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Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton was born on 30 March 1945 in his grandparents’ home at 1 The Green, Ripley, Surrey, England. He was the son of 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton (b. 7 January 1929, d. March 1999) and Edward Walter Fryer (b. 21 March 1920, d. 1985), a 24-year-old Canadian soldier stationed in England during World War II. Before Eric was born, Fryer returned to his wife in Canada.

It was extraordinarily difficult for an unmarried 16-year-old to raise a child on her own in the mid-1940s. Pat’s parents, Rose and Jack Clapp, stepped in as surrogate parents and raised Eric as their own. Thus, he grew up believing his mother was his sister. His grandparents never legally adopted him, but remained his legal guardians until 1963. Eric’s last name comes from Rose’s first husband and Pat’s father, Reginald Cecil Clapton (d. 1933).

Eric’s mother, Pat, eventually married and moved to Canada and Germany as her husband, Frank McDonald, continued his military career. They had two girls and a boy. Eric’s half-brother, Brian, was killed in a road accident in 1974 at the age of 26. His half-sisters are Cheryl (b. May 1953) and Heather (b. September 1958).

Eric was raised in a musical household. His grandmother played piano and his uncle and mother both enjoyed listening to the sounds of the big bands. Pat later told Eric’s official biographer, Ray Coleman, that his father was a gifted musician, playing piano in several dance bands in the Surrey area.

Quiet and polite, he was characterized as an above- average student with an aptitude for art. But, from his earliest years in school, he realized something was not quite right when he wrote his name as “Eric Clapton” and his parents’ names as “Mr. and Mrs. Clapp”. At the age of nine, he learned the truth about his parentage when Pat returned to England with his six-year-old half brother for a visit. This singular event affected him deeply and was a defining moment in his life. He became moody and distant and stopped applying himself at school. Emotionally scarred by this event, Eric failed the all- important 11 Plus Exams. He was sent to St. Bede’s Secondary Modern School and two years later, entered the art branch of Holyfield Road School.

By 1958, Rock and Roll had exploded onto the world. For his 13th birthday, Eric asked for a guitar. Finding the inexpensive Spanish Hoya difficult to play, he put it aside. In 1961, when he was 16, Eric began studying at the Kingston College of Art on a one-year probation. He was expelled at the end of that time for lack of progress as he had not submitted enough work. The reason? Guitar playing and listening to the blues dominated his waking hours.

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Album Review

John Mayall: The First Generation 1965-1974

Read "The First Generation 1965-1974" reviewed by Maurizio Comandini


Se gli inglesi hanno soprannominato “The Godfather of the British Blues" l'imperturbabile John Mayall una ragione ci sarà... La malavita non c'entra nulla, per fortuna, ma c'entra tantissimo la buona musica e la capacità di organizzarla partendo da zero, o quasi. John Mayall è nato a Macclesfield, il 29 novembre del 1933. Siamo nello Cheshire, meno di trenta chilometri a sud di Manchester. Il padre è un chitarrista dilettante, appassionato di jazz e di blues e ...

Album Review

Mike Taylor: Trio, Quartet & Composer Revisited

Read "Trio, Quartet & Composer Revisited" reviewed by Vic Albani


Nella tomba numero 23588 del cimitero di Sutton Road di Southend on Sea, nell'Essex a circa 71 km da Londra è sepolto dal 1969 il corpo di Michael Ronald Taylor, conosciuto nel mondo con il nome di Mike e che i grandi appassionati di rock e pop forse ricordano quale autore di alcuni brani di un seminale lavoro dei Cream. Mai praticamente compreso per la sua grandezza—anche per il fatto di essere morto a soli 31 anni affogato ...

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Album Review

Mike Taylor: Trio, Quartet & Composer Revisited

Read "Trio, Quartet & Composer Revisited" reviewed by Chris May


Historical context: Extracts from the diary of Ron Rubin, one of two bassists, the other being Jack Bruce, on Mike Taylor's Trio (Lansdowne, 1967).... “Saturday 18th February 1967. UFO, Tottenham Court Road. 'Giant Sun Trolley' Happening, opposite the Soft Machine etc. Mike spent the evening lying comatose, rigid and immobile in the middle of the floor below the bandstand, dancers gyrating around him, his hands crossed on his chest. We played without him....Monday 28th August 1967. Ronnie Scott's ...

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Extended Analysis

The First Generation 1965-1974

Read "The First Generation 1965-1974" reviewed by John Kelman


What do guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Jon Mark, Harvey Mandel and Freddy Robinson, reed/woodwind multi-instrumentalists John Almond, Ray Warleigh, Alan Skidmore, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Red Holloway and Ernie Watts, bassists John McVie, Jack Bruce, Andy Fraser, Tony Reeves, Stephen Thompson and Larry Taylor, drummers Mick Fleetwood, Keef Hartley, Aynsley Dunbar, Jon Hiseman and Collin Allen, trumpeters Henry Lowther and Blue Mitchell, and violinist Don “Sugarcane" Harris all share in common? They are but a few of the notable ...

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Album Review

Cream: Goodbye Tour Live 1968

Read "Goodbye Tour Live 1968" reviewed by Doug Collette


Goodbye Tour Live 1968 is a snapshot of Cream's adieu to the world, but a panoramic one nonetheless. Housed in a glossy nine and a half-inch by ten slipcase boasting a group photo identical to its namesake title, the inlay with four CD's accompanies a sixty-six page book wherein factual and passionate prose from David Fricke, replications of memorabilia in the form of sales charts and posters from this final road jaunt plus reprints of music journalism of the time ...

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Live Review

Eric Clapton at Wiener Stadthalle

Read "Eric Clapton at Wiener Stadthalle" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski


Eric Clapton Wiener Stadthalle Vienna, Austria June 6, 2019 In his hands is the instrument of eternal damnation and salvation and a passage ticket either in hell or heaven. He is a master guitarist and a mythical beast whose songs and guitar virtuosity have elicited the entire spectrum of human emotions for the past 60 years. Ever since Eric Clapton emerged in the early '60s he has created a fluid and dynamic body ...

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Album Review

Eric Clapton: Life In 12 Bars: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Read "Life In 12 Bars: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" reviewed by Doug Collette


There's no scarcity of anthologies devoted to the span of Eric Clapton's work throughout his career, so there's a danger the soundtrack to Lili Fini Zanuck's documentary, Life in 12 Bars, will immediately seem redundant. Yet this companion piece to the film is perfectly complementary, deceptively discerning collection, even apart from the previously-unreleased items it contains. And while none of those five tracks are all that illuminating on their own terms, each serves the function, as means to the end ...

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Recording

Eric Clapton "Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013" Available On DVD, Blu-Ray And, For The First Time, On CD

Eric Clapton "Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013" Available On DVD, Blu-Ray And, For The First Time, On CD

Source: 1888 Media

Rhino Presents Highlights From Eric Clapton’s Ultimate Guitar-Concert Event On DVD And Blu-Ray Sets And, For The First Time, On CD Includes Performances By Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers Band, Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Keith Richards, Los Lobos, Vince Gill, And More All Versions Available On November 19 LOS ANGELES, CA – Last spring in New York City, Eric Clapton once again assembled an unparalleled lineup of the world’s most celebrated guitarists for the fourth ...

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Recording

Eric Clapton Unplugged Gets Amplified With 2-CD/DVD Collection

Eric Clapton Unplugged Gets Amplified With 2-CD/DVD Collection

Source: 1888 Media

Expanded And Remastered Version Of Eric Clapton’s Multi-Grammy Winning, Diamond-Certified Album Features Unreleased Music And Previously Unseen Rehearsal Footage 2-CD/DVD Collection Available October 15 LOS ANGELES, CA – Eric Clapton was already an acknowledged master of the electric guitar in January 1992 when he traded his signature Stratocaster for an acoustic Martin to record Unplugged. The live album captured the legendary guitarist, backed by a small band, performing acoustic versions of his own songs and several blues standards. Released later ...

Recording

Eric Clapton's "Give Me Strength: The 1974/75 Recordings" 6-Disc Box Due November 26

Eric Clapton's "Give Me Strength: The 1974/75 Recordings" 6-Disc Box Due November 26

Source: Universal Music Group

In early 1974, after a three-year absence that followed Eric Clapton’s major success with Derek and the Dominos’ seminal album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, which sealed his stature as one of rock's most revered guitarists, a rejuvenated and musically refreshed Clapton stepped into the recording studio and staged a massive resurgence with his 1974/1975 trilogy of albums — 461 Ocean Boulevard, which featured his first No. 1 hit single “I Shot The Sheriff,” There's One In Every Crowd ...

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Recording

SoundCloud Grabs Exclusive Unreleased Paul McCartney with Eric Clapton [listen]

SoundCloud Grabs Exclusive Unreleased Paul McCartney with Eric Clapton [listen]

Source: HypeBot

SoundCloud is hosting the first track from Paul McCartney's upcoming album, a month before its official release next year. 'My Valentine,' featuring a guest appearance from Eric Clapton, will debut on the platform's newly released HTML5 player. LISTEN:

Announced officially yesterday, Paul McCartney returns with a brand new album on 6th February 2012 through Hear Music/Concord Records. With the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band—as well as guest appearances from Stevie Wonder and ...

143

Recording

Eric Clapton - Me and Mr. Johnson (2004)

Eric Clapton - Me and Mr. Johnson (2004)

Source: Something Else!

By Mark Saleski The next statement I make isn't gonna win a lot of friends and influence in the rock music fan world but, well ... here goes nothin': I've never liked British blues all that much. John Mayall, the Yardbirds and all that. Yeah, they could play all right ... but they just never hit the resonant frequency of my blues-music receptor cells. I do have to give some of them credit though. I mean, the Rolling Stones knew ...

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TV / Film

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues; In Theaters Sept 7; CD+DVD Sept 13

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues; In Theaters Sept 7; CD+DVD Sept 13

Source: 1888 Media

New York City's premier jazz venue got the blues last April when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center for two sold-out shows dedicated to vintage blues. The extraordinary collaboration, billed as Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues, paired these musical virtuosos with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as they brought to life a repertoire of songs selected by Clapton and ...

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Event

Wynton Marsalis And Eric Clapton Play The Blues Erupts Onto The Big Screen Featuring Sold-Out Performance From Jazz At Lincoln Center

Wynton Marsalis And Eric Clapton Play The Blues Erupts Onto The Big Screen Featuring Sold-Out Performance From Jazz At Lincoln Center

Source: 1888 Media

One-Night Concert In-Theater Event Presented by NCM Fathom and Reprise Records in Nearly 550 Select Theaters Nationwide on September 7 Centennial, CO—Grammy Award® winning artists Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton will offer fans a spellbinding evening of blues and jazz in Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play the Blues, a one-night in-theater concert event broadcast to nearly 550 movie theaters nationwide on Wednesday, September 7, at 7:30 p.m. local time. The concert also includes a special appearance by blues musician ...

166

Recording

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues - Live From Jazz At Lincoln Center

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues - Live From Jazz At Lincoln Center

Source: 1888 Media

Reprise Records Presents Highlights From The Duo's Unprecedented, Sold-Out Jazz at Lincoln Center Performances; Also Features Special Guest Appearance By Taj Mahal Available September 13 On CD And CD/DVD LOS ANGELES—New York City's premier jazz venue got the blues last April when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center for two sold-out shows dedicated to vintage blues. The extraordinary collaboration, billed as Wynton Marsalis & Eric ...

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Performance / Tour

Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Coming to a Theater Near You

Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Coming to a Theater Near You

Source: Groove Notes

Music superstars Eric Clapton and Wynton Marsalis got together last April for a concert at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City. The concert featured songs hand-picked by Eric Clapton, then arranged by Marsalis, and included highlights such as a guest appearance by Taj Mahal.

While the concert will be released on September 13th on a CD/DVD combo pack (Warner Brothers, CLICK HERE TO BUY), there is an even better opportunity to hear this show for those ...

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Contest

Win a Chance to Meet Eric Clapton

Win a Chance to Meet Eric Clapton

Source: JamBase

GRAND PRIZE INCLUDES VIP ACCESS TO PRIVATE REHEARSAL, BACKSTAGE MEET-AND-GREET, TICKETS TO ROYAL ALBERT HALL SHOW, AND FREE FLIGHT/HOTEL PACKAGE Ernie Ball Inc., the world's premier string, accessory and instrument manufacturer and creators of the iconic Slinky guitar string, has announced Ernie Ball Presents Experience Clapton and the Ernie Ball Eric Clapton Golden Pick, giving Ernie Ball customers nationwide a rare opportunity to meet Eric Clapton in London or win one of thousands of exciting prizes instantly. Fifteen grand prize ...

Jamey Arent
guitar
Tony Song
guitar
Walt Pitts
guitar and vocals
Shambhu
guitar, acoustic
Stuart Redd
guitar
Uffe Steen
guitar, electric
TC Rothell
guitar
Guy Lee
guitar
The Jazz Kings
band / ensemble / orchestra

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Trio, Quartet &...

Ezz-thetics
2021

buy

Goodbye Tour Live 1968

Universal Music Group
2020

buy

Life In 12 Bars:...

Universal Music Enterprises
2018

buy

Clapton

Reprise
2010

buy

Videos

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