Eric Clapton was born on March 30, 1945, in Surrey, England. Because Eric’s mother was only sixteen when she gave birth to him, he was raised by his grandparents and believed that his mother was actually his older sister. Before becoming a well-known musician, Eric briefly studied stained glass design and spent time busking in various locations throughout England. His first band was The Roosters, and Clapton was the guitarist. He moved on to play guitar for musical group The Yardbirds, whose best known song is the single "For Your Love." The hit single was released soon before Clapton left The Yardbirds for John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, a gig that led to worldwide recognition of Clapton’s guitar skills. Clapton formed the band Cream next, and the group was wildly successful, selling 15 million albums in only three years. Personal conflicts, however, led to the breakup of the band. After short stints with other groups, which included doing guitar work for the legendary group The Beatles, Clapton released his first solo album in 1970. The self-titled album was well-received, and the single "After Midnight" is still well-known today.

Clapton formed yet another band, Derek and the Dominoes, and the hit song "Layla" is credited to them. After the group’s dissolution, he retreated from the public eye due to personal problems including a heroin addiction and a one-way love affair with his friend’s wife. He made his comeback in 1974, and has enjoyed a steady career since. Clapton collaborated with musician Bob Dylan to release the singles "Wonderful Tonight" and "Cocaine."

The late 1970s saw Clapton struggle with his addictions again, this time with alcohol. In the 1980s, he continued to release albums, including Behind the Sun and the highly-successful August. The latter album reached #3 on the charts and was Clapton’s best selling album at the time. In the early 2000s, Clapton organized a tribute concert to George Harrison and he recently embarked on a 2006/2007 tour. Although his career has had its ups and down, Clapton has produced some of the most loved lyrics and greatest guitar work of our times.

Clapton’s first love after the guitar was Pattie Boyd, the former wife of George Harrison. He fell in love with her while she was still married to The Beatles member, a situation which caused considerable heartbreak for Eric and also inspired the lyrics to "Layla." After Harrison’s and Boyd’s breakup, Eric married Pattie in 1979. Apparently Pattie did not live up to all of Clapton’s expectations; he had an affair with Yvonne Khan Kelly which resulted in the birth of his daughter Ruth when he was still married. He didn’t acknowledge the birth until several years later. His second affair was with Italian model Lory Del Santo. She gave birth to son Conor in 1986 and it proved to be the last straw for Pattie. She and Eric divorced in 1989. His son Conor was later died in a fall, and Eric’s grief moved him to write the Grammy-Award winning "Tears in Heaven." Before his second marriage, Eric was involved with singer Sheryl Crow, and her single "My Favorite Mistake" was supposedly inspired by their relationship. Eric married his current wife, Melia McEnery, in 2002. The couple is currently married and has had three daughters during their marriage.

YUDDY