Claim: Blind Faith was a blues rock band founded by and composed of English blues and rock stars.

Eric Patrick Clapton , -LRB- born 1945 -RRB- , is an English rock and blues guitarist , singer , and songwriter . He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream . Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time . Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone magazine 's list of the `` 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time '' and fourth in Gibson 's `` Top 50 Guitarists of All Time '' . He was also named number five in Time magazine 's list of `` The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players '' in 2009 .   In the mid-1960s Clapton left the Yardbirds to play with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers . Immediately after leaving Mayall , Clapton formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce , in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and `` arty , blues-based psychedelic pop '' . Furthermore , he formed blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker , Steve Winwood , and Ric Grech . For most of the 1970s Clapton 's output bore the influence of the mellow style of J. J. Cale and the reggae of Bob Marley . His version of Marley 's `` I Shot the Sheriff '' helped reggae reach a mass market . Two of his most popular recordings were `` Layla '' , recorded with Derek and the Dominos ; and Robert Johnson 's `` Crossroads '' , recorded with Cream . Following the death of his son Conor in 1991 , Clapton 's grief was expressed in the song `` Tears in Heaven '' , which was featured on his Unplugged album .   Clapton has been the recipient of 18 Grammy Awards , and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music . In 2004 he was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music . In 1998 , Clapton , a recovering alcoholic and drug addict , founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua , a medical facility for recovering substance abusers .