Three Hall of Fame Inductions and Countless Hits: The Eric Clapton Story
As well as enjoying a hugely successful solo career, Eric Clapton has played in bands like Derek & The Dominos, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith, and Cream. On top of this, he’s worked as a session guitarist for more stars than perhaps any other player in history.
His signature string-bending tone has graced studios and stages alongside legends such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddie King, and Sheryl Crow—who famously wrote My Favourite Mistake about him.
Over the course of his remarkable career, Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once, not twice, but three times—once as a solo artist, and again with The Yardbirds and Cream. No other musician has achieved this feat.
Let’s explore the career of this iconic guitarist by looking at the tunes that helped define him.
Eric’s first band of note was The Yardbirds. Formed in 1963, Clapton joined as their second guitarist, replacing Top Topham.
Despite being a young band, The Yardbirds had already taken over a residency from The Rolling Stones and were heading in a Chicago blues direction that suited Clapton’s obsession with Muddy Waters and similar artists at the time.
After a tour with Sonny Boy Williamson II and a few blues covers released as singles—Good Morning Little Schoolgirl among them—the band decided to pursue a more commercial sound.
They recorded For Your Love, written by Graham Gouldman (later of 10cc). On the very day it was released—25th March 1965—Clapton left the band in protest of this shift. He was replaced by Jeff Beck, although he had initially recommended Jimmy Page for the role.
Clapton Joins the Bluesbreakers and Redefines British Blues
Clapton’s next band, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, is best known for its revolving door of talent, with alumni including future members of the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and Cream. In total, more than 100 musicians have at one point claimed the honour of having played with Mayall.
The main release Clapton featured on was the album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, commonly nicknamed the Beano album because he’s reading a Beano comic on the cover.
By this time, Eric had traded in his Telecaster and Vox setup for a Les Paul and Marshall combo, a tone that would become iconic. Interestingly, the signature sound of the album was mostly captured using room microphones—so if you’re chasing that tone, crank the amp and place the mic far away rather than close to the speaker cone.
Standout tracks on this now legendary album include Hideaway (Freddie King), What’d I Say (Ray Charles), and Ramblin’ On My Mind (Robert Johnson). The 40th-anniversary deluxe edition added another 19 tracks, with Call It Stormy Monday, Have You Ever Loved A Woman, and Hoochie Coochie Man among the highlights.
Bass duties were handled by John McVie (later of Fleetwood Mac) and Jack Bruce (featured on the anniversary edition only).
After seeing Buddy Guy live, Clapton became convinced that a power trio format would suit him better. He left the Bluesbreakers and took Jack Bruce with him to form Cream. His replacement in Mayall’s band was Peter Green, who would soon go on to form Fleetwood Mac, taking McVie with him.
Clapton’s Formations: Supergroups and Beyond
By 1966, Clapton had formed Cream, widely regarded as the world’s first supergroup (a supergroup being a band made up of already well-known members).
Cream’s output was groundbreaking. In 1966, they released Fresh Cream, featuring tracks like I Feel Free and I’m So Glad. The following year, Disraeli Gears hit the shelves, with iconic tunes like Strange Brew and Sunshine Of Your Love. In 1968, Wheels of Fire was released, which included White Room, Born Under A Bad Sign (Albert King), and the legendary live version of Crossroads (Robert Johnson). Their final studio album, Goodbye, came in 1969 and featured the tune Badge.
Before Clapton went solo, he formed two more bands. The first, Blind Faith, lasted only a few months. This supergroup consisted of Clapton and Ginger Baker from Cream, Steve Winwood from the Spencer Davis Group, and Ric Grech from Traffic. Blind Faith released just one album, which did not produce any major hits. They are better known for their infamous album cover, which featured an 11-year-old topless girl holding a model plane, symbolising innocence and technology. This controversial cover led to much discussion, but the band’s brief career is mostly remembered for its star power rather than its musical output.
After touring with Free, Blind Faith, lacking original material, started playing covers of their previous bands. Dissatisfied, Clapton abandoned the group within a year. During this time, Clapton met Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, a touring band that would eventually lead to his next project, Derek and the Dominos.
With the addition of Duane Allman from the Allman Brothers Band, Derek and the Dominos released the double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. This album is often cited as one of Clapton’s best works. With standout tracks like Bell Bottom Blues, Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out, Key to the Highway (Freddie King), Have You Ever Loved A Woman, Little Wing (Jimi Hendrix), and of course, Layla, it’s easy to see why some critics consider this Clapton’s finest hour.
Clapton Goes Solo: A New Chapter in His Career
In the same year that Derek and the Dominos disbanded, Clapton released his self-titled debut solo album. The standout track from this release was After Midnight, which would become one of his signature songs.
However, the rollercoaster ride with his previous bands and the drama that accompanied them took a toll on Clapton. He fell into a period of burnout, turning to heroin, binge-watching TV, and neglecting his health. Clapton himself recalls this time as one of personal decline, but luckily, he managed to break free from these destructive habits.
In 1974, Clapton bounced back with 461 Ocean Boulevard, an album that was a huge commercial success, largely due to his cover of Bob Marley’s I Shot The Sheriff. This marked a pivotal point in his career, with Clapton solidifying his place as a solo artist from that moment on.
Between 1975 and 1989, Clapton released nine studio albums, producing some of his most beloved songs. Tracks like Wonderful Tonight, Lay Down Sally, Pretending, Bad Love, Running on Faith, and Old Love came from albums such as Slowhand and Journeyman. His catalogue also featured a number of iconic covers of traditional, blues, and rock classics, including Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, The Sky Is Crying (Elmore James), May You Never (John Martyn), Crosscut Saw (R.G. Ford), Hound Dog (Elvis), Knock On Wood (Eddie Floyd), Before You Accuse Me (Bo Diddley), Hard Times (Ray Charles), Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (Bob Dylan), and the hugely popular Cocaine (J.J. Cale).
As the ’90s rolled in, Clapton slowed his pace, releasing only two albums. First, From The Cradle (1994), a tribute to the blues with only covers, including the standout Sinner’s Prayer. Then, in 1998, Pilgrim was released, which featured almost entirely original material, with My Father’s Eyes as the lead single and a clear highlight of the album.
In 2000, Clapton teamed up with B.B. King for the album Riding With The King, a blues collaboration that produced notable tracks such as Riding With The King, Key To The Highway, Three O’Clock Blues, and the Sam & Dave classic Hold On, I’m Comin’.
Finally, in 2001, Clapton released Reptile, a blend of original songs and covers, with Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (a James Taylor song) standing out as one of the album’s strongest tracks.
Clapton’s Later Years: A Focus on Covers, Tributes, and New Directions
In 2004, Clapton released Me and Mr. Johnson, a tribute album to the legendary Robert Johnson. The album serves as a great introduction to the blues pioneer for those who may find Johnson’s original recordings a bit challenging to get into.
The following year, Clapton released Back Home, an album that mixed covers with original material. While the album had its moments, it didn’t produce any big hits.
2010 saw the release of Clapton, his 17th solo album. Interestingly, this album featured no original material from Clapton himself. Instead, it was a collection of covers, including the jazz standard Autumn Leaves.
In 2013, Clapton returned with Old Sock, another album largely made up of covers, which included renditions of All of Me and Gary Moore’s Still Got The Blues.
He continued the trend with I Still Do in 2016, a similar mix of covers and no original tracks.
Then, in 2018, Clapton surprised many by releasing a Christmas Album. It’s hard to imagine the young Clapton, who once left The Yardbirds over their move away from Chicago Blues, would have predicted such a release in his future.
During the global pandemic of 2020, Clapton released Stand & Deliver, a collaboration with Van Morrison. The song was a protest against the government’s handling of COVID-19, sparking controversy and even some calls for Clapton to be “cancelled.” But, as with previous instances, Clapton remained unfazed and continued to focus on his music.
Clapton’s influence can be heard across countless collaborations with other artists, including It’s Probably Me (Sting), While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles), My Sweet Lord (George Harrison), and I Wish It Would Rain Down (Phil Collins), among many others.
For those wanting to learn more about Clapton, there are numerous books and websites, including Where’s Eric Magazine, dedicated to his life and career.
Clapton’s signature Fender guitar, which has been available since 1988, features a built-in preamp boost and remains a popular model among guitarists (chekc my blog post of Eric Clapton Guitars for more on the topic).
As Clapton remains my biggest musical influence, I could go on endlessly about his impact, but for now, I’ll let the music speak for itself.
Eric Clapton Tunes | Related Pages
All Of Me | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play All Of Me by Frank Sinatra using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bbmaj7 | Bbmaj7 | D7 | D7 |
All of me, why not take all of me…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: All Of Me (the Real Book) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Autumn Leaves | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Autumn Leaves by the Real Book using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Am7 | D7 | Gmaj7 | Cmaj7 |
The falling leaves drift by my window…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Autumn Leaves (Real Book) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Born Under A Bad Sign | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Born Under A Bad Sign by Albert King using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| Db7 | Db7 | Db7 | Db7 (Gb G) |
Born under a bad sign, been down since I began to crawl…
Call It Stormy Monday | Chords + Lyrics
Learn how to play Call It Stormy Monday by T-Bone Walker using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| G9 | C9 | G9 | G9 |
They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad…
Crossroads | Chords + Lyrics
Learn how to play the live version of Crossroads by Cream using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| A7 | D7 | A7 | A7 |
I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knee…
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right by Bob Dylan using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C C/G G G7 | Am7 Am/G |
Well, it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (Bob Dylan) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Hide Away | Chords
You can learn how to play Hide Away by Freddie King using chords, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
Instrumental
| A7 | A7 | E7 (F#7 F7) | E7 |
Hold On, I’m Comin’ | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Hold On, I’m Comin’ by Sam & Dave using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Ab7 | Ab7 | Ab7 | Ab7 |
Don’t you ever, be sad. Lean on me, when the times are bad…
Hound Dog | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Hound Dog by Elvis Presley using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| N.C | C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 |
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Hound Dog (Elvis Presley) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
I Shot The Sheriff | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play I Shot The Sheriff by Bob Marley using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Gm | Cm Cm7 Cm Cm7 | Gm7 Gm Gm7 | Gm7 Gm Gm7 |
I shot the sheriff, but I didn’t shoot no deputy, oh no! Oh…
Start learning with the full lesson series: I Shot The Sheriff – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Knock On Wood | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Knock On Wood by Eddie Floyd using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, the original recording, and cover versions.
| A6 | A6 | A6 | A6 |
I don’t want to lose, this good thing, that I got…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Knock On Wood (Eddie Floyd) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Knocking On Heaven’s Door | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Knocking On Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G D/F# | Am Am7 |
Mama take this badge off of me…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Knocking On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Still Got The Blues | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Still Got The Blues by Gary Moore using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| Dm7 | Dm7/G | Cmaj7 | Fmaj7 |
Used to be so easy, to give my heart away…
Sunshine Of Your Love | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| D blues scale riff | D blues scale riff |
It’s getting near dawn…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Sunshine Of Your Love – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Tears In Heaven | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, 2nd guitar, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Tears In Heaven – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Wonderful Tonight | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G | D/F# | C | D |
It’s late in the evening, she’s wondering what clothes to wear…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Eric Clapton on the web
