Happy Birthday Eric Clapton!

[Cholo]

Clapton is 73 today. Please spare me any negative comments. I liked his early music, but I didn't think he developed until he came out of his shell with 461 Ocean Boulevard.

He overcame his demons and in '98 founded the Crossroads Centre in Antigua to help others with alcohol and drug dependencies. He's been sober and drug free since about '82. He lost his 4 year old son in '91, yet still he remained clean.

He overcame more than most of us will experience in a lifetime...

 

[hittman]

One of my all time favorites!

 

[powder smoke]

Won't hear anything negative from me! Eric played with many musicians over the years
and from Muddy Waters to Roy Orbison. Happy birthday Eric, you are one of my favorites. ps

 

[blume357]

I watched the documentary on him recently on HBO or Showtime or such... the really amazing scene is one they found from the filming of Bob Dylan when he first went to England in the 60's and he and a few others are sitting in a hotel room watching some local teen dance show and the show has this local band on comprised of teenagers one of which is Clapton and Bob is commenting on that guitar player and how good he is.

 

[Daveboone]

Huge Clapton fan here.
I thought the TV show on him was great, but it kind of fast forwarded through the late seventies which I always thought was one of his most productive time periods. The show certainly acknowledges he struggled with addictions long after 1982, but did a much better job of hiding it. I have read recently in several different sporting magazines th, references that he spends most of his time happily salmon fishing in Scotland, and is an avid shotgun shooter...the articles didn't mention if it was upland or sport shooting. I think it would be a great article for someone to follow up with, that is his field sport interests.

 

[Don Lovel]

Tedeschi Trucks band covers a bunch of material off the Layla album, Derek said touring with Eric really helped him be a better performer

 

[wwb]

One of the all-time greatest blues players..... right up there with Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and B. B. King.

 

[contender]

"Wonderful Tonight."
My all all time favorite belly rubbing song. I grew up in a dance hall, and at a young age, Sammi Smith's "Help Me Make it Through the Night" was my favorite. Until I heard Clapton & "Wonderful Tonight."
When I was lead dancer at the square dance hall,,, the band used to close out the night with that song. And I had a beautiful lady who was my main dance partner. She & I just "clicked" on the dance floor, and she could follow any move I threw at her. It was "our song". And ANY girl I happened to be dating or with at the time took a back seat to my dance partner for this one. I can close my eyes & still hear it, feel it & my feet want to move. I miss those days.
But Clapton,, he is an extremely talented guitar player.

Happy Birthday Eric & thanks for the songs!

 

[wizofwas]

One of the best ever. Happy Birthday Eric. I've sure enjoyed your music over the years.

 

[protoolman]

Cocaine performed on the " Just one night" live album is the most amazing guitar playing I have ever heard. Huge Clapton fan!

 

[Poco Oso]

One of my favorite CD's is Road To Escondido. Clapton and J. J. Cale. It doesn't get much better than that. Happy belated birthday, "Old Slow Hand".

 

[Cholo]

My daughter and I saw him in '98. I've seen some great groups like Hendrix and Zeppelin, but the single most powerful moment of any concert was when Clapton was playing a solo and then broke into Cocaine. It was like it shook the auditorium. Not the volume, but sheer the power of that intro was incredible! Great memory!

Poco, more than once I've recommended The Road To Escondido to our Forum members. I believe I've just about worn that CD out

 

[Heliman]

I liked the “Cream” era of his career. A lot of folks didn’t know that he played lead guitar for George Harrison’s “My guitar gently weeps”. Clapton was one of my top 3 artists of that era including Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Happy birthday Eric!

 

[Poco Oso]

I hear ya, Cholo. Mine gets a lot of play too. I used to live in Escondido, as a kid, in the early '60's, so the title is cool too. From The Cradle is in the cassette deck (yep, still use mine) in my truck right now. I guess I'm a bit of a Clapton fan. :mrgreen:

 

[1SG Ret]

I saw Eric Clapton three different times while I was stationed in Germany during the late 70s, early 80s. First was at an outdoor concert at Zepplinfeld (Hitler's stadium) in Nurnberg. Clapton shared the stage with Bob Dylan that day and was probably the best concert of my life. I saw him later at smaller venues in Nurnberg and Heidelberg.

 

[jeffmb]

Clapton is 73 today. Please spare me any negative comments. I liked his early music, but I didn't think he developed until he came out of his shell with 461 Ocean Boulevard.

He overcame his demons and in '98 founded the Crossroads Centre in Antigua to help others with alcohol and drug dependencies. He's been sober and drug free since about '82. He lost his 4 year old son in '91, yet still he remained clean.

He overcame more than most of us will experience in a lifetime...

My favorite guitarist ever. Very good singer as well. I think his best work was the Layla album. All just fantastic musicians. Derek and the Dominos Live is incredible.

 

[coach]

When I first heard “White Room” I was hooked. Been a fan ever since.

 

[Heliman]

I liked his guitar work in “Crossroads”. That boy can play!

 

[Don Lovel]

Eric covering Bob Dylans "Don't Think Twice, It's all right"
I worked for three years to really learn how to play it like this without screwing up
my absolute favorite tone and playing by Slowhand
crank it up, he really smokes it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xitMOIKM1bQ

 

[CGDustDevil]

I wish him a happy birthday!!! I also wish he'd simply retire if he's going to! The people I know who've attended recent concerts seemed to get the sense he's kinda sleepwalking through his sets. He apparently has some physical ailments, and his heart isn't in being on the road anymore.

Enjoy your life Eric!! Give the body a rest!

And happy Birthday!!

 

[rugerguy211]

I liked the “Cream” era of his career. A lot of folks didn’t know that he played lead guitar for George Harrison’s “My guitar gently weeps”. Clapton was one of my top 3 artists of that era including Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Happy birthday Eric!

And Harrison played on Badge.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I've always liked Clapton's work, yet, sadly, the closest I've ever gotten to seeing him live is on video of some of his Crossroads concerts (I believe they're fund raisers for the foundation?)

He's played with probably all of our greatest living guitar players, and quite a few no longer with us, and I've always been amazed how he can pick up one of the several guitars on stage, and be right up to speed with whichever of the guys he's playing with at those concerts in a note or two. Fantastic player and living proof a white boy CAN play the blues!

And as good as he's been with the Yardbirds, Mayall, Cream, Blind Faith and on his own, I sometimes wonder what fabulous work he might have missed out on doing during those "bad" years. Happy Birthday, Eric!

Rick C

 

[coach]

And as good as he's been with the Yardbirds, Mayall, Cream, Blind Faith and on his own, I sometimes wonder what fabulous work he might have missed out on doing during those "bad" years. Happy Birthday, Eric!

Rick C

At least he lived through it. That can’t be said for a bunch of his contemporaries

 

[Cholo]

Here's a candid interview Ed Bradley did with Clapton some years back. I thought he did a great job. Clapton was quite open about his demons.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py1VzfqxfW4

 

[buckeyeshooter]

Big fan. By the way, his wife is from Columbus, ohio and he has a house there. From time to time, you can meet him shooting trap or skeet at Blackwing Shooting Center in Delaware. He is a gun Guy, probably not like most of us as his shotgun cost more than some houses, but it is nice.