Eric Clapton: the 100 most inspiring musicians of all time
British rock musician Eric Clapton (born Eric Patrick Clapp (b. March 30, 1945, Ripley, Surrey, Eng.) was a highly influential guitarist in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later became a major singer-songwriter.
Eric Clapton was raised by his grandparents after his mother abandoned him at an early age. He began playing the guitar in his teens and briefly studied at the Kingston College of Art. After playing lead guitar with two minor bands, in 1963 he joined the Yardbirds, a rhythm-and-blues group in
which his blues-influenced playing and commanding technique began to attract attention.
Clapton left the Yardbirds in 1965 when they pursued commercial success with a pop-oriented style. That same year he joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and his guitar playing soon became the group’s principal drawing card as it attracted a fanatic following on the London club scene.
In 1966 Clapton left the Bluesbreakers to form a new band with two other virtuoso rock musicians, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. This group, Cream, achieved international popularity with its sophisticated,
high-volume fusion of rock and blues that featured improvisatory solos. Clapton’s mastery of blues form and phrasing, his rapid runs, and his plaintive vibrato were widely imitated by other rock guitarists.
The high energy and emotional intensity of his playing on such songs as “Crossroads” and “White Room” set the standard for the rock guitar solo. Cream disbanded in late 1968, however, after having recorded such albums as Disraeli Gears (1967), Wheels of Fire (1968), and Goodbye (1969).
In 1969 Clapton and Baker formed the group Blind Faith with keyboardist-vocalist Steve Winwood and bassist Rick Grech, but the group broke up after recording only one album. Clapton emerged as a capable vocalist on his first solo album, which was released in 1970. He soon
assembled a trio of strong session musicians (bassist Carl Radle, drummer Jim Gordon, and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock) into a new band called Derek and the Dominos, with Clapton as lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter.
The guitarist Duane Allman joined the group in making the classic double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970), which is regarded as Clapton’s masterpiece and a landmark among rock recordings. Disappointed by Layla’s lackluster sales and addicted to heroin, Clapton
went into seclusion for two years. Overcoming his addiction, he made a successful comeback with the album 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), which included his hit remake of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff.” On the album, Clapton adopted a more relaxed approach that emphasized his songwriting
and vocal abilities rather than his guitar playing.
Over the next 20 years Clapton produced a string of albums, including
Slowhand (1977), Backless (1978), Money and Cigarettes (1983), August (1986), Unplugged (1992)—which featured the Top Five hit “Tears in Heaven,” written after the death of his son—and From the Cradle (1994). He explored his musical influences with a pair of Grammy-winning collaborations:
Riding with the King (2000) with blues legend B.B. King and The Road to Escondido (2006) with roots guitarist J.J. Cale. The critical and commercial success of these albums solidified his stature as one of the world’s greatest rock musicians. Clapton, an autobiography, was published in 2007. In 2000 Clapton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Download and Play Along with Eric Clapton’s sheet music here.
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Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
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Will B. Morrison – Melody in F (Syncopated Waltz) sheet music | ||
Will Young – Anything Is Possible | ||
William Best I Love You For Sentimental Reasons (Jazz Standard) | William Best I Love You For Sentimental Reasons (Jazz Standard) | |
William Eveleth – Blues Jazz and Rock Riffs For Keyboards | ||
William Gillock In Old Vienna Musescore File.mscz | ||
William Gillock Valse Etude In Romantic Style Musescore File.mscz | ||
William Joseph – Within (Songbook) (William Joseph) | William Joseph – Within (Songbook) (William Joseph) | |
William Robinson – My Girl | ||
William Russo Composing Music A New Approach (ebook) | ||
Willie Dixon Preacher Of The Blues (2011) Mitsutoshi Inaba (Book) Biography | ||
Willie Fugal S Blues Piano transcription | ||
Willie Nelson – Always on My Mind Sheet Music | ||
Willie Nelson – On My Mind | ||
Willie The Lion Smith – Finger Buster transcription | ||
Willie The Lion Smith Echo of Spring transcription | ||
Willow Weep For Me Words And Music By Ann Ronell 1932 Jazz Standard (Vintage sheet music) | ||
Wim Mertens – American Minimal Music La Monte Young Terry Riley Steve Reich Philip Glass | Book La Monte Young Terry Riley Steve Reich Philip Glass | |
Wim Mertens – Close Cover | Wim Mertens – Close Cover | |
Wim Mertens – Struggle For Pleasure | Wim Mertens – Struggle For Pleasure | |
Wim Mertens – Time Passing | ||
Wim Mertens Humility | ||
Wim Mertens Lir | ||
Windham Hill piano sampler | Windham Hill piano sampler | |
Windy Whistle (Le Renard et l’Enfant OST) Alice Lewis | ||
Wings (McCartney) – Greatest Hits | Wings sheet music | |
Winifred Atwell Album Of Rags No 1 Original arrangements Vintage songbook | Winifred Atwell Album Of Rags No 1 Original arrangements Vintage songbook | |
Winifred Atwell Marguerite Monnot The Poor People Of Paris ( La Goualante Du Pauvre Jean) Piano Solo | ||
Winnie The Pooh The Honey Tree Sheet Music (Disney) | Winnie The Pooh The Honey Tree Sheet Music (Disney) | |
Winter Sonata O.S.T. (Ryu) | ||
Winter Wonderland Other Christmas Favorites Songbook Piano Vocal guitar Chords | Winter Wonderland and Other Christmas Favorites Songbook Piano Vocal guitar Chords | |
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Within Temptation – Our Solemn Hour | ||
Without you (Maria Carey) | ||
Without You (Mariah Carey Piano Arr ) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth See You Again (Solo Piano) | ||
Wolf Wagner Paraphrase Über Die Walküre | ||
Wolfe Richard Legit Professional Fake Book More Than 1010 Songs | Wolfe Richard Legit Professional Fake Book More Than 1010 Songs | |
Wolfenzon – Stücke für Klavier | Wolfenzon – Stücke für Klavier | |
Womack, Bobby – Midnight Mover My Autobiography The True Story of the Greatest Soul Singer in the World (Book) | ||
Woman in love (Barbra Streisand) | ||
Women Of Pop Rock Songbook Twenty-Two Hot Hits for Easy Piano | Women Of Pop Rock Songbook Twenty-Two Hot Hits for Easy Piano | |
Wonderful Christmastime -Paul Mccartney (Wings) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Wonderful Life – Black (Easy Piano Solo Sheet Music) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Woody Allen – A propósito de nada (autobiografía)(2020) | ||
Woody Allen – Apropos of Nothing (2020) Autobiography | Woody Allen – Apropos of Nothing-Simon and Schuster (2020) Cover | |
Woody Guthrie This Land Is Your Land (Easy and Intermediate Piano Solo) | ||
World Hits Of Jazz Standard | World Hits Of Jazz Standard | |
Wuthering Heights (Ryuichi Sakamoto) | ||
Wynton Kelly – Autumn Leaves Solo transcription | Wynton Kelly – Autumn Leaves Solo transcription | |
Wynton Kelly – Dark Eyes Solo Piano transcription | ||
Wynton Kelly – Dark Eyes Solo Piano Transcription (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Wynton Kelly – Full transcriptions | Wynton Kelly – Full transcriptions | |
Wynton Kelly – I Dig of You Solo transcription | ||
Wynton Kelly – If I should Love You Solo transcription | ||
Wynton Kelly – Jazz Piano Collection | Wynton Kelly Piano Collection- | |
Wynton Kelly – Someday my prince will come (Piano solo) | ||
Wynton Marsalis Trumpet Genius Gourse, Leslie (Book) | ||
Wynton Marsalis – Caravan (Solo) | ||
Wynton Marsalis – Darn That Dream (Solo) | Wynton Marsalis – Darn That Dream (Solo) | |
Wynton Marsalis – Dealfayos Dillema (Solo) | ||
Wynton Marsalis – Standards (sheet music transcriptions) | Wynton Marsales – Standards (sheet music transcriptions) | |
Wynton Marsalis In The Court Of King Oliver (Trumpet and rhythm section) | ||
Wynton Marsalis Omnibook For B Flat Instruments Transcribed exactly from his recorded solos | Wynton Marsalis Omnibook For B Flat Instruments Transcribed exactly from his recorded solos | |
Wynton Marsalis Struttin’ With Some Barbeque (Live) Wynton Marsalis’ Trumpet Solo | ||
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Loneliness Kenji Hiramatsu | Xenoblade Chronicles Opening Theme Game sheet music | |
Xenoblade Chronicles Opening Theme Game sheet music Yoko Shimomura | ||
Yamaha E443 Songbook digital keyboard PSR-E443 | ||
Yamaha Keyboard Songbook | Yamaha Keyboard Songbook | |
Yamaha Keyboard Songbook Song-Buch | ||
Yamaha PSR E373 YPT-370 PSR-EW310 Song book | ||
Yamaha Song Book | Yamaha Song Book | |
Yamaha Song book | Yamaha Songbook | |
Yamaha Songbook | Yamaha-Songbook | |
Yamaha songbook 50 Piano Greats for the piano (Yamaha collection) | 50 Piano Greats for the piano (Yamaha collection) | |
Yamaha Songbook Contemporary Vol. 1 | Yamaha Songbook Contemporary Vol. 1 | |
Yana Bobalik Mysterious Music Я.Бобалік Songbook | ||
Yana Bobalik Secret Music From Mysterious Music Я.Бобалік Таемна Музыка | ||
Yann Tiersen Rue des Cascades (sheet music) | yann tiersen cascades sheet-music | |
Yann Tiersen Mother’s Journey | ||
Yann Tiersen – Tabarly Sheet Music | ||
Yann Tiersen – Comptine Dun Autre ete | ||
Yann Tiersen – La Dispute – Amelie Poulain | ||
Yann Tiersen – La Valse d’Amelie Poulain | Yann Tiersen – La Valse Damelie | |
Yann Tiersen – Le moulin – Amelie Poulain | Le Moulin – Amelie Poulain | |
Yann Tiersen – Six pièces pour piano – Volume 2 – Amélie Poulain | Yann Tiersen – Six pieces pour piano – Volume 2 – Music Sheet | |
Yann Tiersen – Summer 78 | ||
Yann Tiersen – Sur Le Fil | ||
Yann Tiersen – Pièces pour piano vol 1 et 2 + divers | Yann Tiersen – pièces pour piano vol 1 et 2 + divers | |
Yann Tiersen Eusa 2015 Songbook | ||
Yann Tiersen J’Y Suis Jamais Alle piano solo (Amélie) | ||
Yann Tiersen Onze Pièces Pour Piano | Yann Tiersen Onze Pièces Pour Piano | |
Yann Tiersen Partitions intégrales Piano Works 1993-2004 | Yann Tiersen Partitions intégrales Piano Works 1993-2004 | |
Yann Tiersen Tabarly Complete Book For Piano | ||
Yanni In My Time (Piano Solos) Sheet Music | Yanni In my time piano solos | |
Yanni One Man’s Dream | ||
Yanni – Per Piano (Piano book) | Yanni – Per Piano | |
Yanni – In The Morning Light | ||
Yanni – Nostalgia | ||
Yanni – One Man’s Dream (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Yanni -The Best of | ||
Yanni Ethnicity Book | Yanni Ethnicity Book | |
Yaron Herman – Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) transcription | ||
Yashal (Elisa) | ||
Yasuharu Takanashi – Naruto Shippuden OST – Loneliness | ||
Yedidia, Ronn Piano Sonata No 3 outcries (manuscrit) | ||
Yehezkel Raz Ballerina Piano Solo sheet music | ||
YES Fragile | YES Fragile | |
YES – Complete Deluxe Edition | YES – Complete Deluxe Edition | |
Yes Close To The Edge The Story Of Yes (Book) | ||
Yes The Best Of Guitar Songbook with TABs | Yes The Best Of Guitar Songbook | |
Yesterday Piano Cello – Piano Sheet Music – Paul McCartney | ||
Yesterday Piano vocal guitar Songbook Featuring Music From the OST | ||
Yesterday The Beatles For Jazz Piano (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Yesterday when I was young (Charles Aznavour) | ||
Yimkin Law ( Et maintenant on va où OST) Racha Rizk | ||
Yiruma – 27 May | ||
Yiruma – Destiny Of Love | ||
Yiruma – Dream | ||
Yiruma – Dream A Little Dream Of Me | Yiruma – Dream A Little Dream Of Me | |
Yiruma – Falling |
ERIC CLAPTON Live at Budokan, Tokyo, 2001 (Full Concert)
Live at Budokan, Dec 4, 2001
Eric Clapton – guitar / vocals Andy Fairweather Low – guitar / vocals David Sancious – keyboards / guitar / vocals Greg Phillinganes – keyboards Nathan East – bass / vocals Steve Gadd – drums
Key To The Highway 0:38 Reptile 3:41 Got You On My Mind 10:25 Tears In Heaven 14:21 Layla (acoustic) 18:51 Bell Bottom Blues 23:33 Change The World 28:37 River Of Tears 35:15 Goin’ Down Slow 44:04 She’s Gone 49:28 I Want A Little Girl 57:01 Badge 1:01:36 Hoochie Coochie Man 1:07:42 Five Long Years 1:12:39 Cocaine 1:20:57 Wonderful Tonight 1:25:44 Layla (electric) 1:32:58 Sunshine Of Your Love 1:43:05 Somewhere Over The Rainbow 1:50:00