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Essay on Eric Clapton
British rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known for his lyric guitar style and use of blues techniques to enhance his rock-music performances. Born in Ripley, England, he began playing the guitar at the age of 17 and joined a succession of bands, including the Yardbirds, Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominos (Michael, 2003).
With a career spanning four decades, Eric Clapton is widely recognized as rock music's great bluesman guitarist (Chris, 2000). From the British Invasion of the Sixties to the present day, Clapton's resume is a history of the genre: the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominoes, a distinguished solo career, and collaborations with the likes of B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Duane Allman, and the Beatles.
In his early, formative years as a guitar player, he was influenced by Muddy Waters' Best of Muddy Waters album, which inspired him to play electric, as well as Jimmy Reed's Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall, Furry Lewis, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and later, Freddie King. Clapton's career began in 1963 when, as a little-known 18-year-old guitarist in England, he joined the newly formed Yardbirds. Though his stint with the group lasted less than two years, his recordings with the group showed a developing blues-rock hybrid guitar style. He left the group in 1965 due to dissatisfaction with the more commercial style their songs were taking -- in particular, the song "For Your Love."
He soon was invited to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, a groundbreaking blues-rock outfit whose leader had a knack for discovering talent and whose ever-changing lineup continues to this day. (Among the other Sixties talents who did time in theBluesbreakers were John McVie, Mick Taylor, and Jack Bruce, later of Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, and Cream, respectively.) Clapton recorded one album with the Bluesbreakers: Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton ....
