(born March 30, 1945, Ripley, Surrey, England) British rock musician who was a highly influential guitarist in the late 1960s and early 1970s and later became a major singer-songwriter.
Clapton was raised by his grandparents after his mother abandoned him at an early age. He began playing the guitar in his teens and briefly studied at the Kingston College of Art. After playing lead guitar with two minor bands, in 1963 he joined the Yardbirds, a rhythm-and-blues group in which his blues-influenced playing and commanding technique began to attract attention. Clapton left the Yardbirds in 1965 when they pursued commercial success with a pop-oriented style. That same year he joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and his guitar playing soon became the group's principal drawing card as it attracted a fanatic following on the London club scene.
In 1966 Clapton left the Bluesbreakers to form a new band with two other virtuoso rock musicians, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. This group, Cream, achieved international popularity with its sophisticated, high-volume fusion of rock and blues that featured improvisatory solos. Clapton's mastery of blues form and phrasing, his rapid runs, and his plaintive vibrato were widely imitated by other rock guitarists. The high energy and emotional intensity of his playing on such songs as “Crossroads” and “White Room” set the standard for the rock guitar solo. Cream disbanded in late 1968, however, after having recorded such albums as Disraeli Gears (1967), Wheels of Fire (1968), and Goodbye (1969).
In 1969 Clapton and Baker formed the group Blind Faith with keyboardist-vocalist Steve Winwood and bassist Rick Grech, but the group broke up after recording only one album. Clapton emerged as a capable vocalist on his first solo album, which was released in 1970. He soon assembled a trio of strong session musicians (bassist Carl Radle, drummer Jim Gordon, and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock) into a new band called Derek and the Dominos, with Clapton as lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. The guitarist Duane Allman joined the group in making the classic double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970), which is regarded as Clapton's masterpiece and a landmark among rock recordings. Disappointed by Layla's lacklustre sales and addicted to heroin, Clapton went into seclusion for two years. Overcoming his addiction, he made a successful comeback with the album 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), which included his hit remake of Bob Marley's “I Shot the Sheriff.” On the album Clapton adopted a more relaxed approach that emphasized his songwriting and vocal abilities rather than his guitar playing.
Over the next 20 years Clapton produced a string of albums, including Slowhand (1977), Backless (1978), Money and Cigarettes (1983), August (1986), Unplugged (1992)—which featured the Top Five hit “Tears in Heaven,” written after the death of his son—and From the Cradle (1994). He explored his musical influences with a pair of Grammy-winning collaborations: Riding with the King (2000) with blues legend B.B. King and The Road to Escondido (2006) with roots guitarist J.J. Cale. The critical and commercial success of these albums solidified his stature as one of the world's greatest rock musicians. Clapton, an autobiography, was published in 2007. In 2000 Clapton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Türkçe
Hayatı
Eric Clapton, 1945 yılında, Patricia Molly Clapton ve Edward Walter Fryer'ın evlilik dışı çocuğu olarak dünyaya geldi. 9 yaşına kadar büyükanne ve babasını kendi anne ve babası, annesi Patricia'yı ise ablası olarak bildi.1964 yılında, The Yardbirds adlı blues-rock grubunda çalmaya başladı, fakat 1965'in Mart ayında bu grubun pop müziğe kaydığını düşünerek gruptan ayrıldı.
Aynı yıl John Mayall & Bluesbreakers grubuna katılarak kendini bir blues gitaristi olarak kanıtladı. Hayranları, bu grupla çaldığı dönemde ona "God" (Tanrı) lakabını taktılar ve duvarlara "Clapton is God." sloganları yazılmaya başladı.
1966 yılının ortalarında Clapton yanına Jack Bruce ve Ginger Baker'ı (bateri) da alarak Cream adlı grubu kurdu, bu grupla yaptıkları 3 albümün ardından grup 1968 yılında dağıldı. Yapımcıları 1969 yılında "Goodbye" adlı, konser kayıtlarından oluşan albümü piyasaya sürdü.
1969'da Blind Faith ile çıkardığı, grubun adını taşıyan bir albümden sonra, Derek and the Dominos adlı grup içerisinde Bobby Whitlock (vokal ve klavye), Jim Gordon (bateri), Carl Radle (bas) ile çalmaya başladı. Grupla çıkardığı Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs albümündeki Layla, en çok bilinen şarkılarından oldu. Clapton bu şarkıyı, Pattie Boyd-Harrison için yazmış ve Leyla ile Mecnun hikâyesinden esinlenmiştir. George Harrison'ın eşi olan Pattie ile yaşadığı ilişki ve ayrılık sonucu eroine başladı. Müzik kariyerine 2 yıllık bir ara verdi. Eroinle mücadelesi sırasında çektiği sıkıntılar sonucu Eric Clapton, bağımlılara yardım için madde ve alkol bağımlılığı rehabilitasyon merkezi kurdu.
Albümleri
The Yardbirds, (1962-1965)
1964 Five Live Yardbirds (live)1965 For Your Love
1965 Having a Rave Up
1965 Blues Nights
Bluesbreakers, (1965-1966)
1966 Bluesbreakers with Eric ClaptonCream, (1966-1968)
1966 Fresh Cream1967 Disraeli Gears
1968 Wheels of Fire
1969 Goodbye
Blind Faith, (1968-1969)
1969 Blind FaithDerek and the Dominos, (1970)
1970 Layla and Other Love Songs70 sonrası Solo Albümleri
1970 Eric Clapton1974 461 Ocean Boulevard
1975 There Is One Every Crowd
1976 No Reason to Cry
1977 Slowhand
1978 Backless
1981 Another Ticket
1983 Money and Cigarettes
1985 Behind The Sun
1986 August
1989 Journeyman
1994 From The Cradle
1998 Pilgrim
2001 Reptile
2004 Me and Mr. Johnson
2004 Sessions For Robert J.
2005 Back Home
Film Müzikleri
1968 Wonderwall Music (Wonderwall)1985 Edge of Darkness
1985 Back To The Future (Heaven is one step away)
1987 Cehennem Silahı
1988 Homeboy
1989 Cehennem Silahı 2
1991 Rush
1992 Cehennem Silahı 3
1996 Phenomenon
Toplama ve/veya Ortak Albümler
1968 Lumpy Gravy (Frank Zappa ile)1968 The Beatles/White Album (The Beatles ile)
1974 Dark Horse (George Harrison ile)
1976 The Best of George Harrison (George Harrison ile)
1979 George Harrison (George Harrison ile)
1984 The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (Roger Waters ile)
1986 Persona (Liona Boyd ile)
1987 Cloud Nine (George Harrison ile)
1989 Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989 (George Harrison ile)
1992 The One (Elton John ile)
1993 Ten Summoner's Tales (Sting ile)
1997 Retail Therapy (Simon Climie ile)
1999 Supernatural (Santana ile)
2000 Riding with the King (B.B. King ile)
2003 Ringo Rama (Ringo Starr ile)
2005 Africa Unite: The Singles Collection (Bob Marley ile)
1971 Pop History
1972 The Pop History of Eric Clapton
1972 Eric Clapton at his Best
1973 Clapton
1973 Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert
1975 Blues World of Eric Clapton
1975 E.C. Was Here
1976 Greatest Hits
1980 Classic Cuts
1980 Just One Night
1981 Steppin' Out
1982 Time Pieces: Best of Eric Clapton
1984 Too Much Monkey Business
1988 Crossroads
1991 24 Nights
1992 Unplugged
1993 Stages
1997 Live In Montreux
1998 Rock Report: Deserted Cities of The Heart
1999 Chronicles
2002 One More Rider One More Car
http://www.ericclapton.com/