Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth30 March 1945
CityRipley, England
Would you know my name, if I saw you in Heaven?
I mean, the sound of an amplified guitar in a room full of people was so hypnotic and addictive to me, that I could cross any kind of border to get on there.
One of the most beneficial things I've ever learned is how to keep my mouth shut.
Music became a healer for me. And I learned to listen with all my being. I found that it could wipe away all fear and confusion...
I sought my father in the world of the black musician, because it contained wisdom, experience, sadness and loneliness. I was not ever interested in the music of boys. From my youngest years, I was interested in the music of men.
When all the original blues guys are gone, you start to realize that someone has to tend to the tradition. I recognize that I have some responsibility to keep the music alive, and it's a pretty honorable position to be in.
But the guitar, when you think about it, is the most versatile, really. I mean you can pick it up and take it with you wherever you go.
... whatever your standing in life, the most important thing is behaving in ways that help other people. It's the same with music. I am a servant of the music ... and if I get caught up in ego, I'll lose everything .. it'll burn and that's a guarantee ...
Risk is trying to control something you are powerless over.
There are people these days who can do things on the guitar which are beyond my reach. There's one guy who plays with Queen who can do things I would dream of doing. I sincerely mean that.
Music survives everything, and like God, it is always present. It needs no help, and suffers no hindrance.
For me there is something primitively soothing about this music, and it went straight to my nervous system, making me feel ten feet tall.
It's been up to me to inspire me.
All along this path I tread, my heart betrays my weary head, with nothing but my love to save, from the cradle to the grave...