ERIC CLAPTON is a multi platinum master of Blues Rock guitar. His career, spanning four decades of musical transition and counting has seen commercial mainstream Pop success allied to an unwavering commitment to the Blues. In his early career Clapton, as a lynchpin of such groundbreaking artists as the YARDBIRDS, JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS and the tour de force power trio CREAM, would prove one of the handful of guitarists, alongside JIMMY PAGE and JEFF BECK, to redefine the British sound into a Rock format. As early as the mid 60s ardent fans were proclaiming Clapton as 'God', a tag which has stuck to the present day.

Born in Ripley, Surrey on March 30th 1945, Clapton was raised by his grandmother and step-grandfather. Quite incredibly the young Clapton, upon being presented with his first guitar- a Spanish acoustic, gave up on the instrument finding it to difficult to master. His admiration of American Blues artists would later rekindle the interest and fire a determination to learn the guitar patterns he heard on the radio.

Although attending art college Clapton would soon find himself embroiled in the burgeoning London Blues scene performing acoustically, sometimes as a duo with fellow guitarist Dave Brock. In 1963 his grandparents bought the budding musician his first electric guitar, a red cutaway Kay model, and Clapton duly enrolled into his first proper band, the Chicago Blues style devotees RHODE ISLAND RED & THE ROOSTERS, later shortened to just THE ROOSTERS. This act saw Clapton unified with vocalist Terry Brennan, guitarist Tom McGuinness, pianist Ben Palmer and drummer Robin Mason.

THE ROOSTERS would last a matter of months and Clapton and McGuinness would next find himself involved with the Brian Casser fronted CASEY JONES & THE ENGINEERS. This act had already issued a single 'One Way Ticket', recorded with session musicians, and the guitar duo would be inducted to fill out the band for live work. Clapton's term was brief, completing just seven gigs in little over a month, before he hooked up with singer Keith Relf and bassist Paul Samwell-Smith in October of 1963 having just switched the title of their band from the METROPOLIS BLUES QUARTET to the YARDBIRDS.

Initially Samwell-Smith had been the band's lead guitarist before reverting to bass and allowing Tony Topham to take the guitar mantle. With Clapton usurping the sixteen year old Topham the YARDBIRDS then comprised of Clapton, Relf, Samwell-Smith, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja and drummer Jim McCarty. With this line up the YARDBIRDS soon established a reputation on the club scene for extended "Rave Up'" Blues jams of standards by HOWLIN' WOLF, SNOOKY PRYOR, BO DIDDLEY and CHUCK BERRY and lengthy solos, both from Clapton's guitar and Relf's harmonica.

The YARDBIRDS soon took over the residency at the famous Crawdaddy club in London, recently vacated by the ROLLING STONES, and took on the club owner Giorgio Gomelsky as their manager. This business arrangement would pay dividends for Blues aficionado Clapton when Gomelsky arranged for the YARDBIRDS to back legendary Blues artist SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON on a set of recordings simply billed as 'Sonny Boy Williamson And The Yardbirds'. The YARDBIRDS own 'Five Live Yardbirds' would follow, demonstrating Clapton's guitar prowess amply. The guitarist had by now picked up the nick name "Slow hand", a title afforded him due to the impatient audiences slow hand claps in the frequent set interruptions caused by Clapton breaking guitar strings. However, following a number of single recordings, including the hit 'For Your Love' which Clapton disagreed with releasing, the guitarist broke ranks in March of 1965. His place in the YARDBIRDS would be taken by JEFF BECK.

Clapton would be invited to join JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS usurping their then guitarist Roger Dean. Clapton joined the band alongside future FLEETWOOD MAC bassist John McVie and drummer Hughie Flint. His recording inauguration with the band would come with the JIMMY PAGE produced single 'I'm Your Witchdoctor' / 'Telephone Blues'. Despite this upward progress Clapton would then opt out to found an ad hoc travelling Blues band entitled THE GLANDS in league with Ben Palmer of THE ROOSTERS. Following some chaotic club gigs in Greece Clapton returned home to the UK.

The JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS had on Clapton's excursion pulled in bassist JACK BRUCE and PETER GREEN as a substitute but would oust their new guitarist in favour of regrouping with Clapton once more. It would during this period that the fan idolatry reached new levels for Clapton's mastery of guitar manifesting itself in graffiti slogans "Clapton is God". Side projects abounded. Clapton, alongside drummer Keef Hartley and John Mayall, recording sessions with American Blues pianist JACK DUPREE. Clapton would also form part of a one off Blues endeavour dubbed ERIC CLAPTON AND THE POWERHOUSE fronted by MANFRED MANN vocalist Paul Jones, JACK BRUCE, Ben Palmer on piano and SPENCER DAVIS GROUP personnel drummer Pete York and STEVE WINWOOD, the latter going under the pseudonym of 'Steve Angelo' for contractual reasons.

Back with JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS Clapton was set to record a live album with the band but poor recording facilities at the London Flamingo Club gig scotched these plans. Instead a studio album 'John Mayall's Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton' emerged in August of 1966. Generally recognised as one of the great British Blues records of the time the record captured Clapton's first public lead vocal undertaking 'Ramblin' On My Mind'. The record was officially credited to JOHN MAYALL WITH ERIC CLAPTON. It gave the group a surprise hit record scoring a no. 6 position in the UK album charts. Tracks included OTIS RUSH's 'All Your Love', the FREDDIE KING instrumental 'Hideaway' and the steaming 'Steppin' Out', later revamped in concert by CREAM.. The record would amply reflect Clapton's Blues purist trip he was extolling in the media and provide portents of things to come