Blues Legend Eric Clapton Celebrates His 75th Birthday

Mar 30, 2020

Musician Eric Clapton turns 75. A look back at the ups and downs of the exceptional guitarist’s life.

When Eric Patrick Clapton was born in England on 30 March 1945, his mother was only 16-years-old and young Eric grew up in his grandparents' home believing that they were actually his parents. 

At the age of nine, he was told the truth about his real mother and also learned that his father, a Canadian soldier, had been stationed in England and was a gifted pianist, playing piano in several dance bands. Learning the truth was a shock to the young boy and soon music became his safe haven - especially playing the blues.

At the age of 18, he joined the English rock band, The Yardbirds. But as the group became more commercial, blues purist Clapton left the band in March 1965 and joined the blues band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers’ shortly after. Together they released a blues-rock album in 1966 that established Clapton’s reputation as one of the great guitarists of the age.

In spite of their successful record, Clapton ended up leaving the group a few months later to form the new rock band, Cream, with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. The group took new approaches to blues music as well as performing unique renditions of classic blues songs. After releasing three well-received records and touring through the United States, Clapton and the band achieved worldwide superstar status. Though it didn’t take long before they, too, broke up in 1968 due to tensions between Bruce and Baker.

After his time in Cream, Clapton started another band, Blind Faith. Yet, they also broke up after producing one album only. In 1970, Clapton formed the English–American blues-rock band, Derek and the Dominos, that released a concept album about unrequited love called Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, its title track, "Layla," a declaration of love to Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend George Harrison from the Beatles, is often considered Eric Clapton's greatest musical achievement even though the album did not turn out to be successful back then.

The album's commercial failure and as well as his unrequited love, caused a depressed and lonely Clapton to lose himself in heroin addiction for three years. He then replaced hard drugs with alcohol and re-emerged onto the music scene in 1974. Clapton's cover version of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" became his first number one hit and marked the start of his solo career during which he released one successful album after the other. He continued wooing Pattie until she finally separated from Harrison and married him instead in 1979.

Even though it seemed like he had everything he ever asked for, Clapton's personal life was filled with misery. His drinking problem placed a constant heavy burden on his and Pattie’s relationship and he continuously cheated on her throughout their marriage, conceiving two children with other women. Clapton ended up having a daughter, Ruth, with Yvonne Kelly in 1985 and a son, Connor, with Italian model Lory Del Santo in 1986. 

After Pattie divorced him in 1989, another tragedy struck as Clapton's four-year-old son Conor passed away after he fell out of the open window of a New York skyscraper in 1991. Processing the unbearable loss of his beloved son inspired Eric Clapton to write the emotional song "Tears in Heaven” that soon became a world hit.

After Clapton was finally able to quit drinking in 1987, he founded the Crossroads Centre, a substance-abuse rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol addiction, in 1998. Four years later, he married American socialite and philanthropist, Melia McEnery. The two are still together and have three daughters, Julie Rose, Ella Mae, and Sophie.

In 2015 Rolling Stone ranked Eric Clapton the second greatest guitarist of all time. In the span of his career, the musician won 18 Grammy Awards and is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a solo artist as well as a member of The Yardbirds and of Cream. Clapton didn’t stop making new music and touring until he was in his 60s.

Did you know about all these ups and downs in Eric Clapton’s life? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to wish the blues legend a happy birthday while you’re at it. Be sure to pass this article along to others!