Eric Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter from Ripley, United Kingdom, born in 1945. He works across blues, blues rock, rock and soft rock, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in rock music.

Early career and bands

Clapton plays in a long sequence of groups that includes the Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie and Derek and the Dominos. He also appears with Plastic Ono Band, Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse, The Secret Police, The Louisiana Gator Boys, T.D.F., Legends, The Singing Rebels’ Band, Eric Clapton And His Band, Sean Head Showband, Eric Clapton & His All Star Band, The Chester Bees, George's Band and Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes. Before joining the Yardbirds in 1963, he plays in a number of local bands. He remains with the Yardbirds until 1965, then plays with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1965 to 1966.

Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos

After leaving Mayall, Clapton forms Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce. In Cream, he plays sustained blues improvisations alongside blues-based psychedelic pop. The group records four successful albums before breaking up in November 1968. He then forms Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech; the band records one album and completes one tour before splitting. Clapton later tours with Delaney & Bonnie, records his first solo album in 1970, and then forms Derek and the Dominos with Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon. That band also lasts for one album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, which includes “Layla”, one of his signature songs.

Solo work

Clapton continues with a solo career over several decades. His recordings include a 1974 cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff”, the country-influenced Slowhand in 1977, and the pop rock album August in 1986. After the death of his son Conor in 1991, he channels his grief into “Tears in Heaven”, which appears on Unplugged. He later has a top-40 hit with the R&B crossover “Change the World” in 1996 and releases “My Father’s Eyes” in 1998. Since 1999, he records traditional blues and blues rock albums and hosts the Crossroads Guitar Festival. His most recent studio album is Happy Xmas from 2018.

Awards and recognition

Clapton ranks 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. In 2023, Rolling Stone names him the 35th best guitarist of all time, and Time places him fifth in its list of the 10 Best Electric Guitar Players in 2009. He receives 18 Grammy Awards, the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, and four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, he is awarded a CBE for services to music.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and other work

Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recognised as a solo artist and as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. In 1998, as a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, he founds the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for people recovering from substance abuse. His solo career sales exceed 280 million records worldwide.