Eric Clapton Biography, Age, Family, Education, Wife, Kids, and Net Worth

A photo of Eric Clapton

Who is Eric Clapton?

Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. The best three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: as soon as as a solo artist and one at a time as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream.

Eric Clapton’s Career

Clapton has been known as one of the most crucial and influential guitarists of all time. In Rolling Stone’s listing of the ”a hundred Greatest Guitarists of All Time”, Clapton ranked 2nd, and additionally in Gibson’s ”Top 50 Guitarists of All Time”, he ranked fourth. In 2009 Time magazine named him to range 5 of their list of ”The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players”. Clapton joined the Yardbirds in 1963, after playing in some of the exclusive neighborhood bands, he replaced the founding guitarist Top Topham.

He later left the Yardbirds in 1965 after the change of the Yardbirds sound from blues-rock to a greater radio-pleasant pop-rock sound. Eric went to play with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, with whom he performed on one album. However, he left Mayall in 1966 and formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce. In this group, Clapton performed sustained blues improvisations and ”arty, blues-based psychedelic pop”.

Later in November 1968, Cream broke up and Clapton formed the blues-rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood, and Ric Grech. They recorded one album and performed on one tour before breaking up, leading Clapton to embark on a solo profession in 1970. Together with his solo profession, he additionally performed with Delaney & Bonnie and Derek and the Dominos and recorded ”Layla”, certainly considered one among his signature songs.

Clapton persisted to record several successful solo albums and songs over the following several decades. They covered a 1974 cover of Bob Marley’s ”I Shot the Sheriff”, the country-infused Slowhand album (1977), and the pop-rock of 1986’s August. After the death of his son Conor in 1991, he expressed his grief withinside the song ”Tears in Heaven”, which appeared on his Unplugged album. In 1996, Clapton had another top-40 hit with the R&B crossover ”Change the World”, and later in 1998 launched the Grammy award-winning ”My Father’s Eyes”.

A photo of Eric Clapton
A photo of Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton’s Achievements

From 1999, Eric has recorded several traditional blues and blues-rock albums and hosted the periodic Crossroads Guitar Festival. Clapton’s latest studio album is 2018’s Happy Xmas. He has acquired 18 Grammy Awards in addition to the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Clapton becomes presented with a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. He has acquired 4 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors, consisting of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Eric has sold out more than one hundred million records worldwide in his solo profession, making him one of the exceptional-promoting musicians of all time. In 1998, Eric, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, began out the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, which is a medical facility for recovering substance abusers.

Eric Clapton’s Age

Patrick Clapton is aged seventy-six as of 2021. He was born 30 March 1945 in Ripley, Surrey, England.

Eric Clapton’s Family

Eric Clapton’s Parents

Patrick was born to Patricia Molly Clapton and Edward Walter Fryer. Patricia was sixteen years old whilst she gave birth to him while Edward was 25 years old. Clapton’s mom was born on 7 January 1929 and died in March 1999 aged 70 while his father was born on 21 March 1920 and died on 15 May 1985 aged 65. Edward was a soldier from Montreal, Quebec, who shipped off to battle previous to Clapton’s birth and later returned to Canada.

Clapton was raised by his grandmother, Rose, and her 2nd husband, Jack Clapp, Patricia’s stepfather. He grew up believing that they were his mother and father and his mother was his older sister. Patricia later married another Canadian soldier and moved to Germany, leaving young Eric with his grandparents in Surrey.

Eric Clapton’s Siblings

Patrick Clapton has one half-brother, namely, Fast Eddie Fryer from his mother’s second husband.

Eric Clapton’s Education

Patrick Clapton attended Hollyfield School in Surbiton till 1961. He later joined and Studied at the Kingston College of Art. However, he got disregarded at the end of the academic year as his attention remained on music instead of art.

Eric Clapton’s Interests

Clapton’s first interest in guitar began whilst he acquired an acoustic Hoyer guitar made in Germany for his 13th birthday. It became difficult for him to play and briefly lost interest. After two years he began out playing it consistently, stimulated with the aid of using the blues, he practiced long hours to learn the chords of blues music playing alongside the records. His interest got the best of him in college as he centered on music as opposed to art, the course he was studying in the college. He got noticed for his superior playing at the age of sixteen.

After being disregarded from university he began outperforming in pubs around Surrey with fellow blues enthusiast David Brook. At the age of seventeen, he joined his first band, an early British R&B group, the Roosters. He stayed with the band from January till August 1963, later in October he did a seven-gig stint with Casey Jones& the Engineers.

Clapton additionally has an interest in soccer as he’s a fan of the English football club West Bromwich Albion. He has additionally attempted to make investments withinside the club, although his offer became rejected. He later in the 1978-79 season sponsored West Brom’s UEFA Cup home game against Turkish club Galatasaray.

Eric Clapton’s Wife

Initially, Clapton dated funk singer Betty Davis for a brief time. Later in 1979, he married Pattie Boyd, however, his infidelities and domestic violence ruined the marriage. Eric started out a relationship with Yvonne Kelly, the manager of AIR Studios Montserrat regardless of both being married to different partners. In January 1985, they had a daughter, Ruth Kelly Clapton. Although her life was hidden from the public, the media realized she was his baby in 1991.

Clapton and his spouse Boyd attempted to have youngsters however all was useless due to miscarriages. The couple divorced in 1989, because of Clapton’s affair with Italian model Lory Del Santo, who gave birth to their son, Conor, on 21 August 1986. Conor later died on 20 March 1991 after falling out of an open bedroom window on the 53rd floor of a Manhattan apartment building at the age of four.

At the age of 53, Clapton secretly commenced courting 22-year-old administrative assistant Melia McEnery in 1998. Their relationship went public in 1999 after courting for a year. Clapton and Melia married on 1 January 2002 at St Mary Magdalene church in Clapton’s birthplace. They have three children together.

Eric Clapton’s Kids

Clapton has 5 children out of all his relationships. He has a daughter, Ruth Kelly Clapton from his relationship with Yvonne Kelly. Ruth and her husband Dean Bartlet have a toddler, Isaac Eric Owen Bartlett, Clapton’s grandson. Eric Clapton and his ex-girlfriend Del Santo had a son, Conor( 21 August 1986- 20 March 1991).

Clapton and his current spouse, Melia have 3 youngsters together. All their youngsters are girls, namely: Julie Rose (born 13 June 2001), Ella May ( born 14 January 2003), and Sophie Belle (born 1 February 2005).

Eric Clapton’s Residence

Eric Clapton, a British rock musician, lives in his home in Ewhurst, withinside the United Kingdom. He has lived in his Italian-style villa referred to as Hurtwood Edge for several decades.

Eric Clapton’s Height

Patrick Clapton has a height of 5 ft 7 in (176 cm) adding up to his weight of 84 kg (185 lbs.).

Eric Clapton’s Net Worth

Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist, Eric Patrick Clapton has been active from 1962 to date. He has gathered a net worth of $250 million as of 2021.