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| Eric Clapton (b.1945) was, along with Jimi Hendrix, one of
the most influential guitarists in rock history. He took his initial
inspiration from the blues, especially the music of Robert Johnson. The
first band of note that he joined was the Yardbirds in 1963. He quit that
band when it started to become more pop oriented and joined John Mayall's
Bluesbreakers. With that group he was able to focus on blues exclusively and
he made a great album with them in 1966 that featured some fine guitar work.
When bassist Jack Bruce joined the group Clapton began to envision a trio of
virtuosic improvisers and the result was Cream, formed in 1966. With
Ginger Baker on drums, Bruce on bass, and Clapton on guitar it was the first
super-group. Unfortunately, tension between Bruce and Baker led to the
group's demise in late 1968. Clapton then formed another super-group with
keyboardist/vocalist Stevie Winwood. This group, Blind Faith, was even more
short-lived. After one album they disbanded late in 1969 and Clapton began
performing as a sideman with Delaney and Bonnie. Encouraged by Delaney to
develop his singing, Clapton released his first solo album in 1970. He also
formed a new band, Derek and the Dominoes that focused more on concise songs
and vocals while de-emphasizing extended solos. Around this time Clapton's
personal life was in a shambles. He was addicted to drugs and also in love
with George Harrison's wife Pattie. A period followed during which Clapton
didn't perform much. In 1974, after kicking his drug habit, his career
rebounded with the album 461 Ocean Avenue. In 1991, tragedy struck
Clapton when his four year old son fell out of a 53rd story window to his
death. Clapton's song "Tears of Heaven" was a heart-felt response to this
tragedy and it earned Clapton a Grammy award. More recently, the DVD/CD set
"One More Car, One More Rider" captured highlights fro a 2001 tour that
featured performances of many of Clapton's best known songs.
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