In the mid-1960s, Clapton departed from the Yardbirds to play blues with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. In his one-year stay with Mayall, Clapton gained the nickname "Slowhand".
Immediately after leaving Mayall, Clapton joined Cream, a power trio with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce.
For most of the 1970s, Clapton's output bore the influence of the mellow style of J.J. Cale (his cover of Cale's "After Midnight" yielded a No. 18 hit on the U.S. charts) 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 by Derek and the Dominos, another band he formed, and Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", recorded by Cream. Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song "Tears in Heaven", which featured in his Unplugged album.
A recipient of seventeen Grammy Awards, and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, in 2004 Clapton was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music.
In January 2013, Surfdog Records announced a signed deal with Eric for the release of his album Old Sock on 12 March. Clapton is currently touring the United States and Europe from March 14 to June 19, 2013 to celebrate his 50 years as a professional musician.
Happy Birthday to Eric Clapton - A Bit Of Groovy!
This is only a quick overview of Clapton's career. For more info:
Official Website: http://www.ericclapton.com/
-source: Wikipedia
