In the late 1960s, one of the most well known cases of graffiti observed around the musical Meccas of London and New York was "Clapton is God". Three decades later, the sensational guitarist and singer continues to keep his fans captivated by producing remarkable musical innovations. His revolutionary musical career has been marked by tremendous personal adversity and tragedy. Through the emotional truth of his music, he has sought shelter and relief from the distress of a drug and alcohol addiction, personal relationships gone wrong, and the deaths of several loved ones along the way. His legendary career has included various genres and collaborations, confirming his ability as one of the most versatile musicians in the business. As the only triple inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of both The Yardbirds, Cream, and as a solo artist), Eric Clapton continues to astound and gratify an extensive continuum of music enthusiasts
[...] Clapton focused his crushing sorrow into writing the heart-wrenching 1992 Grammy-winning tribute to his son, “Tears in Heaven.” (Clapton received a total of six Grammys that year for the single and for the album Unplugged.) In 1994, Eric once again began to play traditional blues and his album, From the Cradle, marked a return to pure blues standards, and it was a hit with critics and fans. In February of 1997 he collect the Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammys for "Change the World," off the soundtrack of the John Travolta movie Phenomenon. [...]
[...] In the summer of 1970, Eric created Derek and the Dominos with members from Delaney & Bonnie's band. The Dominos would go on to record the influential rock album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. The albums' theme revolved around Clapton's unreciprocated love for close friend and former Beatle, George Harrison's wife, Pattie. Unfortunately, personal struggles and career demands on the guitarist led to a major heroin addiction. Derek and the Dominos crumbled during the course of an American tour and cancelled an effort to record a second album. [...]
[...] In early 1963, Eric joined his first band, The Roosters. Shortly after the the band's downfall, he spent a month in the pop-oriented group Casey Jones and The Engineers. In October 1963, Keith Relf and Paul Samwell-Smith recruited Eric to become a member of The Yardbirds, an up and coming British rock band. At this time, Clapton had developed into quite a musician, and was the most talked about guitar player on the R&B pub circuit. The band's lineup would eventually boast all three British guitar heroes of the sixties: Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck. [...]
[...] The band split up after two final performances at London's Royal Albert Hall on November Early in 1969, Clapton united with Baker, bassist Rick Grech, and Traffic's Steve Winwood to record one album as Blind Faith, rock's original "supergroup." In support of the groups' self-titled album, Blind Faith began a sold-out, twenty-four-city American tour. However, the stress of the tour resulted in the demise of the band less than a year after its inauguration. In an attempt to secrete from his growing fame, Clapton began touring as a sideman with the group Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. While with this outfit, Eric was encouraged to sing and compose more by Delaney Bramlett. As a result, Eric's self-titled debut was released a few months later. [...]
[...] In 2005, Eric again revisited the past as he, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce re-united Cream for four very exclusive reunion shows at London's Royal Albert Hall. The concerts took place at the site where their farewell shows took place 37 years earlier, in November 1968. In October 2005, the men performed three additional concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden. Over his legendary career Eric has also contributed to several artists' albums over the decades. The most well known session occurred in September 1968, when he added guitar to George Harrison's composition, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on the album, The Beatles (best known as White Album”). [...]
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