Featured Artist: Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton

Born on March 30, 1945, in Surrey, England, as Eric Patrick Clapton to parents Edward Walter Fryer and Patricia Molly Clapton. Given Patricia's young age (she was only 16 when Eric was born) and the absence of Edward (he has a family in Canada), it was Eric's maternal grandparents, Rose and Jack Clapp, who became Eric's guardians until 1963. Patricia later married Frank MacDonald and had three children.

Clapton is the only person who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times; as a solo performer, as well as a member of rock bands the Yardbirds and Cream. Throughout his career, Clapton has been viewed by critics and fans alike as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time, Clapton was ranked fourth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"and #53 on their list of the "Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time". In 2010, Clapton was ranked #4 on Gibson's Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.

Although Clapton has varied his musical style throughout his career, it has always remained grounded in the blues; despite this focus, he is credited as an innovator in a wide variety of genres. These include blues-rock (with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and The Yardbirds) and psychedelic rock (with Cream). Clapton's chart success was not limited to the blues, with chart-toppers in Adult contemporary ("Tears in Heaven") and reggae (Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff"; he is often credited for bringing reggae and Bob Marley to the mainstream). Two of his most successful recordings were the hit love song "Layla", which he played with the band Derek and the Dominos, and Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", which has been his staple song since his days with Cream.

Early Years:
Eric was raised in a family who appreciated music. His biological father and grandmother both played the piano. He entered Kingston College of Art in 1961 but was expelled due to poor performance and his growing interest in another art medium - music. When he was 17 he purchased an electric double cutaway Kay, and so began his journey to become a musician. He joined The Roosters in 1963, then briefly performed with Casey Jones and The Engineers. Later that year, he joined The Yardbirds, the group released the albums Five Live Yardbirds and Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds.
Becoming Famous:
Eric Clapton joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers in 1965, recording the now famous Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton. He left the group in 1966 and formed his own band called Cream together with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. They released three albums: Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire, all of which propelled the band to stardom and cemented Eric's reputation as a rock guitarist. Cream disbanded in 1968.
Resources: About.com, Wikipedia