Eric Clapton

Described as

British musician

Other names

Eric Patrick Clapton, Slowhand

Born

March 30, 1945 · 11 references

Born in

Ripley · 1 reference

Name at birth

Eric Patrick Clapton

Citizen of

United Kingdom; United States · 1 reference

Occupation

guitarist · 1 reference; singer-songwriter; composer · 1 reference; jazz musician; singer · 1 reference; recording artist; musician · 1 reference

Education

Kingston University; The Hollyfield School and Sixth Form Centre

Member of

Cream (1966–1968); The Yardbirds (1963–1965); John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers (1965–1966); Blind Faith (1969); Derek and the Dominos (1970–1971); The Dirty Mac; All-Stars

Genre

rock music; blues; blues rock; psychedelic rock; jazz fusion · 1 reference; hard rock · 1 reference

Instrument

guitar · 1 reference; voice · 1 reference; keyboard instrument

Record label

Warner Bros. Records; Atco Records; Polydor Records

Awards

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2000) · 1 reference; Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2004); Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2006); Silver Clef Award; Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎ (2017); British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Original Music (1986)

Spouse

Pattie Boyd (1979–1989); Melia McEnery (2002–)

Children

Conor Clapton

Website

https://ericclapton.com; http://www.ericclapton.com/

Wikipedias with a page

100

Wikidata item Q48187 (wikidata.org/wiki/Q48187), public domain (CC0). Copied November 13, 2026.

Eric Patrick Clapton (born 30 March 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". He was named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009.
After playing in a number of different local bands, Clapton joined the Yardbirds from 1963 to 1965, and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1965 to 1966. After leaving Mayall, he formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop". After four successful albums, Cream broke up in November 1968. Clapton then formed the blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood, and Ric Grech, recording one album and performing on one tour before they broke up. Clapton then toured with Delaney & Bonnie and recorded his first solo album in 1970, before forming Derek and the Dominos with Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon. Like Blind Faith, the band only lasted one album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, which includes "Layla", one of Clapton's signature songs.
Clapton continued to record a number of successful solo albums and songs over the next several decades, including a 1974 cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" (which helped reggae reach a mass market), the country-infused Slowhand album (1977) and the pop rock of 1986's August. Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song "Tears in Heaven", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and appeared on his Unplugged album. In 1996 he had another top-40 hit with the R&B crossover "Change the World". In 1998, he released the Grammy award-winning "My Father's Eyes". Since 1999, he has recorded a number of traditional blues and blues rock albums and hosted the periodic Crossroads Guitar Festival. His latest studio album, Meanwhile, was released in 2024.
Clapton has received 18 Grammy Awards as well as the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004, he was awarded a CBE for services to music. He has received four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream. In his solo career, he has sold 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In 1998, Clapton, recovering from addiction himself, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for those recovering from substance abuse.

Born, in its opening lines

March 30, 1945

From the Wikipedia article “Eric Clapton” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Clapton), by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Copied November 13, 2026; not changed.