Few guitarists, if any, are as influential as Eric Clapton. When he was very young, he learned the riffs of blues masters like Freddie King or B.B. King, also Albert King to Buddy Guy, and of course Robert Johnson, among others. He then combine this encyclopedia of blues licks from what he learned together with his own original phrases, he developed a mode that has become the template for many blues/rock guitar players in the world.
Eric 1st became known in 1963, because as the lead guitarist for the Yardbirds, consider by many, later, as a virtual university of whos and who in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitar players, whose graduates additionally embrace Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. The solos on early singles "I Wish You Would" and "Good Morning Little School Girl" provided a glimpse of the stem cells from that Clapton's body of labor would emerge. The pure guitar voices of this stylistic DNA were the Fender Telecaster, sometimes Fender Jazzmaster, and many times Gibson ES-335 guitars, The choice of amplification is Vox AC-30 amplifiers. In year of 1964 Yardbirds manager at that time Giorgio Gomelsky gave Clapton the nickname "Slowhand". The legend is that when Eric broke a string onstage, the audience would interact in an exceedingly "slow hand clap" till Clapton had finished changing it.
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| Eric Clapton (Yardbirds) |
In 1965, following the popularity of the hit single "For Your Love", Clapton left the Yardbirds as a result of what he felt about artistic different between the members. Rather than the pop stardom the remainder of the Yardbirds desired, Clapton wished to play music that was true to his traditional blues roots. He joined forces with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, whose alumni additionally embrace original Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green and once Rolling Stones' guitar player virtuoso, Mick Taylor. John Mayall and Eric Clapton recorded "Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton", nicknamed "The Beano Album", as a result of Clapton was pictured reading a Beano comic book on the quilt. Highlights included a smoking version of "Hideaway", Freddie King's blues instrumental classic, and also one Robert Johnson's tune, "Ramblin' on my Mind", that is Clapton's 1st recorded vocal performance. As his favourite guitars to play in the Bluesbreakers, Clapton combined Gibson Les Paul and Marshall amplifiers to supply a guitar sound noted for top volume, feedback, and sustain. Eric's name grew to the purpose that fans began to put in writing "Clapton is God" on the walls of buildings around London as a tribute to his prowess.
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| Eric Clapton (John Mayall Bluesbreakers) |
After a year within the Bluesbreakers, Clapton determined to expand his musical horizons by forming his 1st "super group" with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker in 1966. They selected the name "Cream" as a result of they were thought of "the cream of the crop" of British blues musicians. Their debut album, titled as "Fresh Cream", then their second album, the classic "Disraeli Gears". Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce (bass) both shared singing and songwriting duties, and within their arguably greatest hit single "Sunshine of Your Love", the two singers in the band beautifully traded the vocal lines. The tune was their tribute to Jimi Hendrix, and in its opening phrase included a spectacular solo by Clapton that quoted the 50's song "Blue Moon". The ingredients for Clapton's Cream recipe were the Gibson Les Paul, SG, ES-335, and Firebird, plugged into 2 100-watt Marshall stacks. Eric was one amongst the primary guitar players to popularize the Vox Wah Wah pedal, that was heard on "Tales of Brave Ulysses", from "Disraeli Gears", and also on tune called "White Room", taken from the studio disc of the two-record set, "Wheels of Fire". Recorded live, The live disc of "Wheels of Fire" contained a remodeling of Robert Johnson's - blues turned to rock anthem - "Crossroads", during which Clapton play his interpretation of the colours of a Mississippi delta blues Rembrandt and painted a psychedelic rock guitar Picasso. "Badge", from "Goodbye Cream", featured the employment of a Leslie rotating speaker to form a phasing impact throughout the bridge section of the song. The DVD "Cream's Farewell Concert" offers a style of Cream's live performances, that were flavored with extended jams cooked up by the 3 instrumental virtuosos.
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| Eric Clapton (Cream) |
During his time with Cream, Clapton jammed with many different British rock bands, together with the Beatles and therefore the Rolling Stones. As a guest within the studio, he contributed the solo guitar to George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", a tune taken from the Beatles' "White Album". In the DVD "The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus" we can watch and listen to Clapton's performance with "The Dirty Mac", with John Lennon as the Band Leader, including Jimi Hendrix expertise drummer Mitch Mitchell and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who this time fill the task as bass player.
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| Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards |
After Cream's breakup, Clapton join Blind Faith, a congregation including singer/ songwriter/ keyboardist Steve Winwood, a bassist named Ric Grech, and also his mate, former Cream drummer Ginger Baker. The highlights moment of Blind Faith's self-titled album were the hit single "Can't Find My Way home", and "Do What You Like", during which Baker contributed a magnificent drum solo. Clapton's instruments of "Faith" were a Gibson ES-335, a black Gibson Firebird, and a Fender Telecaster with a Stratocaster neck, played through a Fender twin Showman or Marshall amp. The DVD "London Hyde Park 1969" documents the band's debut concert.
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| Eric Clapton (Blind Faith) |
While touring with Blind Faith, Clapton became friends with the gap act, Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. He recruited as his band their backup musicians, keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle on bass, and drummer Jim Gordon, to make his next band, Derek and the Dominos. With then young talent Allman Brothers guitarist Duane Allman sitting in on slide guitar, they recorded "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs". the 2 of the record set featured extended guitar workouts on Jimi Hendrix' cover "Little Wing", beside originals like "Tell the Truth", "Keep on Growing" and "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad??", also - as usual - the standard blues song "Key to the Highway"and "Layla", on later song, Eric Clapton and Duane Allman record an overdubbed interweaving slide components onto an extended coda written by drummer Gordon. Eric's main guitar at this point had become the Fender Stratocaster though he sometimes played a Gibson Les Paul. His amplifiers of selection were a Fender Champ within the studio, and either a Fender Showman or a Marshall onstage.
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| Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominos) |
Clapton's solo career began in 1970 with "Eric Clapton", with main songwriters Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, and utilise the Dominosas the backing band. "461 Ocean Boulevard" followed, that includes Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff", first time Eric's foray into reggae. different highlights of his solo career were "Slowhand", including a canopy of J.J. Cale's "Cocaine", "From the Cradle", an album of blues standard songs, "Unplugged", a Grammy winning acoustic album, also "Riding with the King", his duet album with B.B. King, and his tribute to Robert Johnson, "Me and Mr. Johnson". Clapton's main axe throughout his solo years was a hybrid Stratocaster nicknamed "Blackie", that was place along from the components of 3 completely different Fifties Strats. In 2004 "Blackie" was auctioned for $959,500, with the proceeds getting to Clapton's "Crossroads Centre, Antigua", a charity he fashioned to assist victims of alcoholism and substance abuse. The DVDs "Crossroads Guitar Festival" and "Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007" chronicle concerts during which Eric was joined by guitar players Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Hubert Sumlin, J.J. Cale, John McLaughlin, Steve Vai, Joe Walsh, Carlos Santana, Johnny Winter, Albert Lee, Jeff Beck, Robbie Robertson, Robert Cray, and Jimmie Vaughan, among others.
With his spectacular resume of musical accomplishments, starting within the Nineteen Sixties and continuing to the current day, Eric Clapton's incredibly wide ranging influence reverberates throughout the guitar taking part in community.
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