Eric Patrick Clapton, guitar virtuoso,
vocalist and internationally renowned rock legend, was born in Surrey,
England, on March 30, 1945. He received a guitar on his thirteenth birthday
and was soon spending hours each day diligently bent over the instrument,
learning by ear the blues progressions that have since underpinned his
entire career. His practicing was so dedicated that only a short year later
he was making waves in the local music scene as a busker and a member of
several local outfits.
In 1963, Clapton joined the Yardbirds,
a then-unheard of group that played rock and roll heavily infused with the
blues. In 1965, Clapton would leave the group just as they were beginning to
approach stardom with their first hit, “For Your Love.” Clapton, still
obsessed with the blues, disapproved of the band’s turn for a more
pop-oriented sound. Don’t feel too bad for the Yardbirds, though –
successors to Clapton’s role as lead guitarist would be filled first with
Jeff Beck and later with Jimmy Page – two other heavies of guitar legend.
During a short stint with the
Bluesbreakers, a graffito declared that “Clapton is God.” It was also around
this time that his nickname, “Slowhand,” was coined – as the story goes, an
ironic pun on the nimble fingers and lightning blues riffs that were fast
earning him a reputation as the best guitar player on the local circuit.
In 1966, Clapton formed Cream with Jack
Bruce and Ginger Baker, creating rock music’s first supergroup. They enjoyed
huge success in the UK and abroad, and in this era he fell in with a group
of musical legends
including Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and, most significantly, The Beatles’
George Harrison. Clapton
fell deeply in love with Harrison’s then-wife, English model Pattie Boyd who
was the inspiration behind Clapton’s hit “Layla,” about the pains of
unrequited love.
Unfortunately, Clapton’s career
success was marred by addiction and romantic frustration in his personal
life. When he and Boyd got together in 1974, Clapton kicked heroin and
embarked upon his now-legendary solo career. His first number one hit was a
cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” that popularized reggae music
with the mainstream. At the same time, Clapton had replaced heroin with
alcohol and soon his friends checked him into rehab. Later on, Clapton would
open his own rehabilitation facility, the Crossroads Centre, in 2004.
Clapton was and continues to be one of
rock music’s most important and influential figures. His songs,
inspirations, friendships, and even crushes have forever shaped modern
music. Although it may be appropriate to celebrate Eric birthday with a
recipe for a Blind Faith cocktail, the ingredients are too lethal and for
some too sacrilegious (wood
alcohol and sacramental wine), so instead we opt to toast him for a
less lethal drink named for his great album Reptile. According
to Clapton, the title Reptile is British slang for a bloke that you might share a
pint with down at the pub. We can't think of anyone
that we would rather share a pint with than Eric. Enjoy it with a DVD of
Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues
(2011).
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