"Eric Clapton has been tantalizing audiences with his guitar singing soft-pop sound for years. The singer, born Eric Patrick Clapton in Ripley, England, was born to Canadian solider Edward Fryer and Patricia Molly Clapton, who left her son at his grandparents after Fryer left Patricia for his wife. He was raised believing his grandparents were his parents and his mother was his sister, leading to an emotional struggle that continued for the rest of his life. After failing at school and attending the Kingston College of Art, Clapton realized his guitar and music consumed more of his life than art. Listening to blues and rock, Clapton joined The Roosters at 17 years old, followed by Casey Jones and The Engineers.In 1963 he was recruited to join The Yardbirds, but left after their mainstream sound divided him from his true passion of true blues riffs. He recorded a few records with The Yardbirds and earned the nickname ""Slowhand.""It wasn't until 1974 that Clapton finally branched out in a solo career, after fighting a heroin addiction and singles that sounded surprisingly similar to his former affiliate Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. With the album 461 Ocean Boulevard, however, the single ""I Shot the Sheriff"" topped the charts, establishing Clapton as a rock icon with a soft spot for ballads. More albums followed that quietly shot through the charts until his 1977 album Slowhand, with the single ""Lay down Sally"" and ""Cocaine,"" making Clapton a platinum star.Plagued by family suffering and drug and alcohol abuse throughout the years, in 1991 Clapton saw another fatal family attack when his four year old son died after falling from a window. The infamous single ""Tears of Heaven,"" written for the soundtrack Rush, portrayed his heartbreak. Clapton has continued to create more singles and albums over the years that have touched the hearts of fans everywhere."
