boosted its chart performance. A standout among Clapton’s vast discography, the song’s message on the significance of mindset and strategy in attaining success rings true via his silky voice and expert guitar skills.
Difficult Times
After Cream disbanded, Clapton founded yet another band called “Blind Faith.” However, the band disbanded after only one album and a terrible tour of the United States of America as a whole. He then went on to produce and record Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, in 1970 which is considered to be one of the most influential albums in the history of rock music.
Eric Clapton composed Layla to convey his intense longing for Pattie Boyd, George Harrison’s wife, as part of a concept album centered around unrequited love. In the aftermath of the album’s release, a miserable and lonely Clapton deteriorated into a heroin addict for three years. The album received critical praise but was not successful commercially.
Two shows at London’s Rainbow Theater, organized by Clapton’s buddy Pete Townshend of The Who, marked Clapton’s return to the music scene in 1973, marking his definitive triumph over his heroin problem. His album 461 Ocean Boulevard was published later that year, and it featured one of his most successful hits, which was a rendition of Bob Marley’s song I Shot the Sheriff. The record marked the beginning of a solo career that turned out to be extraordinarily productive, during which time Clapton released album after album that was noteworthy. During these years, Clapton’s personal life continued to be in a state of disorder, despite the fact that he had a substantial amount of artistic output.
Later Life
Clapton was ultimately able to quit drinking in 1987 with the assistance of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Ever since then, he has been sober. Eric Clapton was able to experience a level of personal bliss that he had never experienced before his sobriety, which he experienced for the first time in his adult life. The Crossroads Centre, a clinic for the treatment of substance abuse and alcoholism, was established by him in the year 1998.
It was in 2015 when Rolling Stone selected Eric Clapton as the second-greatest guitarist of all time. Clapton had written his autobiography in 2007. In his 60s, he kept recording and touring, and he also did charitable work. He won 18 Grammys and was the only person to be inducted three times into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: with The Yardbirds, with Cream, and as a solo artist.
Eric Clapton’s Personal Life
The first person that Eric Clapton ever married was the model Pattie Boyd. In order to be with Clapton, she filed for divorce from her husband, George Harisson, who was closely associated with Eric. After twelve years of marriage, they were no longer together.
Over the course of 1985, Eric began a romantic relationship with the Italian model Lory Del Santo, who would go on to become the mother of the musician’s son, Conor. On the other hand, an unanticipated catastrophe occurred, and as a result, their relationship no longer existed. A tragic event occurred when their young kid, who was on vacation in New York, tumbled out of the window of the tower and died after falling.
Following that, Eric wrote the song that was recorded and given the title Tears of Heaven. The artist is currently married to Melia McEnery. In 2002, they made their relationship official by registering it. Julie Rose (2001), Ella May (2003), and Sophie Belle (2005) were the three daughters who were born in those three years. In addition, there is evidence that Yvonne Hang Kelly, an employee of the record firm, gave birth to the musician’s daughter Ruth in 1985 because she was not married to the musician.
Health-Related Issues
In 2016, the artist admitted that he had peripheral neuropathy and that he frequently had extreme pain when performing. At the Los Angeles airport in April of 2017, the rock and roll icon was photographed by photographers while seated in a wheelchair. It was for the purpose of a medical examination that he found himself there, accompanied by his three daughters and other personnel. With his hands tucked into his pockets, the musician wore a vest despite the fact that the day was bright and sunny. He was attempting to maintain his body temperature.
Both of the guitarist’s scheduled concerts for the month of March were called off because of his poor medical condition. It was announced by him that those individuals who had endeavored to acquire tickets for the concert would be able to attend his performance taking place in September. In an interview that took place at the beginning of 2018, he declared that he was also suffering from tinnitus, which is a ringing in the ears that is brought on by noise-induced hearing loss. He stated that he planned to continue performing that year, despite the ailments that he was experiencing.