Crossword Dictionary

eric clapton

Eric Clapton, (born Eric Patrick Clapp, March 30, 1945, Ripley, England), is a British rock musician, known as a highly influential guitarist in the late 1960s and early ’70s, and later a major singer-songwriter.

Clapton began playing guitar in his teens. In 1963 he joined the Yardbirds, a rhythm-and-blues group in which his bluesy playing and commanding technique attracted attention. Clapton left the Yardbirds and joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers in 1965.

In 1966 Clapton formed a new band, Cream, with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. 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 after releasing three influential albums.

In 1969 Clapton and Baker formed Blind Faith with keyboardist-vocalist Steve Winwood and bassist Rick Grech, but the group broke up after one album. Soon after, Clapton founded Derek and the Dominos, releasing the classic album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Clapton’s masterpiece. The album sold poorly and, addicted to heroin, Clapton went into seclusion for two years. He made a successful comeback with the album 461 Ocean Boulevard, which included his hit remake of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff.” 

“Tears in Heaven” won the 1993 Grammys for Song and Record of the Rear, and his Unplugged Album of the Year. Clapton also 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.

Clapton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992, as a member of Cream in 1993, and as a solo artist in 2000.