Eric Patrick Clapton was born on March 30, 1945 at his grand-parents home in England. He was motherd by Patricia Molly Clapton who was only 16 years old and fathered by Edward Walter Fryer, a married canadian soldier. Eric was raised by Patricia's parents believing his mother was his sister. 

     Eric began playing music on his grand-mothers piano and asked for a guitar at age 13. He was a good student, until he realized the truth of whom his parents were. His grades suffered and he was expelled from a series of schools. His focused turned to american blues and rock which he learned to play very well.

 

     Whether he was playing with the Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos, or as a solo artist, Eric Clapton always stood out amongst other musicians. He was given nicknames such as "Slowhand" and "God' by adoring fans. However, his career stalled after The Dominos broke up as he sunk into a heroin addiction. He kicked the drug in 1973 and sprung his solo career. He reinvented himself as a musician by composing and singing songs in addition to being a guitar hero. His new style reached its climax with the release of his solo album titled Unplugged.

 

     Eric Clapton has been seen as a guitar hero, to an accomplished singer and song writer, to an icon of modern blues and rock music. One might assume his life was flawless, but in actuality, it was his tramatic adolescence that gave him the fuel to become great. Struggling through heart-break and drug addiction, Eric Clapton wrote the songs that defined a generation.