Biography of Eric Clapton

Clapton left The Yardbirds when he felt the band strayed too far from their blues roots towards pop music. E.C. then joined British keyboardist, harmonica player, singer/songwriter John Mayall and his band, The Bluesbreakers to work on an album. Clapton, with the fresh, up and coming band, made a pure blues album that many blues fans consider to be his best. After the one-album stint with The Bluesbreakers, Clapton formed a new group called Cream with bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker.

He played The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock and that is one way he became really famous. Soon after Woodstock his drug addiction became worse. On September 18th 1970 he was found dead in his room from a drug overdose and had drowned in his own vomit. Most people still like his music, and if he hadn’t have died he would probably still be changing music today. Affect In the middle of a blues craze, led by the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton.

He mixed Blues and Rock & Roll together to create some of the utmost unique music ever played. While Hendricks was only famous for four years, the impact he left on the music industry would last a lifetime. Hendricks style was like no other musicians; he had shocking guitar techniques, such as playing with his teeth, behind his back, and without touching the strings, all were talents that surprised his audiences, and contributed to his reputation as an artist. Amazingly, he also played his Fender Stratocaster upside down to accommodate his left-hand. Hendricks love for playing a guitar started early as a child, growing up he used a broom to show his interest in playing the guitar.

After 14 months of military service, he received an honorable discharge from the army. Jimi had realized his only choice was to do what he loved; play the guitar. Jimi began to write music and play local gigs. Before he knew it he was opening for King Curtis, The Isley Brothers, and even Little Richard. Hendrix's big break occurred when he was playing at a club in Greenwhich Village called Café Wha.

But he injured his back on a jump, so he got out on medical discharge. As Jimi Hendrix matured, he turned to his guitar skills when nothing else was working for him. He joined a blues and rhythm circuit that traveled around playing at different restaurants in Nashville. Jimi was only a sideman and was making only a little money, if any at all. Then, Jimi met a man named Curtis Knight who was the lead singer of Curtis Knight and the Squires.

Joining this group made Eric's career start going upward. During this time Eric was known as Slowhand and people were finally starting to recognize him. With the Yardbirds, Eric, and the rest of the Yardbirds got a Grammy in the year 1992. Then, as the Yardbirds music genre started to change Eric still wanted to pursue the genre of electric blues and quit the Yardbirds. Next, Eric joins the group the Bluesbreakers and in this group he establishes a reputation and gains the nickname “God.” This nickname is gained from a fan who spray painted graffiti that said “Eric Clapton is God.” After leaving the Bluesbreakers in the year 1966 Eric joins up with Jake Bruce and Ginger Baker to create the group Cream.

As early as 1961, Stevie was already sneaking into his brother's room just to sneak a strum on Jimmie's guitar before he came home. "I just felt like I was destined to play blues guitar. Whenever I picked it up I just felt this surge of adrenaline over take my nine-year-old body", implied Stevie (Patoski 4). In 1963, Stevie had taken up guitar playing and had apprenticed himself to Jimmie (Patoski 1-20). By 1972, he was an ambitious blues guitarist with only one thing on his mind, his guitar.

The show was a hit, Johnson asked Berry to join the band, and soon the more charismatic Berry was the frontman. Their partnership produced dozens of hit songs before they parted company in 1973. Wracked by alcoholism, Johnson fell off the radar. He was driving a bus when Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards tracked Johnson down during the making of the 1987 Berry documentary, Hail! Hail!

Steve was particularly drawn to T-Bone Walker, the father of Texas-style electric blues. This proved to be very influential in Steve’s life, and it is evident by the blues-sound that he exhibited in his guitar playing. In 1955, Steve Miller started his first band at the age of twelve, the Marksmen. This band consisted of guitarists James Burton and Bob Hayden, and he acquired Barron Cass to play the drums. Steve taught his older brother Buddy to play the bass so that he had someone to drive them to their gigs.

At twelve Jimi began to play in local bands for a fee of free burgers and soda pop (Richmond 482). Jimi’s early influences were such blues greats as Muddy Waters, BB King, Chuck Berry, and Eddie Cochran (Richmond 482). Jimi Hendrix dropped out of high school at age 17 and joined the army in 1959 (Vickers). The reason he did this is often debated, as are many facts about his life. Some say it was because he got in trouble with the law.