Rock Legends

Rock Legends

Eric Clapton was born in 1945 in the town of Ripley Surrey. His father was a Canadian soldier who had been stationed in the UK but had to return to his wife in Canada as the Second World War closed. With his father missing, Clapton was brought up by his grandparents, who acted as his parents, whilst his young mother pretended to be his sister. He did not find out the truth until he was nine Clapton found solace in his unusual childhood in American 50s rock and roll that had exploded in the UK and although artists like Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly made an impact, it was blues artists like Freddie King, Buddy Guy and B B King, that would be the biggest influence on the developing guitar player. The greatest influence of all though, was the legendary Robert Johnson, who Clapton would call the most important blues singer who ever lived and to whom he would dedicate an entire album much later in his career. Clapton honed his craft playing gigs in both Richmond and the West End of London. After making a name for himself with his talents, he was asked to join the Yardbirds after the previous guitarist had left. The Yardbirds found success with their first studio album, For Your Love, but Clapton himself would leave after just two years. The band would become music legend though, due to the incredible line-up of guitarists that would follow in Clapton’s footsteps. Clapton’s decision to leave the Yardbirds was out of a determination not to go down a pop-oriented path and to remain committed to the blues He quickly moved on to the aptly-named John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers Clapton’s time in the Bluesbreakers would last mere months though. He had befriended drummer Ginger Baker and together with bassist and singer Jack Bruce, they decided to form arguably the world’s first super-group, Cream Cream became a global success and Clapton’s reputation as the undisputed king of rock guitar seemed safe until a fan, going by the name of Jimi Hendrix asked if he could join Cream on stage for a jam. His performance antics and guitar skills made Clapton leave the stage, asking Jimi’s manager, “Is he always this good?” Despite their musical rivalry Clapton and Hendrix became friends. There was mutual admiration between the two right up until Hendrix’s untimely death. Clapton said that his death hit him hard Cream began to fall apart at the end of the 1960s and they released their aptly-titled farewell album, Goodbye His biggest hit to date would come with the cover of Bob Marley’s I Shot The Sheriff, which his management convinced him to include on 461 Ocean Boulevard. The cover reached number one on the Billboard charts Clapton has continued to release new studio albums and to tour extensively. His long list of former band mates has meant he has had many people to re-join on stage. He has even performed with Jeff Beck, the man who replaced him in the Yardbirds Featuring archive material, music videos “Blue Eyes Blue” “My Father’s Eyes”and, exclusive insights from music critics and journalists Michael Bonner (Uncut Magazine), Hamish MacBain (Shortlist), John Aizlewood (Evening Standard) Rock Legends Eric Clapton tells the story of one of Britain’s enduring rock stars