Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England. His mother was 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton (1929-1999) and his dad – Edward Walter Fryer (1920-1985), a 25-year-old soldier from Montreal, Quebec.
Clapton was born on March 30, 1945. He is famous for being one of the most legendary guitarists in the genre of rock and blues known in history.
Clapton has captivated audiences for more than five decades with his distinct playing style and musical tone. He was inspired by blues legends like B.B. King and Robert Johnson.
Career
At an early age, he quickly developed his skills with the guitar, and during the 1960s, he gained traction with his audience as a member of classic British bands such as The Yardbirds and Cream. Because of these opportunities, he rose to fame and contributed to the blues-rock genre as an artful musician.
With his recognition growing, his solo career grew with it. In 1970, he released one of the timeless classics in the album “Eric Clapton”, named “Layla”.
Because of how the song exuded passion through guitar solos and elegant lyrics, Clapton is believed to be an expert performer and songwriter and reached this status henceforth.
The musician has constantly pushed the limits of music throughout his career as he found himself changing between genres while exploring blues, pop, rock, and reggae. He collaborated with several other artists such as Duane Allman, Derek and the Dominos, and George Harrison, which resulted in amazing albums and memorable performances on stage.
Favourite Hobby
As his favourite hobby, Clapton has been known to love playing cricket games. Known as the “Gentleman’s Game”, the sports game involves two teams with 11 players on each side.
The captain who wins the toss gets to decide if his team bats or bowls first. If they bat first, their aim is to score a lot of runs and make sure the other team does not reach that score.
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Health Condition
Despite his love for cricket games, in an interview, Clapton revealed that he suffers from deafness and that he also struggles to strum the guitar. But he hasn’t announced any plans to retire from his music career and his favourite pastime.
He said that he was rather anxious about performing “proficiently” at his Hyde Park gig in summer 2018, due to suffering from tinnitus, a ringing noise from inside the ear.
“I am still going to work. I am going to do a show at Hyde Park in July,” he told the BBC. “The only thing I am concerned with now is I am going deaf, I’ve got tinnitus, my hands just about work.
I mean, I am hoping people will come along and see me, me more than I am a curiosity. I know that is part of it, because it’s amazing to myself that I am still here.”
Personal Life
Aside from his musical achievements, Clapton has had an open lifestyle with the people who follow him, being honest about his struggles with addiction as an example, and he has used these experiences as drivers for his most emotive songs, such as “Tears in Heaven”. The song was conceived out of unbelievably tragic circumstances.
The 1992 hit is a tribute song to love’s everlasting powers and a lament for the death of Clapton’s four-year-old son, Conor, who died on March 20, 1991, when he accidentally slipped from the 53rd-floor window of a New York City apartment building.
Clapton has developed this ability to channel the flow of his emotions into the language of music, and this has greatly resonated with his fans for several decades.
Wife
In 1979, Clapton married Pattie Boyd. Before marrying him, she was married to Clapton’s friend George Harrison from 1966 to 1977. Boyd was the inspiration for Clapton’s songs ‘Layla’ and ‘Wonderful Tonight’. They divorced in 1988.
In January 2022, he married his second wife Melia McEnery in a small church ceremony.
Melia was born in 1976 and just a bit more than 30 years younger than Eric. She works as a Senior Clinical Adviser for Crossroads Centre Antigua. They met at a party in 1999. Back then Eric was 53 and Melia was 22.
Relationships and Children
In 1984, Clapton began a relationship with a manager of AIR Studios Montserrat, Yvonne Kelly. Although both were married to other people at the time, they had a daughter in 1985.
They named her Ruth Kelly Clapton. They kept her from the public until the media published information, she was his child in 1991.
Clapton and Boyd tried unsuccessfully to have children, and tried in vitro fertilisation in 1984, but had several miscarriages.
Clapton had an affair with Italian model Lory Del Santo, who gave birth to their son, Conor, in 1986.
Awards
Throughout his career, Clapton has had the honour to receive many accolades. This includes 18 Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times as a solo musician, and with The Yardbirds and Cream).
