Eric Clapton - Tidbits and Trivia

Autor: Kathy Unruh

One of my all time favorite lead guitarists is Eric Clapton. I especially enjoy listening to his CD Riding With the King, which he produced with blues artist B.B. King. Fun stuff. My feet get to tappin and pretty soon I find myself dancing around the living room!

For those of you who weren't around to appreciate the excitement of Eric Clapton's rise to power and fame during the 1960s, here are a few rock & roll tidbits for you to chew on...

- Eric's first guitar was an acoustic which was given to him for his thirteenth birthday. He had so much trouble trying to learn how to play it that he almost gave up.

- Eric's nickname is "Slowhand."

- In mid-1966 Eric formed the band Cream which became one of the very first supergroups.

- Cream included composer/singer/bassist- Jack Bruce, renowned drummer- Ginger Baker, and lead guitarist- Eric Clapton.

- Clapton developed his singer/songwriter skills during his time with Cream.

- Cream was one of the earliest "power trios." Other "power trios" to emerge in the '60s were The Doors and The Jimi Henrix Experience.

- Eric's grew uncomfortable with his fame when a fan scrawled "Clapton is God" on a wall in London in 1966.

- Jimi Hendrix once said that Eric Clapton was his favorite guitar player.

- On October 1, 1966, Hendrix attended a Cream concert at the Central London Polytechnic. Though still relatively unknown to the general public, Jimi was invited on stage to "jam" with Eric and the band. Little did The audience know back then that they were watching a rare moment of rock & roll history in the making. Sure wish I coulda been there!

- Eric Clapton is one of the most well respected and influential musicians in rock history. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a total of three times- more than any other artist.

- In 1998 Eric Clapton founded Crossroads Treatment & Rehabilitation Center to help addicts and their families move toward recovery. Crossroads, located in the beautiful Caribbean, provides professional care in a safe and serene environment.

- Eric's custom-made Blackie guitar was auctioned at $24,000. He originally paid about $300 for it. Eric built the guitar himself from the best parts of 3 other Strats which he owned at the time. These guitars were only worth about $100 each. Blackie was the primary guitar he used from 1970-1985. Eric planned to use some of the money collected from the auction of his Blackie Strat to help Crossroads.

If you would love to jam on Clapton's Blackie Strat, but just don't have $24,000 to spend, don't worry... You can obtain a nice black Fender Eric Clapton Signature Strat for $2,459.95 which is about one tenth of the price of his Blackie Strat. If you're really on a tight budget, the Standard Stratocaster for a mere $999.95 is a steal!

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Kathy Unruh has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 25 years. Get free guitar tips and more when you visit her website at: AbcLearnGuitar.com 

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