How did Eric Clapton get his nickname, Slowhand? How did Eric Clapton get his nickname, Slowhand? The Yardbirds’ manager, Giorgio Gomelsky, gave Eric Clapton the nickname “Slowhand” in early 1964. The Yardbirds rhythm guitarist, Chris Dreja, recalled that whenever Eric Clapton broke a guitar string during a concert, Eric would stay on stage and replace it. The English audiences would wait out the delay by doing a “slow handclap”. [The British colloquialism is "to be given the slowhand".] Clapton told his official biographer, Ray Coleman, in the mid-80s that “My nickname of 'Slowhand' came from Giorgio Gomelsky. He coined it as a good pun. He kept saying I was a fast player, so he put together the slow handclap phrase into 'Slowhand' as a play on words.” In a June 1999 online chat, Clapton gave a slightly different version of how his nickname came about: “I think it might have been a play on words from the “Clap” part of my name.

In England, in sport, if the crowd is getting anxious, we have a slow handclap, which indicates boredom or frustration. But it wasn’t my idea it was someone else’s comment.” In Clapton - The Autobiography (2007), Eric had this to say, "On my guitar I used light-gauge guitar strings, with a very thin first string, which made it easier to bend the notes, and it was not uncommon during the most frenetic bits of playing for me to break at least one string. During the pause while I was changing my string, the frenzied audience would often break into a slow handclap, inspiring Giorgio to dream up the nickname of 'Slowhand' Clapton." NEXT SHOWS Eric Clapton - Guitarist, Songwriter, Singer - Biography.com Eric Clapton Guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton's 1992 single "Tears in Heaven" became a top five hit. It was written about the death of his son.

IN THESE GROUPS Famous People Born in Surrey quotes “People who tend to go after money as a solution for whatever they feel they lack had better be careful what they pray for, because they just may get it.” Eric Clapton Eric Clapton - The Band's Influence (TV-PG; 1:37) Eric Clapton recalls having his world turned upside down upon hearing the album, "Music from Big Pink," by The Band. Synopsis Born on March 30, 1945, in Surrey, England, Eric Clapton is ranked among the greatest rock and roll guitarists of all time, with songs such as "Layla," "Crossroads" and "Wonderful Tonight." Early Life One of the great rock and roll guitarists of all time, Eric Patrick Clapton was born March 30, 1945, in Ripley, Surrey, England. Clapton's mother, Patricia Molly Clapton, was only 16 years old at the time of his birth; his father, Edward Walter Fryer, was a 24-year-old Canadian soldier stationed in the United Kingdom during World War II.

Fryer returned to Canada, where he was already married to another woman, before Clapton's birth. As a single teenage mother, Patricia Clapton was unprepared to raise a child on her own, so her mother and stepfather, Rose and Jack Clapp, raised Clapton as their own. Although they never legally adopted him, Clapton grew up under the impression that his grandparents were his parents and that his mother was his older sister. Clapton's last name comes from his grandfather, Patricia's father, Reginald Cecil Clapton. Eric Clapton grew up in a very musical household. His grandmother was a skilled pianist, and his mother and uncle both enjoyed listening to big-band music. As it turns out, Clapton's absent father was also a talented pianist who had played in several dance bands while stationed in Surrey. Around the age of eight, Clapton discovered the earth-shattering truth that the people he believed were his parents were actually his grandparents and that the woman he considered his older sister was in fact his mother.

Clapton later recalled, "The truth dawned on me, that when Uncle Adrian jokingly called me a little bastard, he was telling the truth." The young Clapton, until then a good student and well-liked boy, grew sullen and reserved and lost all motivation to do his schoolwork. He describes a moment shortly after learning the news of his parentage: "I was playing around with my grandma's compact, with a little mirror you know, and I saw myself in two mirrors for the first time and I don't know about you but it was like hearing your voice on a tape machine for the first... and I didn't, I, I was so upset. I saw a receding chin and a broken nose and I thought my life is over." Clapton failed the important 11-plus exams that determine admission to secondary school. However, he showed a high aptitude for art, so at the age of 13 he enrolled in the art branch of the Holyfield Road School. Musical Start By that time, 1958, rock and roll had exploded onto the British music scene; for his 13th birthday, Clapton asked for a guitar.

He received a cheap German-made Hoyer, and finding the steel-stringed guitar difficult and painful to play, he soon set it aside. At the age of 16, he gained acceptance into the Kingston College of Art on a one-year probation; it was there, surrounded by teenagers with musical tastes similar to his own, that Clapton really took to the instrument. Clapton was especially taken with the blues guitar played by musicians such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Alexis Korner, the last of whom inspired Clapton to buy his first electric guitar -- a relative rarity in England. It was also at Kingston that Clapton discovered something that would have nearly as great an impact on his life as the guitar: booze. He recalls that the first time he got drunk, at the age of 16, he woke up alone in the woods, covered in vomit and without any money. "I couldn't wait to do it all again," Clapton remembers. Unsurprisingly, Clapton was expelled from school after his first year. He later explained, "Even when you got to art school, it wasn't just a rock 'n' roll holiday camp. I got thrown out after a year for not doing any work.

That was a real shock. I was always in the pub or playing the guitar." Finished with school, in 1963 Clapton started hanging around the West End of London and trying to break into the music industry as a guitarist. That year, he joined his first band, The Roosters, but they broke up after only a few months. Next he joined the pop-oriented Casey Jones and The Engineers but left the band after just a few weeks. At this point, not yet making a living off his music, Clapton worked as a laborer at construction sites to make ends meet. Already one of the most respected guitarists on the West End pub circuit, in October 1963 Clapton received an invitation to join a band called the Yardbirds. With The Yardbirds, Clapton recorded his first commercial hits, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and "For Your Love," but he soon grew frustrated with the band's commercial pop sound and left the group in 1965. The two young guitarists who replaced Clapton in The Yardbirds, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, would also go on to rank among the greatest rock guitarists in history.

Making History Later in 1965, Clapton joined the blues band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, the next year recording an album called The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, which established Clapton's reputation as one of the great guitarists of the age. The album, which included songs such as "What'd I Say" and "Ramblin' on My Mind," is widely considered among the greatest blues albums of all time. Clapton's miraculous guitar-playing on the album also inspired his most flattering nickname, "God," popularized by a bit of graffiti on the wall of a London Tube station reading "Clapton is God." Despite the record's success, Clapton soon left the Bluesbreakers as well; a few months later, he teamed up with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker to form the rock trio Cream. Performing highly original takes on blues classics such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful," as well as modern blues tracks like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room," Clapton pushed the boundaries of blues guitar.

On the strength of three well-received albums, Fresh Cream (1966), Disraeli Gears (1967) and Wheels of Fire (1968), as well as extensive touring in the United States, Cream achieved international superstar status. Yet they, too, broke up after two final concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall, citing clashing egos as the cause. Hard Times After the breakup of Cream, Clapton formed yet another band, Blind Faith, but the group broke up after only one album and a disastrous American tour. Then, in 1970, he formed Derek and the Dominos, and went on to compose and record one of the seminal albums of rock history, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. A concept album about unrequited love, Clapton wrote Layla to express his desperate affection for Pattie Boyd, the wife of the Beatles' George Harrison. The album was critically acclaimed but a commercial failure, and in its aftermath a depressed and lonely Clapton deteriorated into three years of heroin addiction.

Clapton finally kicked his drug habit and reemerged onto the music scene in 1974 with two concerts at London's Rainbow Theater organized by his friend Pete Townshend of The Who. Later that year he released 461 Ocean Boulevard, featuring one his most popular singles, a cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff." The album marked the beginning of a remarkably prolific solo career during which Clapton produced notable album after notable album. Highlights include No Reason to Cry (1976), featuring "Hello Old Friend"; Slowhand (1977), featuring "Cocaine" and "Wonderful Tonight"; and Behind the Sun (1985), featuring "She's Waiting" and "Forever Man." Despite his great musical productivity during these years, Clapton's personal life remained in woeful disarray. In 1979, five years after her divorce from his friend George Harrison, Pattie Boyd (of "Layla" fame) finally did marry Eric Clapton. However, by this time Clapton had simply replaced his heroin addiction with alcoholism, and his drinking placed a constant strain on their relationship.

He was an unfaithful husband and conceived two children with other women during their marriage. A yearlong affair with Yvonne Kelly produced a daughter, Ruth, in 1985, and an affair with Italian model Lory Del Santo led to a son, Conor, in 1986. Clapton and Boyd divorced in 1989. In 1991, Eric Clapton's son Conor died when he fell out of the window of his mother's apartment. The tragedy took a heavy toll on Eric Clapton and also inspired one of his most beautiful and heartfelt songs, "Tears in Heaven." New Beginnings In 1987, with the help of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, Clapton finally quit drinking and has remained sober ever since. Being sober for the first time in his adult life allowed Clapton to achieve the kind of personal happiness he had never known before. In 2002, he married Melia McEnery, and together they have three daughters, Julie Rose, Ella Mae and Sophie.

Ranked the fourth greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Clapton is an 18-time Grammy Award winner and the only triple inductee of the Rock and Roll of Fame (as a member of The Yardbirds, as a member of Cream and as a solo artist). He continues to record music and tour relentlessly while also performing extensive charity work. In 1998, he founded the Crossroads Centre, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. He published his autobiography in 2007. However, perhaps the most impressive achievement of Clapton's recent life is that he has finally moved past his days of drug addiction, alcoholism and womanizing, and settled into a happy and stable family life. "I am very happy," he said in a recent interview. "I think I've found a way to live as a result of all these near disasters, which keeps me remembering how fortunate I am and how lucky I am and how much of a responsibility I have to stay the way I am right now." Related Videos Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

Citation Information Eric Clapton Artistfacts Artistfacts Artistfacts for Eric Clapton He was born Eric Patrick Clapton in Ripley, Surrey, in 1945, the illegitimate son of Canadian soldier Edward Walter Fryer and 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton. Fryer returned to his wife in Canada before his son was born, and Clapton was brought up by his maternal grandparents, Rose and Jack Clapp, believing that his mother was his sister. His lack of identity is one reason he always related to the blues. Clapton has been a member of The Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominos. His nickname is "Slowhand," although he plays very fast. His manager started calling him that while he was touring with The Yardbirds in 1964. Clapton was famous for breaking strings because of his ridiculous bends. When he would go backstage to change strings the audience would start a slow hand clap until he returned. (thanks, Earl - NJ) He lived in a house in Miami on 461 Ocean Boulevard. The address became the name of one of his albums.

The Bee Gees later lived in that house. In 1991 his 4-year-old son Conor died when he fell out of a window at his mother's house in New York. His song " Tears In Heaven " is about Conor. Clapton is the only person inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times. He is in as a solo artist and as a member of Cream and The Yardbirds. Clapton did a lot of drugs and went into a depression in the early '70s. He was deeply affected by the deaths of Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, and the grandfather who raised him. According to his autobiography Clapton, his heroin addition at one point was costing him about $16,000 a week, and when he finally kicked that habit he turned to cocaine and alcohol. During his time with The Bluesbreakers and Cream, graffiti showed up around England saying: "Clapton Is God." This added to his legend. In 1979, he married Pattie Harrison. She was previously married to George Harrison, who remained good friends with Clapton.

Clapton declared his love for her on the Derek and the Dominos album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs in 1970, while she was still married to Harrison. Eric and Pattie divorced in 1988. In 1998, he opened a drug and alcohol rehab center in Antigua called Crossroads. Clapton always loved the island, and thought its serenity and isolation were a perfect place for a treatment program. He dated Sheryl Crow for about six months and was rumored to be inspiration for her song " My Favorite Mistake ," but Crow said that the song is not about him, as she doesn't feel that relationship was a mistake. Clapton has always had a very laid-back style when performing live. He did not want to look foolish jumping around the stage when he got older. In 1962, he went to Kingston Art College and studied stained-glass design. This is where he taught himself to play guitar. Along with Robert Cray, Clapton played with Stevie Ray Vaughan the night he died. Eric's tour manager, Peter Jackson, had traded flights with Vaughan because Stevie was in a big hurry to get back to their hotel.

Peter offered his seat to Stevie and took the next helicopter out. It was originally reported that Peter was killed because he was scheduled for that flight. For his North America 1995 Tour, Eric Clapton requested a special room be set up for his table football. Clapton idolized his uncle Adrian. The album Reptile is a sort of tribute to Adrian, who died in spring 2000. Clapton got his first guitar at age 15. Harvard University named an asteroid after him. His favorite guitar is a 1956 Stratocaster that he made from three other guitars. He convinced Jimmy Vaughn to continue his musical career after his brother Stevie Ray Vaughn died. Clapton married graphic designer Melia McEnery at a secret ceremony on New Year's Day, 2002. At the christening for their 6-month-old daughter, they had the minister marry them. Clapton has cited Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley as influences.

(thanks, Jonathan - Nahant, MA) Clapton was one of the first major musicians to use the wah-wah pedal, especially on the album Disraeli Gears. He inspired Jimi Hendrix to incorporate the wah-wah pedal into his music. Hendrix was a huge Cream fan. (thanks, Jason - St. Louis, MO) He has ties to both of the Allman brothers. He wrote the score to the film Rush (1991), which featured Gregg Allman; with the help of Gregg's brother Duane, Clapton recorded the album Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). (thanks, James - Tracy, CA) In her 2007 book Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me , Pattie Boyd explained that Clapton first started dating her younger sister, Paula, but tenaciously pursued Pattie and made his affections clear.

GUITAR/UKULELE : Eric Clapton FAQ All That's Left to Know About Slowhand Eric Clapton FAQ All That's Left to Know About Slowhand Price: Item Usually Leaves Our Warehouse Within 7 Business Days Description All That's Left to Know About Slowhand Series: FAQ Artist: Eric Clapton Author: David Bowling Eric Clapton has been a rock god for half a century. From busking on street corners and in local pubs to the raw blues of the Yardbirds, the rock/blues fusion of Cream, the guitar brilliance of Derek and the Dominoes, and the unforgettable songs of his solo career, he has proven his incomparable talent in the music world. His enduring presence has made him the subject of countless books, articles, reviews, websites, and gossip. Is there really anything new to learn about the man they call Slowhand? Eric Clapton FAQ combines the obvious, the well-known, the obscure, and the unknown into one place. It was not written as a definitive Clapton biography or a tell-all book that has the final say. It is, as the title suggests, a book of facts.

Clapton is one of those public figures we know much about, but he still seems to be partially shrouded in mystery. Sometimes the stories and facts about his life change and evolve, which is all a part of his mystique. Eric Clapton FAQ uncovers some of that mystery and celebrates his talent in an entertaining style. Packed with dozens of rare images, this book is must for Slowhand fans. Inventory #HL 00333097 Album - Slowhand (1977) Slowhand Next Time You See Her 3:59 Rating : 7/10 7 February 2008 I understand that it is sacrilegious to suggest that SLOWHAND isn’t one of Eric Clapton’s best albums. However, in my opinion, it is good album but hardly the classic work that some fans believe it to be. The material runs the gamut from excellent to fair. “Cocaine” by J.J. Cale is superb and some of the original material such as “The Core” and “Peaches and Diesel” are inspired but there are also songs included which are overrated and pedestrian.

The production by Glyn Johns does not sound very exceptional despite his (well deserved) reputation as first-rate producer. It was said that Johns enforced a more disciplined and rigid approach to recording and that Clapton chafed under the imposition after working closely with Tom Dowd for so many years. Dowd had a musician’s temperament and infinite patience in permitting the music to develop. His approach was perfect for the initially directionless Derek and the Dominos in the fall of 1970 and for Clapton’s return to the music scene in spring of 1974 after several years of exile. The sessions conducted at Olympic Studios in London could not have been further removed than the party-like atmosphere of Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California, where the previous studio album, NO REASON TO CRY, had been recorded. Clapton had become reacquainted with Johns when he participated in sessions for an album by Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane called ROUGH MIX and he enlisted the producer’s assistance with the recording of a new album. Clues regarding the tone of SLOWHAND were evident. Clapton frequently spoke of his admiration for both J.J.

Cale and Bob Dylan and during the previous year he had also spoken publicly of his admiration for Country & Western artist Don Williams with whom he made a public appearance at the Hammersmith Odeon providing dobro accompaniment. It is also no coincidence that “’Til The Rivers All Run Dry” by Williams had been included in the Townshend/Lane sessions produced by Johns. [NOTE: I recommend that you invest in ROUGH MIX by Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane. It is a very good album which is quite similar to SLOWHAND in many regards. It also features bassist Dave Markee and drummer Henry Spinetti who would both go on to work with Clapton in years to come.] Finally Clapton had signaled his intent to record a romantic ballad on his next project when he recorded a demo version of “Wonderful Tonight” with Ronnie Lane in September 1976. Generally speaking the musicians (Terry, Radle, Oldaker, and Sims) sound more subdued and laid-back than on previous albums. At times the band sounds energetic and yet at other times tepid and uninspired. Interestingly enough live tracks from this same period reveal them to fine form.

Second guitarist George Terry, as always, is tasteful and unobtrusive, and keyboardist Dick Sims has some fine moments on the album but the rhythm section of bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jamie Oldaker sound flat. This is particularly disappointing as Carl Radle displays little of the musical chops that made him one of the world’s premier bass guitarists back in the days of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, Clapton’s 1970 debut solo album and legendary Derek and the Dominos. Jamie Oldaker, regarded by many as one of the finest Clapton drummers, employs a minimalist approach on many of the tracks and fails to generate either excitement or tension. Yvonne Elliman is virtually non-existent on the album which is a shame as her rich and distinctive vocals were very impressive on earlier albums such as 461 OCEAN BOULEVARD, THERE’S ONE IN EVERY CROWD and EC WAS HERE. Marcy Levy steps forward to fill the void on this album in terms of in terms of vocals and song writing and contributes significantly to such songs as “Lay Down Sally” and “The Core”. However, her voice is an acquired taste and I personally find it to be grating and distracting.

Among the best tracks are “Cocaine”, “The Core”, and “Peaches and Diesel”. “Lay Down Sally” written by Clapton, Levy, and Terry is strongly influenced by J.J. Cale just as “Next Time You See Her” by Clapton is strongly influenced by Bob Dylan. Both of those songs are fine but nothing exceptional. “Wonderful Tonight” written by Clapton is problematic for me. I acknowledge that it is a popular ballad and I applaud his desire to publicly express his affection for his partner as well as his courage for including a somewhat less than flattering lyrical depiction of he and Pattie’s domestic (private) life. The song also features a simple but beautiful melody and guitar refrain but the recording and performance is bland and somnolent. [NOTE: The true beauty of this song would not be fully explored until the version featured on 1991’s 24 NIGHTS.] The arrangement for “Mean Old Frisco” varies little from the 1971 version by Derek and the Dominos although Clapton does provide some nice slide guitar.

The cover versions of John Martyn’s “May You Never” and Don William’s “We’re All The Way” are basically acoustic numbers which add little to the album other than serving as filler. I have always felt that if you combined tracks from SLOWHAND and BACKLESS, you would have a very interesting and worthwhile album. In fact, if Clapton had not been so caught up in the cycle of yearly album releases, I believe that would have been the case. Consider an album which includes Cale’s “Cocaine” and “I’ll Make Love To You Anytime”, Dylan’s “If I Don’t Be There By Morning, the blues workout of “Early In The Morning”, original material co-written by Clapton and band-mates such as “”Lay Down Sally” and “The Core” plus original compositions such as “Wonderful Tonight”, “Tell Me That You Love Me”, “Watch Out For Lucy” and “Cryin’” and cover material such as “Promises” and “Tulsa Time”. Rating : 10/10 5 August 2005 Finally, Slowhand comes to hi-resolution format.

I have heard multiple CD versions from the original to the Gold Disc to the remastered, but this new SACD version just blows the rest away. Slowhand has always been my favourite Clapton album over the years. Classic Clapton originals like Lay Down Sally and Wonderful Tonight define his style and song writing capabilities and singing. His voice has an aching and tender reach on the ballads, and yet bluesy growl on the fast tracks. From 461 and Slowhand, Clapton began to rely less on his guitar prowess on albums, but move towards stronger songwriting and singing to establish his albums, and Slowhand is the best example of it. And yet, his taste for covers cannot be faulted either. Dusting off JJ Cale's Cocaine and William's We're With YOu All the Way shows how he can choose the right material to augment his own songs, until they blend into a seamless piece of excellent work. Ending the album with an instrumental ballad that recalls the piano coda to Layla, Slowhand remains his best and most focused work over the years.

And throw in a great guitar jam in the epic Core, you get a Clapton masterwork that is as timeless now as it was commercially and critically successful during its original release almost 30 years ago. Listening to the 5.1 mix by the original producer, Glyn Johns did a superb work. Although some has commented the mix sounds muddy, its actually not and its true to its original sound. Its natural and spatial mix and creative surround mixing by Johns gives this classic a new dimension that was not there before. The electric solos now sound more alive and kicking and even the tender fender licks that kick off Wonderful Tonight sounds so much there and enveloping. Its the drums that has a tendency to sound muddled underneath and the strong bass levels that gives the muddy impression. BUt '70s recordings tend to be presented in such fashion and listening it over again, the surround mix is just perfect and natural. Compared to the bright but not as creative surround mix of 461, this is far superior in the end. A compulsory purchase and listening for every Clapton fan.

Rating : 8/10 17 May 2005 I have to admire the energy and efforts it takes to try and do what you love and at the same time grow to this day [2005]. I have always felt the core was a r/b rocker along the lines of/ stones gimme shelter except I think it [The Core] should be better and have always waited for Mr Clapton to open a k\live show with the right female kicking in the girl tracks. I don't think the editing did it justice....Mean Old Frisco and then Peaches and Diesel two ends to justify the means so to speak...and isn't it odd that they weren't the tracks that pop radio jumped on......but I think they are the best. Rating : 10/10 28 October 2004 This is a class album which I could listen to forever . Features some classic tracks such as cocaine and wonderful tonight. Yet again Mean Old Frisco never ceases to amaze me with its great 12 bar blues. Rating : 8/10 20 November 2003 "Slowhand" is solid EC product from the 1970's.

Although not a classic album in and of itself, it is highly regarded for the inclusion of top notch and hugely popular material still featured on stage 26 years later. An excelent rendition of J.J. Cale's "Cocaine", the maudlin yet achingly beautiful "Wonderful Tonight" and the Chuck Berry meets J.J. Cale romp of "Lay Down Sally" represent the strongest opening tracks ever to grace a Clapton album and set a standard which the rest of the album fails to consistently achieve. EC's interest in the craft of C & W artist Don Williams which first to came to light in the fall of 1976 is represented here by the inclusion of William's song "We're All The Way". Interestingly enough another Don Williams song ("Till The Rivers All Run Dry") was included in the early 1977 joint collaboration by Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane (produced by Glyn Johns and featuring Clapton on several tracks) called "Rough Mix" which was a stylistic precursor to "Slowhand".

Clapton's composition entitled "Next Time You See Her" features some nice country rock guitar work but is essentially a blatant knock-off of a Bob Dylan song from 1975's "Blood On The Tracks". John Martyn's "May You Never" is a nondescript but pleasant tune which adds very little to the album and Arthur Crudup's "Mean Old Frisco" (first recorded by Derek and the Dominos at their abortive sessions in May of 1971) is listless and perfunctory. "The Core" is a standout track featuring a great riff, interesting lyrics, strong vocals by EC anbd Marcy Levy, a first rate saxophone solo by Mel Collins (of Ronnie Lane's band) and an excellent studio solo by Clapton which is somewhat reminiscent of Cream's version of "Crossroads" from the 1968 "Wheels of Fire" album. The album concludes with a rare (at the time) instrumental track credited to Clapton and Albhy Galuten. "Peaches and Diesel" is a beautiful tracks which perfectly compliments "Wonderful Tonight" and closes the album on a pleasing but melancholy note.

Rating : 5/10 4 July 2003 It is strange that I can be disappointed by this album when nearly everyone else believes it Eric's best. Sure it has great songs, but to me it sounds as though Eric is laid back and not putting out the 150% we have grown so accustomed to him doing. "Cocaine", "Wonderful Tonight", and "Lay Down Sally" are great songs, but they don't do what other songs have done for me in other Clapton albums. I think other songs on the album shine more than these three. "The Core" and "Peaches and Diesel" are my favourites on this album, yet I am still disappointed at the laid back attitude I feel Clapton came into with this album. Rating : 9/10 10 March 2003 Slowhand is one of the Classic albums of Clapton's career. It starts with the standard "Cocaine" which shows some slide guitar and a solid solo. The second song is the Classic "Wonderful Tonight" which is one of Clapton's finest songs. It is a song he plays in concert even to this day.

If you want to hear a version that will haunt you, listen to the version on 24 nights. Lay Down Sally is next and a fun little rocker. It shows EC having a little fun. "Next time you see her is not one of his better songs. "We're all the Way is a standard Don Williams song. It shows the country side of EC. It is worth a listen and fun."The Core is a rocker with Marcy Levy contributing vocals and Eric doing a strong solo which is rare in a studio recording in the 70's. It also has a saxophone that is interesting. "May you never" is not a strong song, but worth a listen. Again has a country influence. Next is the Blues song "Mean ole Frisco" which shows slide guitar and is a must for blues fans like myself. The finale is a guitar solo "Peaches and Diesel" which I thinks is a tribute to the Late Duanne Allman. It shows a side of Eric we don't see enough. The album is a must for any Eric Clapton Fan!

Rating : 7/10 29 October 2001 Although the sonic impact of the hit singles on Slowhand ('Cocaine,' 'Lay Down Sally,' and 'Wonderful Tonight') has been blunted somewhat by AM-radio overkill, one can still find exciting moments on this album's lesser-known cuts. 'The Core,' for example, features some of the fastest lead-guitar runs ever laid down by Eric in the studio, while 'Peaches and Diesel' shows off his (at the time) under-utilised talents as an instrumental composer. Similarly, 'Mean Old Frisco,' the only blues standard on the album, features forceful slide-guitar and vocals from Eric. The remaining ballads - if a little on the lightweight side - are still pleasant and hummable. Rating : 8/10 2 January 2001 This album is Eric Clapton excusing himself from all that's gone before. Having started as a blues player, he found himself having hits playing in a rock band with the Yardbirds or in a supergroup with Cream.

When he'd try to stick to his blues roots, he'd find himself stifled (with John Mayall) or over-produced (with Derek and the Dominoes). So he tried to move on, but, as so many artists before him, he sank into drug abuse, and we almost lost one of the greatest talents the world had ever seen. But, having finally pulled himself out of the mire, he produced this album. It included, as the first 3 tracks, the songs that most of the world thinks of when his name comes up. "Lay Down Sally" was one of the first cross-over hits, and can still be heard occasionally on country stations. "Cocaine" is probably the penultimate rock anthem -- there might be a better one out there, but I can't come up with anything except "Stairway to Heaven" (on the other hand, it probably sucks to be in rehab when this comes on the radio). And of course, " Wonderful Tonight " Some people might not like it. Might even call it simple, or even stupid. Those people are just showing their own ignorance, of course. " Wonderful Tonight " was written by Mr.

Clapton as an apology to Patty Harrison for an argument they'd had, and was usually played directly to her (even if this gave the audience a side view of him singing to the wings). It is, indeed, simple -- a simple declaration of love from a man to a woman. And if you think his relationship with her came easy, look up the details. Preferably while you're listening to the Dominoes' "When a Man..." Rating : 9/10 20 November 2000 This album gave birth to some of the most popular EC tracks ever. Wonderful Tonight , Cocaine, Lay Down Sally three massive tracks. The rest album holds up well, great solo's in 'The Core.' The rest of the album has a country feel, EC pulls it off well, as its not 'too' country for me.

A great, well 'Classic' album from EC's back catalogue Eric Clapton - Biography - IMDb Eric Clapton Biography Showing all 97 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (3) | Trivia (73) | Personal Quotes (14) Overview (4) 5' 9¾" (1.77 m) Mini Bio (1) Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England, on March 30, 1945. His real father was a Canadian pilot but he didn't find that out until he was 53. When he was 2 his mother felt she was unable to look after him, so Eric then went to live with his grandparents. When he was 14 he took up the guitar, having been influenced by blues artists such as B.B King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker . In 1963, after he was chucked out of art college, he joined Paul Samwell-Smith , as he was in art school with Keith Relf .

He stayed for about 18 months before beginning a stint with John Mayall 's Bluesbreakers. Eric became known as "god", as he impressed the whole English music scene with his amazing guitar playing. After about a year Eric had had enough of impersonating his blues idols and decided to form a group of his own, so in 1966 he formed a band with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker (who had the idea) that became known as Cream . This band was not a purist blues group but a hard-driving rock and blues trio. They first performed together at a jazz and blues festival in Surrey before signing a record contract. In November 1966 their debut single, "Wrapping Paper", hit UK #34, but their next single, "I Feel Free", made more of an impression, hitting UK #11 the following January. At the same time they released their debut album "Fresh Cream", which was a top-ten hit, going to UK #6 and went on to make US #39 later in the year. Cream spent most of 1967 either touring or writing, recording and producing "Disreali Gears", which was to be one of their finest efforts.

The first single that confirmed the group as a mainstream success was "Strange Brew", which went to #17 in the UK. After a hectic worldwide tour, their second album "Disreali Gears" was released and became an enormous worldwide hit, rising to UK #5 and US #4. The album's success r4esulted in one of its tracks, "Sunshine Of Your Love", a hit in the US, going to #36. In February 1968 Cream set out on a six-month US tour, the longest time that a British band ad ever been in America. The tour took in hundreds of theaters, arenas and stadiums, but in April 1968 the band was exhausted and decided to take a short break from touring. However, during their break disaster struck. While Cream was in America Eric had given an interview to the magazine "Rolling Stone" which had Eric the editor make critical points about his guitar playing. This led to an eruption within the band, which was the beginning of the end.

Despite this setback, the band's US tour carried on until June, during which they had been recording their most popular project, "Wheels Of Fire", a double album that was released in August 1968; the live album shot to UK #3 and the studio effort to UK #7, but both went directly to US #1 for four weeks. Despite the fact that the band had sold so many records, had sold out nearly every concert, had made millions and even managed to boost "Sunshine Of Your Love" to hit US #5 and UK #25, they decided that after a farewell tour of America Cream would split. The band toured North America in October, played two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London in November and then Cream was no more - as Clapton explained, "The Cream has lost direction." In the winter of 1969 Eric began jamming with former Traffic front man Steve Winwood , with Ginger Baker also joining in Eric's mansion in Surrey. With bassist Ric Grech added to the lineup, the band became Blind Faith and started rehearsing and recording material.

In June 1969, after the band finished a recording session for their first and only album, they made their live debut in Hyde Park to a crowd of over 200,000 fans. Despite the fact that Baker and Grech felt that the concert was a triumph, Clapton and Winwood, however, were more or less convinced that Blind Faith had blown it first time round. However, despite their feelings, Blind Faith set out on a summer sellout tour of the US, playing in arenas and stadiums all over the country. The tour itself earned the band a fortune, but the band members were convinced that the music itself was unsatisfying. After the tour was over their only album, "Blind Faith", was released, and it topped the charts worldwide. Despite the success of the album and tour Blind Faith still decided to disband, though, and Clapton went on tour with Delaney & Bonnie & Friends , who were Blind Faith's support act on the tour, and also performed at times with The Plastic Ono Band. In March 1970 Eric launched his highly successful solo career, by releasing a first solo album, which featured Delaney & Bonnie.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Richard Baker Spouse (2) Slow, complicated, Guitar riffs that earned him the nickname "Slowhand" Gruff singing voice Trivia (73) His maternal grandparents, who brought him up, had the surname of Clapp. His grandmother had previously been married to a man called Clapton though, and during this time gave birth to Eric's mother. This is where the confusion about Eric's real surname comes from, but it is, in fact, Clapton. 3/10/91: His five-year-old son Conor (mother is Lory Del Santo ) died in a fall from a 53rd-floor apartment. Clapton's Grammy-winning hit song "Tears in Heaven" was dedicated to the memory of his son. Had a daughter with Yvonne Kelly in 1986 - Made public in 1993. 1996: Dated musician Sheryl Crow . 8/21/86: Son Conor born. Mother is Lory Del Santo . Clapton was still married to Pattie Boyd at the time.

According to the August 1998 issue of the British rock magazine "Q", Clapton ranks #10 on the list of the 100 richest rock stars, with an estimated fortune of over £75m. Was a member of The Yardbirds , John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers , Cream , Blind Faith , Delaney & Bonnie & Friends , Derek & The Dominos . Played the guitar solo on George Harrison 's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", creating a precedent. No other outside musician had ever had such a privilege. Both George Harrison and Clapton were married to model Pattie Boyd (Harrison first, Clapton afterwards). George and Eric referred to each other as "husbands-in-law". Clapton wrote the songs "Layla" and "Wonderful Tonight" about Pattie. She and Eric eventually married, nine years after he recorded "Layla". Axes of choice include a Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Les Paul Standard. Children: daughter Ruth (b. 1985) and son Connor (b. 1986, d.

1991) 6/13/01: Daughter Julie Rose was born in Columbus, OH, weighing 7 lb. 1 oz. Her mother is Melia McEnery. 1/1/02: Clapton, 56, tied the knot with Melia McEnery, from Columbus, OH, in a low-key ceremony at a church near his home in Surrey, southern England. Guests were told they were attending the christening of the couple's six-month-old daughter Julie Rose. But after the baptism of Julie Rose and Clapton's 16-year-old daughter Ruth, the couple were called forward by vicar Rev. Christopher Elson and exchanged marriage vows. Played guitar along with original 'Bond' guitarist Vic Flick on Michael Kamen 's theme for Licence to Kill (1989). The duo were filmed "playing" in various London locations for the expected video. However, the producers decided to opt for a song, sung by Gladys Knight , and the Clapton/Flick instrumental has never been released.

He is the only artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times: as a member of The Yardbirds (1992); as a member of Cream (1993); and as a solo performer (2000). He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1995 Queen's New Year Honours List for his services to music. Expecting second child with wife Melia at end of 2002. 1/14/03: Daughter Ella May born in London. July 2001: Voted the South East's best guitarist in Total Guitar Magazine's poll of the greatest 12 British guitarists. Wrote the classic song "Layla" about his unrequited love for Pattie Boyd , who was then married to George Harrison . He married her nine years later. Stephen Stills asked him to join Crosby Stills & Nash so that he could help beef up their sound in concert. He refused due to the fact that he was in the middle of forming Blind Faith with Steve Winwood . He was also on the short list of guitarists to replace Brian Jones in The Rolling Stones .

1969: Played with John Lennon and Yoko Ono 's Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Pop Festival. Other members included Klaus Voormann on bass and Alan White (later of Bill Bruford ) on drums. Quit The Yardbirds after the band decided to do the more pop sounding song "For Your Love", which was a departure from the more traditional blues songs they had been doing. Cream 's hits were "Wrapping Paper", "I Feel Free", "Strange Brew", "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Anyone For Tennis", "Crossroads", "White Room" & "Badge". Has an office in Chelsea. His current backing band involves people like guitarist Andy Fairweather Low (ex-Amen Corner) and bassist Nathan East ( Fourplay ). Has owned a string of Ferraris. Was cured of his heroin addiction through electro-acupuncture; singer Boy George received the same therapy ten years later. Played guitar on Phil Collins 's hits "If Leaving Me is Easy" (UK number 17 in 1981) and "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (UK number seven in 1990). He also appeared in the music video for "I Wish It Would Rain Down".

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's New Year Honours List for his services to music. Created his own band, Derek & The Dominos , after the break-up of Cream . 2/1/05: Daughter Sophie Clapton born. Was very good friends with Duane Allman , and they held a great deal of respect for each other. Allman played guitar on the Derek and the Dominos song "Layla." He was voted the 53rd Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone. May 2005: Reunited with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce for a Cream reunion concert. While performing "Further On Up the Road" in The Last Waltz (1978), his guitar strap came undone. To cover for him while he fixed it, Robbie Robertson of The Band improvised a guitar solo. Once while playing a Cream concert, he suddenly stopped playing, and neither Ginger Baker nor Jack Bruce noticed. He owned and played a Gibson Byrdland guitar designed by famous guitarists Hank Garland and Billy Byrd .

While many people believe his nickname "Slow Hand(s)" is because his fingers are slow on the guitar, it is actually because once during a concert he played his guitar so hard that one of its strings broke, and he took time out to re-string it. As he did, the fans in attendance began a "slow hand" clap. Cream: Royal Albert Hall, London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (2005) was the first time Cream had played together since their 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Before the formation of Cream in 1966, he was all but unknown in the United States, having left The Yardbirds before "For Your Love" hit the American Top Ten. Upon returning to England after recording the Derek & The Dominos album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs," he was supporting a £1,000-per-week heroin addiction. Before becoming a musician, he designed stained glass windows.

Played two farewell concerts on 26th November: Omnibus: Cream's Farewell Concert (1969) in 1968, and The Last Waltz (1978) in 1976. Ironically, it was partially because of The Band 's music that he decided to leave Cream in the first place. Mentioned in the song "Life Is a Rock But the Radio Rolled Me" by Reunion . Shortly after the formation of Cream in 1966, the trio got a chance to jam with Jimi Hendrix . Hendrix was a fan of Clapton, and wanted a chance to play with him on stage. Enjoys Mixed Martial Arts. Was the guest of honor at the MMA event "Pride Grand Prix 2000 Tournament", and awarded the winner, Mark "The Hammer" Coleman, with the First Prize Trophy. Has ties to both of the Allman Brothers. With Duane Allman 's help, Clapton recorded the album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" in 1970.

In 1991, Clapton wrote the score to the film Rush (1991), which featured Duane's brother, Gregg Allman . 1988: He became the first artist to have a Fender Stratocaster signature model. 1987: Winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for Outstanding Contribution. When Clapton appeared at Live Aid in Philadelphia, one of his backing drummers was Phil Collins . Hours before, Collins had appeared at Live Aid's London concert at Wembley Stadium. 2001: Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Biography/bibliography/discography in: "Contemporary Authors". Volume 265, pages 56-60. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Cengage Learning, 2008. He originally played Gibson guitars. He has played a Fender Stratocaster since 1970. He served Ginger Baker his very first French toast while discussing forming Cream . The Sunday Times List estimated his net worth at $196 million. [2009] Former brother-in-law of Jenny Boyd .

At age 47, Clapton became the first British artist to win 6 GRAMMYs in one night: Record of the Year - "Tears in Heaven" / Song of the Year - "Tears in Heaven" / Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male - "Tears in Heaven" / Album of the Year - "Unplugged" / Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male - "Unplugged" / Best Rock Song - "Layla" (unplugged version) (Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles / 24 February 1993). Earlier in the year the album Reptile was released and has since then gone on a world tour. [June 2001] Release of his book, "Clapton: The Autobiography". [2007] Participated in the Royal Jubilee Rock Concert, playing with Brian Wilson , Paul McCartney and Phil Collins . [June 2002] Has spent a lot of the year featuring with artists like B.B. King , Willie Nelson , John Mayall and even did a special concert for his daughter Ruth's school in March.

[July 2003] Chelsea, London, England [May 2009] His new album "Me & Mr Johnson" has just been released and is undertaking a major European tour. [March 2004] Appears in a TV ad for T-Mobile Wireless [January 2010] Release of the book, "Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me" by Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor . [2007] Despite selling hundreds of millions of albums as a solo artist and as a member of Genesis , Phil Collins has said that playing drums for Clapton was the highlight of his whole career. The Band 's performance of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" at The Last Waltz (1978) is his favorite recorded performance of the song. He has performed at Madison Square Garden 45 times, more than any other venue in the United States. His song "Presence of the Lord" (recorded with Blind Faith ) is about finding Hurtwood Edge, his estate in Chelsea. He considers his sobriety the most important priority in his life.

Personal Quotes (14) Hindustan Times Eric-Clapton-Photo-Facebook Eric Clapton celebrates his 70th birthday on Monday, music still throbbing in his veins. HT takes a look at the life and career of the master musician who has melded the blues and rock over the decades to win over generations of fans. In fact, Clapton has meant many things for four generations of music lovers. For the Noughties, he has largely been an elder statesman straddling the worlds of rock and blues. In the 1990s, he was the guy who rode the unplugged wave with tracks like "Tears In Heaven" and a reworking of his classic "Layla". In the 1970s and 1980s, he produced a series of laidback albums that wove together rock, reggae, blues and country to produce nuggets such as "Wonderful Tonight", "Cocaine" and "I Shot The Sheriff".

In the 1960s, when it all began, Clapton was god - or so thought a die-hard fan who spray-painted the legend on the wall of a Tube station in the London borough of Islington. Clapton has shown over the past few decades that he isn't a god, but more an ordinary man grappling with a host of demons. But he is also someone who is more than capable of mining his personal losses and struggles to produce some of his best-known music. For decades, Clapton struggled with the knowledge that he was the illegitimate son a Canadian soldier and was brought up by his grandparents. After finding success with the supergroup Cream, Clapton turned away from it all because of tension between band-mates Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce and yearned to make laidback music that didn't have him playing flashy guitar solos. The 1970s brought the turmoil of an affair with model Pattie Boyd, the wife of Clapton's close friend George Harrison of The Beatles.

His relationship with Boyd would produce two of his best-known songs - "Layla", which was inspired by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi's "The Story of Layla and Majnun", and "Wonderful Tonight", which was written a few years before Clapton married her. The stormy relationship with Boyd also fuelled a heroin addiction that affected Clapton's studio albums and live performances. Though he kicked his drug habit, he became addicted to alcohol and didn't clean up his act till the early 1980s, when he began a slow return to form that would culminate with 1989's "Journeyman", widely considered one of his best solo albums. It would be another personal tragedy - the accidental death of his four-year-old son Conor in 1991 after falling out the window of a 53rd floor apartment in New York - that would be the inspiration for "Tears In Heaven", one of his most successful songs.

Since then, Clapton has experimented with hip-hop rhythms and drum machines on the album "Pilgrim", dipped into the blues for albums such as "From The Cradle" and "Me And Mr Johnson", a tribute to blues legend Robert Johnson, and recorded collaborations with two greats who inspired him - B B King, "Riding With The King", and J J Cale, "The Road To Escondido". While he remains a potent performer on stage, whether reuniting with Cream for a string of concerts in 2005 or organising his Crossroads Guitar Festival to raise funds for his drug treatment centre in Antigua, his latest albums haven't exactly set the charts on fire. But then the man who makes the guitar weep really has nothing left to prove, either to his fans or his peers. Happy 70th 'Slowhand' Eric Clapton. And thanks for all the wonderful music.

Enjoy the Eric Clapton playlist: Hideaway – John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton Cream – Sunshine Of Your Love Blind Faith – Can’t Find My Way Home Derek & The Dominos – Layla Clapton: The Autobiography - Eric Clapton - Books - Review - The New York Times The New York Times Continue reading the main story Most A.A. meetings begin with the chairman offering his qualifications at the head table next to the coffee maker. This qualification is more commonly known in the program as the drunkalogue. It’s a good word, with its suggestions of inebriated travel, and it certainly fits Eric Clapton’s account of his life. “Clapton” is nothing so literary as a memoir, but its dry, flat-stare honesty makes it a welcome antidote to the macho fantasies of recovery served up by James Frey in “A Million Little Pieces.” A drunkalogue consists of three parts: what it was like, what happened and what it’s like now.

Following a format that Clapton, now 20 years sober, could probably recite in his sleep, the world’s most famous rock-and-blues guitarist duly — and sometimes dutifully — covers the bases. He is rarely able to communicate clearly what his music means to him (“It’s difficult to talk about these songs in depth,” he says at one point; “that’s why they’re songs”), but his writing is adequate to the main task, which is describing how he became the rock ’n’ roll version of Harry Potter : Clapton is, after all, the Boy Who Lived. And this drunkalogue has other things to recommend it; to my knowledge, no other addict-alcoholics can claim to have filched George Harrison’s wife or escaped — barely — dying in a helicopter crash with Stevie Ray Vaughan. Both Clapton’s and Vaughan’s choppers took off into heavy fog after a show in Wisconsin. Vaughan’s turned the wrong way and crashed into an artificial ski slope. I’ve heard it suggested at recovery meetings that the true alcoholic is almost always an overachiever with a bad self-image, and Clapton fits this profile as well as any.

After millions of records sold, thousands of S.R.O. concert dates and decades of conspicuous consumerism (Visvim shoes, Patek Philippe watches, a yacht), he can still call himself “a toe-rag from Ripley.” That’s the small town in Surrey where Clapton grew up. He discovered, as a child of 6 or 7, that the couple he believed to be his parents were really his grandmother and step-grandfather. His mother was actually the daughter of Rose Clapp and her first husband, Rex Clapton.

His father was a married Canadian airman named Edward Fryer: “The truth dawned on me, that when Uncle Adrian jokingly called me a little bastard, he was telling the truth.” Continue reading the main story Clapton’s first guitar (he seems to remember them all) was a Hoyer too big for him, and painful to play; his first addiction, Horlicks and Ovaltine tablets stolen from the local sweet shop; his first encounter with the sexual embarrassment that would haunt him for years came with a school caning (“six of the best”) after asking a schoolmate, with no idea what the query meant, if she might “fancy a shag.” He got drunk for the first time at 16 and woke alone in the woods, with fouled trousers, vomit on his shirt and no money. Then he adds the perfect drunkalogue kicker: “I couldn’t wait to do it all again.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story He got his chance. His rise from the Yardbirds (1963-65) to sold-out stadium shows (Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos) was meteoric, but his sense of inadequacy and painful shyness never left him.

Perhaps not surprisingly, his idol was the mythic bluesman Robert Johnson, so painfully shy himself that he once recorded songs while facing into the corner of the room. The drunkalogue’s “what happened” part is more familiarly known to ex-juicers as “hitting bottom.” Clapton hits his in 1981, about 15 years after seeing his first piece of “Clapton Is God” graffiti on a London wall. It was preceded by D.T.’s, bleeding ulcers and a grand mal seizure. He played through them all, often brilliantly (by other accounts; never by his own). Nor was he deterred by the drug-related deaths of peers like Brian Jones, Keith Moon and Jimi Hendrix (for whom Clapton had bought a guitar on the day Hendrix died). Photo Eric Clapton, March 1967. Credit Photograph by Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis At Christmas in 1981, while dressed only in bright green thermal underwear (and “looking like Kermit the Frog”), he was locked in his bedroom by his wife at the time, Pattie Boyd, so he wouldn’t spoil Christmas for the gathered friends and family.

Shortly thereafter, Clapton finally called his manager for help and checked into Hazelden, which “looked grim and resembled Fort Knox. ... It didn’t surprise me to learn that when they tried to get Elvis to go there, he apparently took one look at it and refused to get out of his limo.” It took him two tries — and I love the image of him setting the dining room table for his fellow patients at mealtime — but he finally “got it,” as A.A.’s say. It took him about six years, a not unusual length of time. Some never get it. The most harrowing and touching episode in Clapton’s early recovery deals with the death of his 4-year-old son, Conor, who fell out a window while playing hide-and-seek with his nanny and dropped 49 stories. The job of identifying the body fell to Clapton. I cannot comprehend how one stays sober under such circumstances, especially one in the early years of recovery, but somehow Clapton did. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy Later, after telling his story at an A.A.

meeting, he was accosted by a woman who said he had taken away her last excuse to drink. “I’ve always had this little corner of my mind which held the excuse that, if anything were to happen to my kids, then I’d be justified in getting drunk. You’ve shown me that’s not true.” In drunkalogues, the final part of the tale — what it’s like now — is usually the most rewarding to live and the least interesting to listen to; veteran drunks have heard it all before, and the newbies, shaking and pale, rarely believe it (I myself believed that anyone claiming more than four months of continuous sobriety had to be flat lying). Clapton’s tale is no different. The founding of Crossroads, the now famous recovery center that he built in Antigua, is the best part. Otherwise, the final chapters are only intermittently interesting: Clapton raises a family, Clapton buys cool clothes, Clapton offers a curmudgeonly overview of pop music (“95 percent rubbish, 5 percent pure”). Most of all, Clapton plays gigs, gigs, gigs. It’s like reading a letter from a cheerful uncle who is now getting on in years.

Clapton is honest — sometimes, as in the account of his son’s death, even searing — and often witty, with a hard-won survivor’s humor. There’s plenty of uplift as well. What Clapton’s drunkalogue lacks is any real insight into the music he’s spent his life playing. We know it gives him joy — he continues to live on what he once called “blues power” — but he’s only rarely able to communicate that joy, or convey what it was like to be a part of the mad hot ballroom that was the British pop music scene between 1963 and 1970. It’s not lack of will or effort; Clapton does the best he can with what he has, and the result is an honorable badge of a book. He may not have the skill of a Mary Karr or Frank McCourt, but I’m sure he writes better than most memoirists play guitar.

And sometimes the workmanlike flashes into the wonderful, as when he describes himself in his early days as “a green young scholar listening my way forward.” Then there’s the story of one of the most notorious rock acts ever to play the storied Albert Hall in London — the Mothers of Invention. Clapton writes, “Frank Zappa’s keyboard player, Don Preston, known as ‘Mother Don,’ broke into the hall’s organ keyboard, which was locked behind two glass doors, and played a raucous version of ‘Louie Louie’ that brought the house down.” Advertisement I could have used a little more of that. It’s not memoir or drunkalogue. That’s rock ’n’ roll. CLAPTON

Question: Which guitarist is known as Slowhand?
Answer: ERIC CLAPTON