Clapton, Eric 1945- (Eric Patrick Clapp)

PERSONAL:

Born March 30, 1945, in Ripley, Surrey, England; son of Patricia Clapp and Edward Fryer (in the Canadian military); raised by grandparents John and Rose Clapp; married Patti Boyd Harrison, March 27, 1979 (divorced, 1988); married Melia McEnery (a graphic artist), January 1, 2002; children: (second marriage) Julie Rose, Ella Mae, Sophie; (with Yvonne Kelly) Ruth; (with Lori Del Santo) Conor (deceased). Education: Attended Kingston College of Art, 1962.

ADDRESSES:

Home—England.

CAREER:

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Member of various bands, including the Roosters, Casey and the Engineers, The Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, and Derek and the Dominos, 1963-73; solo artist, 1974—; has appeared in various films and television programs. Composer of music for television and film. Has appeared in television programs and movies, including Tommy, 1975, Water, 1985, The Blues Brothers 2000, 1998, and episodes of Saturday Night Live. Producer of music television specials.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Grammy Award (corecipient), 1972, for album of the year The Concert for Bangladesh, 1988, for best historical collection Crossroads; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award (corecipient), 1986, for music in television miniseries Edge of Darkness; BMI Film Music Award (corecipient), 1990, for Lethal Weapon 2, 1993, for Lethal Weapon 3; six Grammy Awards including album of the year and song of the year, 1993, for Unplugged and "Tears in Heaven" Grammy Award for best traditional blues album, 1994, for From the Cradle; Emmy Award for outstanding cultural program, 1995, for In the Spotlight; Grammy Award for best male pop vocal, 1998, for "My Father's Eyes"; Grammy Award (with B.B. King) for best traditional blues album, 2000, for Riding with the King; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2000; Stevie Ray Vaughan (Allegro) Award, 2000; inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame, 2001; named Commander of the Order of the British Empire, 2003; many of Clapton's recordings have gone gold or platinum.

WRITINGS:

Clapton: The Autobiography, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2007.

SOUND RECORDINGS

(With The Yardbirds) Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds, Fontana, 1964.

(With The Yardbirds) For Your Love, Epic, 1965.

(With John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) Bluesbreakers, Decca, 1966.

(With Cream) Fresh Cream, Acto, 1966.

(With Cream) Disraeli Gears, Acto, 1967.

(With Cream) Wheels of Fire, Acto, 1968.

(With The Beatles) The Beatles, Capitol, 1968.

(With Cream) Goodbye, Acto, 1969.

(With Blind Faith) Blind Faith, Acto, 1969.

(With Cream) Cream Live, Acto, 1970.

(With Delaney and Bonnie and Friends) Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, with Eric Clapton, Polydor, 1970.

(With Cream) Cream Live 2, Acto, 1971.

(With Derek and the Dominos) Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Acto, 1971.

(With various artists) The Concert for Bangladesh, Acto, 1972.

(With Derek and the Dominos) Derek and the Dominos—Live in Concert, RSO, 1973.

Rainbow Concert, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1973.

461 Ocean Boulevard, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1974.

There's One in Every Crowd, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1975.

E.C. Was Here, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1975.

No Reason to Cry, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1976.

(With various artists) The Last Waltz, Acto, 1976.

Slowhand, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1977.

Backless, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1978.

Just One Night, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1980.

Another Ticket, RSO/Polygram/Polydor, 1981.

Time Pieces: The Best of Eric Clapton, RSO/ Polygram/Polydor, 1982.

Time Pieces II: Live in the Seventies, RSO/Polygram/ Polydor, 1982.

(With Cream) Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream, Polygram, 1983.

Money and Cigarettes, Warner/Reprise, 1983.

Behind the Sun, Warner/Reprise, 1985.

August, Warner/Reprise, 1986.

Lethal Weapon (soundtrack), Warner/Reprise, 1987.

Crossroads, Acto, 1988.

Journeyman, Warner/Reprise, 1989.

Lethal Weapon 2 (soundtrack), Warner/Reprise, 1990.

24 Nights, Warner/Reprise, 1991.

Unplugged, Warner/Reprise, 1992.

Lethal Weapon 3 (soundtrack), Warner/Reprise, 1992.

Rush (soundtrack), Warner/Reprise, 1992.

From the Cradle, Warner/Reprise, 1994.

(With Derek and the Dominos) Live at the Fillmore, Polydor, 1994.

Rainbow Concert, Polydor, 1995.

Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies, Polydor, 1996.

Live in Montreux, ITM, 1997.

Pilgrim (also known as Lethal Weapon 4), Reprise, 1998.

Riding with the King, Reprise, 2000.

Reptile, Reprise, 2001.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, Reprise, 2004.

(With The Yardbirds) Early Years, Acto, 2004.

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection, Acto, 2004.

Also contributor of songs to other films, including Tommy, The Last Walz, Private Lessons, Back to the Future, Space Camp, The American Way, The Color of Money, Homeboy, Communion: A True Story, Immediate Family, GoodFellas, Rush, Peter's Friends, Wayne's World, Malice, Georgia, The Van, City of Angels, Patch Adams, Runaway Bride, and The Story of Us.

FILM SCORES

(With Cream) Pacific Vibrations, Acto, 1970.

Mean Streets, Warner, 1973.

(With Brian Ahern and Van Morrison) Slipstream, Pacific Rim, 1974.

Eric Clapton and His Rolling Hotel, Acto, 1980.

(With Paco de Lucia) The Hit (title music), Island Alive, 1985.

(With Michael Kamen) Lethal Weapon, Warner, 1987.

(With Michael Kamen) Homeboy, Twentieth Century Fox, 1988.

(With Allan Zavod) Communion: A True Story, New Line Cinema, 1989.

(With Michael Kamen and David Sanborn) Lethal Weapon 2, Warner, 1989.

Rush, MGM/Pathe, 1991.

(With Michael Kamen and David Sanborn) Lethal Weapon 3, Warner, 1992.

Heat, Warner, 1995.

The Van, Fox Searchlight, 1996.

Nil by Mouth, Twentieth Century Fox, 1997.

The Accountant, Over the Edge Films, 1999.

The Story of Us, Universal, 1999.

SIDELIGHTS:

Singer, songwriter, and blues-rock guitarist Eric Clapton was born Eric Patrick Clapp in England. The illegitimate son of Patricia Clapp and Canadian soldier Edward Fryer, he was raised by his maternal grandparents and, until he was nine, he believed they were his parents. Clapton received his first guitar as a gift for his thirteenth birthday. As he learned to play, he was heavily influenced by American music, particularly the blues. When he flunked out of art school at seventeen, he moved to London and began to play in clubs. Clapton performed with a number of minor bands before he joined The Yardbirds in 1963, and it was with that group that he first gained fame. By 1965, however, he had left the band because it was moving toward pop music and away from blues. He joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, where he could pursue his interest in developing a deeper blues sound. The band's album with Clapton, released in 1966, rose to number six on the British pop charts. Clapton's name began to appear in graffiti around the city, proclaiming him a god.

Clapton formed Cream in July, 1966, along with bass player Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. His ambition was to create an entirely new sound, something that meshed his love of blues with more popular styles and that would stand out as something fresh. The group released three albums in fairly quick succession: Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, and Wheels of Fire. Combined with a major U.S. tour, their efforts catapulted them to the top of the charts and put their popularity on par with fellow British bands such as The Rolling Stones. When the band parted ways in 1968, their final album, Goodbye, hit the number two spot in the United States.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Clapton played with a number of other groups. He also began to experiment heavily with drugs, developing a serious heroin problem that he only managed to shake following the deaths of two close friends in drug-related incidents. He began releasing solo albums, first Eric Clapton, and then after kicking his drug habit, 461 Ocean Boulevard. Much of his music during this period was inspired by his relationship with Patti Hanson, whom he eventually married. Although he had put heroin behind him, Clapton began drinking heavily, and this new addiction wore away at both his marriage and his career.

By the late 1980s, Clapton was sober again. He had a new relationship and a baby son, Conor, with actress Lori Del Santo. He released his boxed set, Crossroads, which met with both critical and popular success, as well as the album Journeyman. The year 1990 marked the beginning of a tragic stretch in Clapton's life, however. He lost several friends and band members to accidents, and then four-year-old Conor fell to his death out a window of Clapton's New York City apartment. The loss crippled Clapton emotionally, though it eventually led him to write one of his most emotional and personal songs, "Tears in Heaven." The song was featured in the film Rush and also on Unplugged, Clapton's acoustical album that went on to sweep the Grammy Awards in 1993. This period also marked a return to Clapton's early, signature blues sound, which is also evident on his next album, From the Cradle.

Through the 1990s and into the 2000s, Clapton has continued to release successful albums. In March, 2000, he was honored as the first artist to be a triple inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, earning a place for his solo career after earlier being inducted as a member of both The Yardbirds, in 1992, and Cream, in 1993. In 2002 he married graphic artist Melia McEnery. The couple has three daughters, in addition to Clapton's children from several previous relationships. Clapton: The Autobiography was published in 2007. In it, the artist chronicles his chaotic, successful career, offering readers an inside look into the mind of the singer/songwriter. The book is also an examination of a man dealing with drugs, fame, and the struggle to rein in his own ego for the betterment of his career and his life. Although Clap- ton's life is fascinating, a number of reviewers felt that his lack of writing skills detract from his story. David Hyland, for example, remarked on the Boston Channel Web site that "Clapton somehow took a life of 62 years, overflowing with artistic success and rock-star glamour, and [made] it seem terribly drab." Los Angeles Times critic Erik Himmelsbach, however, considered content over style, commenting that "whether you're a fan of his music or not, Clapton is an absorbing tale of artistry, decadence and redemption. It's also an important reminder of the guitarist's imprint on rock music, as a sideman, solo artist and bandleader."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Clapton, Eric, Clapton: The Autobiography, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 11, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1994.

Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Volume 39, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2002.

St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 2000.

PERIODICALS

America's Intelligence Wire, November 3, 2004, "Eric Clapton Goes to Buckingham Palace to Receive Honor"; October 6, 2006, "AP Exclusive: Eric Clapton Talks about Fame, Age and Lost Friends."

Billboard, December 18, 1993, "Eric Clapton," p. 55; December 18, 1993, "Eric Clapton: The Complete Discography," p. 76; December 10, 1994, "Special Award to Honor Clapton," p. 44.

Chicago Tribune, October 14, 2007, "Clapton Autobiography Nearly Tells All."

Christian Science Monitor, February 26, 1993, "Grammy Night Belongs to Clapton," p. 14.

Current Biography, June, 1987, "Eric Clapton," p. 6.

Detroit Free Press, October 23, 2007, "Slowhand's Autobiography: Sex, Drugs and Boredom."

Entertainment Weekly, February 19, 1993, "Red Hot & Blues," p. 30; March 19, 1999, "A Father's Tragic Loss: After His Young Son Died in an Accident Eight Years Ago, Eric Clapton Turned His Grief into Music," p. 118; October 12, 2007, "Slowhand Writing." p. 78.

Glamour, September, 2007, "Behind the Music."

Guitar Player, July, 1985, "Clapton Family Tree," p. 20; July, 1985, "Clapton Gallery," p. 22; July, 1985, "Reflections on Eric Clapton," p. 26; July, 1985, "The Eric Clapton Story," p. 10; August, 1988, "Clapton at the Crossroads," p. 64; November, 1994, "Eric Clapton: ‘My Long Overdue Testament to the Blues,’" p. 89; June, 1995, "Slow Hand's Blues: The Roots of Eric Clapton," p. 46.

Hollywood Reporter, August 13, 2007, review of Clapton, p. 18.

Houston Chronicle, October 28, 2007, "Clapton Plays His Life Like a Guitar; For Its Unflinching Honesty and Insight, This Could Be the Best Rocker Autobiography Ever Written," p. 15.

Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2007, "Eric Clapton."

Library Journal, September 1, 2007, Dave Szatmary, review of Clapton, p. 138.

Los Angeles Times, February 25, 1993, "Clapton's 6 Grammys Top Emotional Tribute," p. 1.

New York Times, February 25, 1993, "Eric Clapton Wins 6 Grammys with His ‘Unplugged’ Album," p. 15; October 7, 2007, "A Guitar God's Memories, Demons and All," p. 23.

New York Times Book Review, October 28, 2007, "Slowhand," p. 10.

People, March 1, 1993, "Eric Clapton," p. 85; October 15, 2007, "Books," p. 55.

Publishers Weekly, August 20, 2007, review of Clapton, p. 59.

Rolling Stone, June 20, 1985, "Eric Clapton: The Rolling Stone Interview," p. 33; August 25, 1988, "Eric Clapton," p. 26; May 2, 1991, "Clapton's Son Dies in Fall," p. 17; October 17, 1991, "Eric Clapton," p. 42; October 15, 1992, "Eric Clapton," p. 126; April 29, 1993, "In His Own Words," p. 34; April 29, 1993, "Living on Blues Power," p. 30; April 1, 2004, "Playing with His Legend," p. 41.

Time, March 8, 1993, "We're Going to Party Like It's 1969," p. 75.

UPI NewsTrack, November 3, 2004, "Eric Clapton Receives British CBE."

USA Today, September 1, 2005, "The Best of Eric Clapton," p. 3; November 14, 2007, "Rockers Chronicle Their Rocky Roads of Fame," p. 3.

Vanity Fair, June, 2004, "Eric Clapton: From His Early Days in the Yardbirds and Cream to His Current Status as Guitar Icon and Bluesman Extraordinaire, Eric Clapton Has Released More Than 40 Albums over the Course of His 40-year Career," p. 236.

Washington Post, February 25, 1993, "Wonderful Tonight: Eric Clapton's Grammys; Legendary Rock Guitarist Wins Big, along with ‘Beauty and the Beast,’" p. 1.

Wisconsin State Journal, October 21, 2007, "Book Review: Eric Clapton Writes about His Life as a Rock Star and Recovering Alcoholic."

ONLINE

Boston Channel Web site,http://www.thebostonchannel.com/ (November 8, 2007), David Hyland, review of Clapton.

Bullz-Eye,http://www.bullz-eye.com/ (January 17, 2008), Jeff Giles, review of Clapton.

CNN Transcripts Web site,http://transcripts.cnn.com/ (October 12, 2007), "CNN Larry King Live."

Curled Up with a Good Book,http://www.curledup.com/ (January 17, 2008), Steven Rosen, review of Clapton.

Eric Clapton MySpace Page,http://www.myspace.com/ericclapton (January 17, 2008).

Internet Music Database,http://www.imdb.com/ (January 17, 2008), Eric Clapton biography.

London Telegraph Online,http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ (August 20, 2005), Robert Sandall, "From Sex and Drugs to Domestic Bliss."

Los Angeles Times Online,http://www.latimes.com/ (October 9, 2007), Erik Himmelsbach, review of Clapton.

MSNBC Web site,http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/ (October 9, 2007), Dan Fleschner, "Clapton Reflects on Stardom, Regrets"; Mike Celizic, "Clapton Opens up about Life, Love, Music, and Drugs."

PopMatters,http://www.popmatters.com/ (August 3, 2007), Greg Kot, "Down at the Crossroads: An Interview with Eric Clapton."

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Web site,http://www.rockhall.com/ (January 17, 2008), Eric Clapton biography.

Star Online,http://www.thestar.com/ (November 4, 2007), Nick Krewen, "Guitar God, Mortal Man."

Times on Sunday Online,http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ (October 14, 2007), Robert Sandall, review of Clapton.

What's on Winnipeg Web site,http://www.whatsonwinnipeg.com/ (November 18, 2007), John Einarson, review of Clapton.

Where's Eric?,http://www.whereseric.com (September 30, 2007), Eric Clapton biography.