Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton (born March 30, 1945, Surrey, England) is a British rock musician (composer, guitarist, vocalist). Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In the 1960s, Clapton played with the blues-rock bands John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, and Cream. Later, his musical style changed over time, but he always held to his blues roots. Clapton worked extensively as a solo and session musician. His nickname, "Slowhand," became the title of one of his most successful albums (1977). The most successful single of Clapton's entire solo career was his cover version of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff," which topped American charts in September 1974. Eric Clapton is one of the most respected and influential rock musicians. He is the only musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times: as a solo artist and as a member of the rock groups Cream and The Yardbirds. Clapton appears in second place after Jimi Hendrix on the list of the greatest guitarists of all time, reissued by Rolling Stone magazine in 2011; he also appears on the list of the greatest artists of all time compiled by the same magazine—both as a solo performer and as a member of the groups Cream and The Yardbirds. In the previous version of the list, he occupied fourth place after Hendrix, Duane Allman, and B.B. King.