Eric Clapton

Active years

• Active 1963 to today
• Blues rock, 1966 to 1969
• Rock, 1970 to today

The journey

Platforms

1. Blues rock1966 to 1969

   1The Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith

   "Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton" (1966) made him the guitarist of the British blues boom; Cream, formed the same year, stretched the blues into the power trio, and Blind Faith followed for one album in 1969. All three bands are line diagrams on this network.

   Key album: Disraeli Gears, 1967

   1. 1966Album

      Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton

      The "Beano" album, released in July 1966, which made "Clapton is God" graffiti appear around London.

      John Mayall's Bluesbreakers line-upFind on Spotify (opens in a new tab)Find on Apple Music (opens in a new tab)Find on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

      Source: Wikipedia, Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (opens in a new tab)

   2. 1966Lineage

      Cream formed

      Clapton left the Bluesbreakers in July 1966 to form Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker: the first supergroup.

      Cream line-up

      Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Cream (opens in a new tab)

   3. 1967Album

      Disraeli Gears

      Released in November 1967 with "Sunshine of Your Love": the blues through a wah-wah pedal and a Marshall stack.

      Cream line-upFind on Spotify (opens in a new tab)Find on Apple Music (opens in a new tab)Find on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

      Source: Wikipedia, Disraeli Gears (opens in a new tab)

   4. 1968Album

      Wheels of Fire

      A studio record and a live one, released in August 1968, and the first double album to go platinum.

      Cream line-upFind on Spotify (opens in a new tab)Find on Apple Music (opens in a new tab)Find on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

      Source: Wikipedia, Wheels of Fire (opens in a new tab)

   5. 1968Performance

      Cream's farewell at the Royal Albert Hall

      Two shows on 26 November 1968 ended Cream after two and a half years.

      Cream line-up

      Source: Wikipedia, Cream (band) (opens in a new tab)

   6. 1969Lineage

      Blind Faith

      Clapton and Baker with Steve Winwood and Ric Grech: a free concert in Hyde Park in June 1969, one album at number one, and over by the end of the year.

      Blind Faith line-up

      Source: Wikipedia, Blind Faith (opens in a new tab)

   Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eric Clapton (opens in a new tab)

2. Rock1970 to today

   2Layla and the solo years

   After Blind Faith he recorded "Layla" (1970) as Derek and the Dominos, then a solo career from 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) onwards that moved from the blues towards the mainstream of rock and pop.

   Key album: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, 1970

   1. 1970Album

      Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

      Recorded as Derek and the Dominos with Duane Allman on slide guitar and released in November 1970; a flop at first, a standard within two years.

      Find on Spotify (opens in a new tab)Find on Apple Music (opens in a new tab)Find on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

      Source: Wikipedia, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (opens in a new tab)

   2. 1971Performance

      The Concert for Bangladesh

      George Harrison's two benefit shows at Madison Square Garden on 1 August 1971, the model for every all-star charity concert since.

      Source: Wikipedia, The Concert for Bangladesh (opens in a new tab)

   3. 1974Album

      461 Ocean Boulevard

      The comeback after three years of addiction, released in July 1974; its cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" was an American number one that September.

      Find on Spotify (opens in a new tab)Find on Apple Music (opens in a new tab)Find on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

      Source: Wikipedia, 461 Ocean Boulevard (opens in a new tab)

   4. 1992Album

      Unplugged

      The MTV set, released in August 1992 with "Tears in Heaven" and an acoustic "Layla"; it won six Grammys the following year.

      Find on Spotify (opens in a new tab)Find on Apple Music (opens in a new tab)Find on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

      Source: Wikipedia, Unplugged (Eric Clapton album) (opens in a new tab)

   5. 2000Moment

      Into the Hall of Fame a third time

      Inducted as a solo artist in 2000, after the Yardbirds (1992) and Cream (1993): the first person inducted three times.

      Source: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Eric Clapton (opens in a new tab)

   6. 2005Performance

      Cream reunited at the Royal Albert Hall

      Four nights in May 2005 in the hall where the band had said goodbye in 1968, then three more at Madison Square Garden.

      Cream line-up

      Source: Wikipedia, Cream (band) (opens in a new tab)

   Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eric Clapton (opens in a new tab)

Line-ups

• The Yardbirdslead guitar, 1963 to 1965
• John Mayall's Bluesbreakersguitar, 1965 to 1966
• Creamguitar, vocals, 1966 to 1968
• Blind Faithguitar, vocals, 1969 to 1969

The lines