Eric Clapton was born on March 30, 1945, in Ripley, Surrey, England. His real father was a Canadian pilot, but he didn't discover this until he was 53 years old. When Clapton was just two years old, his mother felt she was unable to care for him, so he went to live with his grandparents.
At the age of 14, Clapton took up the guitar, influenced by blues artists such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. In 1963, after being expelled from art college, Clapton joined Paul Samwell-Smith, Keith Relf, and others to form a band. He stayed with this group for about 18 months before joining John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
Clapton's impressive guitar playing earned him the nickname "God" within the English music scene. He eventually left Mayall's group and formed his own band with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, known as Cream. This band was a hard-driving rock and blues trio that released their debut album "Fresh Cream" in 1966, which became a top-ten hit.
Cream spent most of 1967 touring and recording their second album "Disraeli Gears", which became a huge worldwide hit. The band's success led to a six-month US tour, but tensions within the group began to rise, and they eventually disbanded in 1968.
Clapton then formed a new band with Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech, called Blind Faith. The band released their debut album in 1969 and went on a summer tour of the US, but despite their success, they decided to disband.
Clapton then launched his highly successful solo career, releasing his first solo album in 1970, which featured Delaney & Bonnie.
