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Eric Clapton
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Miami Vice Performer
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Born
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March 30, 1945, Ripley, Surrey, England
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Active
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1962-present
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Spouse(s)/Children
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Pattie Boyd (1979-1988, divorced)
Melia McEnery (2002-present), 3 children One daughter with Yvonne Kelly One son with Lory Del Santo (deceased) |
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born March 30, 1945) is an English blues rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer whose songs "Wonderful Tonight" (in ("One Eyed Jack"), "Knock on Wood" (in "Phil the Shill"), and "She's Waiting" (in "The Lost Madonna") appeared in the show Miami Vice. He was also a member of the band Derek and the Dominos, whose song "Layla" appeared in the episode "Line of Fire".
Early Life/1960's[]
Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England. He began playing guitar from age 13 and after some early struggles, mastered the instrument and learned the blues guitar style. In 1962 he began playing in pubs in England, then in 1963 he joined the band The Yardbirds, when he left in 1965 the band's first major hit was released, "For Your Love", and Clapton formed the band Cream. He finally toured the US in 1967 with the band, and they reached the Top 10 the next year with "White Room" and "Sunshine Of Your Love", but the band broke up after conflicts involving drug & alcohol abuse among the members. After the breakup, Clapton played on the Beatles' White Album song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", beginning a long and close friendship with George Harrison, and after Harrison's 2001 death Clapton organized a benefit concert in his memory.
1970's[]
Clapton was part of a one-shot supergroup, Blind Faith, featuring Steve Winwood, that lasted one album and one tour, then broke up. Clapton then joined the group Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, which had one hit single, "Never Ending Song of Love". Then Clapton's first solo album, Eric Clapton, was released, and included his performances of "Let It Rain" and "After Midnight". After that album, Clapton formed the group Derek and the Dominos, whose classic song "Layla" became a rock standard; Clapton wrote the song after he became infatuated with Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd. After the Dominos' album received lukewarm reviews (at that time), Clapton left the group and began a hiatus where he dealt with his addiction to heroin, after which he appeared in the rock opera Tommy, and recorded the album 461 Ocean Boulevard featuring the #1 hit "I Shot The Sheriff" (written by Bob Marley). Through the remainder of the 1970s, Clapton finally married Boyd in 1978, continued to tour and released four albums, including Slowhand, featuring the singles "Wonderful Tonight", "Lay Down Sally", and "Cocaine". Clapton had conquered his heroin addiction but then started to use alcohol.
1980's[]
Clapton's alcohol use reached the point he had to seek treatment, and recorded (against his doctor's advice) the album Money and Cigarettes (featuring the single "I've Got A Rock and Roll Heart"), before that his album Another Ticket included the single "I Can't Stand It". In 1985 Clapton released Behind The Sun, produced by Phil Collins, and featured "Forever Man", "Knock on Wood", and "She's Waiting", and performed at Live Aid. Collins also produced Clapton's next album August. During this time Clapton began a relationship with Yvonne Kelly, manager of George Martin's AIR recording studio on Montserrat (destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989) while still married to Boyd, which produced a daughter, Ruth (born 1985), though she was hidden from the public until 1991, and before Clapton's divorce from Boyd in 1988, he had a son, Conor (1986-1991), with model Lory Del Santo.
1990's-2020's[]
Clapton began the 1990s with double trouble: Guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a plane crash between concert dates he had with Clapton in England, then in 1991 his son Conor fell to his death from a 53rd story window of an apartment of his mother's friend. In the midst of Clapton's grief, he recorded the song "Tears In Heaven", which became a #1 hit and won six Grammys for the song and his album Unplugged, featured in the MTV series of the same name. In 1996 Clapton recorded "Change The World" for the movie Phenomenon and won another Grammy for Record of the Year. That same year he had a relationship with singer Sheryl Crow, and though it didn't last, they remain friends and have appeared in each other's concerts. In 1999 Clapton met Melia McEnery while working with blues legend B.B. King, and they married three years later. They have three daughters: Julie Rose (born 2001), Ella Mae (born 2003), and Sophie Belle (born 2005). Clapton continues to appear on tour, in benefit concerts, and record albums. Clapton is the only person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times, once as a solo act, and two as members of groups: Cream and The Yardbirds. In 2010, Clapton appeared in commercials for Virgin cellphones designed like his famous Fender Stratocaster guitar. 2013 brought his 21st solo album, Old Sock, featuring guest vocals by Chaka Khan, Paul McCartney, and Steve Winwood. and in 2014 his 22nd solo album, The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale, was released, featuring guest vocals by Willie Nelson and Tom Petty. His 23rd and 24th studio albums, I Still Do and Happy Xmas, were released in 2016 and 2018 respectively. Clapton continues to appear on stage occasionally.