Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE ^{Order of the British Empire} (born 30 March 1945) is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo performer, as well as a member of rock bands the Yardbirds and Cream ^{Cream (band)} . He is the only person ever to be inducted three times. Often viewed by critics and fans alike as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time, Clapton was ranked fourth ^{List of guitarists considered the greatest} in Rolling Stone ^{Rolling Stone (magazine)} magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"

Although Clapton has varied his musical style throughout his career, it has always remained grounded in the blues; despite this focus, he is credited as an innovator in a wide variety of genres. These include blues-rock (with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and The Yardbirds) and psychedelic rock (with Cream ^{Cream (band)} ). Clapton's chart success was not limited to the blues, with chart-toppers in Delta Blues (Me and Mr. Johnson), Adult contemporary ("Tears in Heaven") and reggae (Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff"; he is often credited for bringing reggae and Bob Marley to the mainstream). Two of his most successful recordings were the hit love song "Layla", which he played with the band Derek and the Dominos, and Robert Johnson ^{Robert Johnson (musician)} 's "Crossroads ^{Cross Road Blues} ", which has been his staple song since his days with Cream.

 
Early years

Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England, the son of 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton (b. 7 January 1929) and Edward Walter Fryer ( 21 March 1920 - 15 May 1985 ), a 24-year-old soldier from Montreal, Quebec. Fryer shipped off to war prior to Clapton's birth and then returned to Canada. Clapton grew up with his grandmother, Rose, and her second husband Jack, believing they were his parents and that his mother was his older sister. Their surname was Clapp, which has given rise to the widespread but erroneous belief that Clapton's real surname is Clapp (Reginald Cecil Clapton is the name of Rose's first husband, Eric Clapton's maternal grandfather).
Years later, his mother married another Canadian soldier, moved to Canada and left young Eric with his grandparents in distant Surrey.

Clapton received an acoustic guitar, made in Germany, for his 13th birthday, but found learning the steel-stringed instrument very difficult and nearly gave up. Despite his frustrations, he was influenced by the blues from an early age and practised long hours to learn chords and copy the music of blues artists that he listened to on his Grundig Cub tape recorder.

After leaving school in 1961, Clapton studied at the Kingston College of Art ^{Kingston College (England)} but was dismissed at the end of the academic year because his focus remained on music rather than art. Around this time Clapton began busking around Kingston ^{Kingston upon Thames} , Richmond ^{Richmond, London} and the West End of London.


1960s


The Yardbirds and the Bluesbreakers


In October 1963, Clapton joined The Yardbirds, a blues-influenced rock and roll band, and stayed with them until March 1965. Synthesizing influences from Chicago blues and leading blues guitarists such as Buddy Guy, Freddie King and B. B. King, Clapton forged a distinctive style and rapidly became one of the most talked-about guitarists in the British music scene.

Still obstinately dedicated to blues music, Clapton was strongly offended by the Yardbirds' new pop-oriented direction, partly because, "For Your Love", had been written by pop songwriter-for-hire Graham Gouldman, who had also written hits for teen pop outfit Herman's Hermits and harmony pop band The Hollies. Clapton recommended fellow guitarist Jimmy Page as his replacement; but, Page was at that time unwilling to relinquish his lucrative career as a freelance studio musician, so Page in turn recommended Clapton's successor, Jeff Beck.


Cream


Clapton left the Bluesbreakers in July 1966 (to be replaced by Peter Green ^{Peter Green (musician)} ) and formed Cream, one of the earliest supergroups ^{Supergroup (bands)} . Cream was also one of the earliest "power trios", with Jack Bruce on bass (also of Manfred Mann, the Bluesbreakers and the Graham Bond Organization ^{Graham Bond} ) and Ginger Baker on drums (another member of the GBO). Before the formation of Cream, Clapton was not well known in the United States; he left the Yardbirds before "For Your Love" hit the American Top Ten ^{Billboard Hot 100} , and had yet to perform there.


On 22 January 2005, Clapton performed in the Tsunami Relief Concert ^{Tsunami Relief Cardiff} held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in aid of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. In May 2005, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker reunited as Cream for a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Concert recordings were released on CD and DVD. Later, Cream performed in New York at Madison Square Garden. Back Home, Clapton's first album of new original material in nearly five years, was released on Reprise Records on 30 August. In 2006 he invited Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall II to join his band for his 2006–2007 world tour. Trucks is the third member of The Allman Brothers Band to support Clapton, the second being pianist/keyboardist Chuck Leavell who appeared on the MTV Unplugged album ^{Unplugged (Eric Clapton album)} and the 24 Nights performances at the Royal Albert Hall theatre of London in 1990 and 1991, as well as Clapton's 1992 U.S. tour.

On 20 May 2006, Clapton performed with Queen ^{Queen (band)} drummer Roger Taylor ^{Roger Meddows-Taylor} and former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters at the Highclere Castle, in support of the Countryside Alliance. On 13 August 2006, Clapton made a guest appearance at the Bob Dylan concert in Columbus, Ohio, playing guitar on three songs in Jimmie Vaughan's opening act. A collaboration with guitarist J. J. Cale, titled The Road to Escondido, was released on 7 November 2006, featuring Derek Trucks and Billy Preston. The 14-track CD was produced and recorded by the duo in August 2005 in California. The chemistry between Trucks and Clapton convinced him to invite The Derek Trucks Band to open for Clapton's set on his 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, with Trucks remaining on set afterward, performing with Clapton's band throughout his performances, and embarking on a world tour with him.

The rights to Clapton's official memoirs, written by Christopher Simon Sykes and published in 2007, were sold at the 2005 Frankfurt Book Fair for USD ^{United States dollar} $4 million.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, Clapton has been working on an album with Robbie Robertson. Robertson performed with Clapton at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, where they played their version of the Bo Diddley song "Who Do You Love". On 28 January 2008 Eric Clapton was announced as the headliner for the Saturday night of Hard Rock Calling 2008 in London's Hyde Park (previously Hyde Park Calling) with support from Sheryl Crow & John Mayer. On 26 February 2008, it was reported that North Korean officials had invited Clapton to play a concert in the communist state. According to reports, Clapton's management received the invitation and passed it on to the singer, who has agreed in principle and suggested it take place sometime in 2009. Clapton's management, however, have so far refused to confirm if this is the case. If the invitation does exist, and he accepts, he will be the first western rock star to play there.



In 2007, Clapton learned more about his father, a Canadian soldier who left the UK after the war. Although Clapton's grandparents eventually told him the truth about his parentage, he only knew that his father's name was Edward Fryer. This was a source of disquiet for Clapton, as witnessed by his 1998 song "My Father's Eyes ^{My Father's Eyes (song)} ". A Montreal journalist named Michael Woloschuk researched Canadian Armed Forces service records and tracked down members of Fryer's family, finally piecing together the story. He learned that Clapton's father was Edward Walter Fryer, born 21 March 1920, in Montreal and died 15 May 1985 in Newmarket, Ontario. Fryer was a musician (piano and saxophone) and a lifelong drifter, who was married several times, had several children and apparently never knew that he was the father of Eric Clapton. Clapton thanked Woloschuk in an encounter at Macdonald Cartier Airport, in Ottawa, Canada.

In February 2008, Clapton performed with his long-time friend Steve Winwood at Madison Square Garden and guested on his recorded single "Dirty City" on Winwood's album Nine Lives. The two former Blind Faith bandmates met again for a series of 14 concerts throughout the United States in June 2009.

Clapton's 2008 Summer Tour began on the 3rd of May at the Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa Bay, Florida, and then moved to Canada, Ireland, England, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Poland, Germany and Monaco. In September 2008, Clapton performed at a private charity fundraiser for The Countryside Alliance at Floridita in Soho, London, that included such guests as the London Mayor Boris Johnson.


March 2009 found Clapton performing with The Allman Brothers Band (amongst other notable guests), celebrating their 40th year, in tribute to Duane Allman on their annual run at the Beacon Theater, with drummer Butch Trucks remarking that "this performance wasn't the typical Allman Brothers experience, given the number and differences of the guests who were invited to perform. "Eric Clapton taught us!", Trucks said. Songs like "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" were punctuated with others including "The Weight", with Levon Helm; Johnny Winter sitting in on Hendrix's "Red House" and of course, "Layla".

Clapton was scheduled to be one of the performers at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary concert in Madison Square Garden on 30 October 2009, but cancelled due to gallstone surgery. Van Morrison (who also cancelled) said in an interview that he and Clapton were to do a "couple of songs" but that they would do something else together at "some other stage of the game". Clapton is also set to perform a 2-night show with Jeff Beck at London's O2 Arena 13–14 February 2010. The two former Yardbirds have now extended their 2010 tour with stops at Madison Square Garden, Air Canada Center and the Bell Center in Montreal. Clapton will begin a series of concerts throughout 11 cities in the United States from 25 February to 13 March 2010 before his third European tour with Steve Winwood between 18 May and 13 June.Clapton has performed songs by myriad artists, which include Bob Marley, J.J. Cale, Bo Diddley, Robert Johnson ^{Robert Johnson (musician)} , and Bob Dylan. He cites Freddie King, B.B. King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin both in musical influence and on his style on the guitar.

He holds no other artist in higher esteem than Robert Johnson ^{Robert Johnson (musician)} . In 2004, Clapton released a CD and DVD entitled Sessions for Robert Johnson, featuring Clapton recording Robert Johnson covers with electric and acoustic guitars. He performs these tracks live and in the practice space on the DVD, as well as gives brief interviews explaining the huge influence Robert Johnson had on him. Doyle Bramhall II assists Clapton on the acoustic tracks of the CD and the DVD.

In his book, Discovering Robert Johnson (which he co-authored with several other writers), Clapton said of Johnson, that he was "...the most important blues musician who ever lived. He was true, absolutely, to his own vision, and as deep as I have gotten into the music over the last 30 years, I have never found anything more deeply soulful than Robert Johnson. His music remains the most powerful cry that I think you can find in the human voice, really. ... it seemed to echo something I had always felt."
Clapton persuaded Freddie King to sign with his record label, RSO ^{RSO Records} in 1974. Clapton has recorded more than six of J. J. Cale's originals and has put out an album with him. Clapton has also collaborated with Frank Zappa, B.B. King, George Harrison, Santana ^{Santana (band)} , Ringo Starr, Roger Waters, John Lennon, and The Plastic Ono Band. Clapton also collaborated with singer/songwriter John Mayer on his 2006 album release, Continuum ^{Continuum (album)} . Mayer cites Clapton in his liner notes: "Eric Clapton knows I steal from him and is still cool with it." Clapton inspired Mayer to write "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)", resembling characteristics of Clapton's musical and fashion style.

A few guitarists that Clapton has influenced are: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Duane Allman, Derek Trucks, Eddie Van Halen, Orianthi, John Mayer, Brad Paisley, and Alex Lifeson." Photo: Matt Gibbons
Clapton's choice of electric guitars has been as notable as the man himself, and alongside Hank Marvin, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, Clapton exerted a crucial and widespread influence in popularising particular models of the electric guitar. With the Yardbirds, Clapton played a Fender Telecaster, a Fender Jazzmaster, a double-cutaway Gretsch 6120 and a 1964 Cherry-Red Gibson ES-335 ^{Gibson ES-335} . He became exclusively a Gibson player for a period beginning in mid-1965, when he purchased a used Gibson Les Paul Sunburst ^{Gibson Les Paul} Standard guitar from a local guitar store in London. Clapton commented on the slim profile of the neck, which would indicate it as a 1960 model.

Early during his stint in Cream, Clapton's first Les Paul Standard was stolen. He continued to play Les Pauls exclusively with Cream (one bought from Andy Summers was almost identical to the stolen guitar) until 1967 when he acquired his most famous guitar in this period, a 1964 Gibson SG. Just before Cream's first U.S. appearance in 1967, Clapton's SG ^{Gibson_SG#Unique_SGs} , Bruce's Fender VI, and Baker's drum head were all repainted in psychedelic designs created by the visual art collective known as The Fool ^{The Fool (design collective)} . In 1968 Clapton bought a Gibson Firebird and started using the 1964 Cherry-Red Gibson ES-335 again. Gibson produced a limited run of 250 "Crossroads 335" replicas. The 335 was only the second electric guitar Clapton bought.

In July 1968, Clapton gave George Harrison a red, refinished Les Paul. In the following September, Clapton played the guitar on the Beatles' studio recording of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". His SG found its way into the hands of George Harrison's friend Jackie Lomax, who subsequently sold it to musician Todd Rundgren for US$500 in 1972. Rundgren restored the guitar and nicknamed it "Sunny", after "Sunshine of Your Love". He retained it until 2000, when he sold it at an auction for US$150,000. First was "Brownie ^{Brownie (guitar)} " used during the recording of Eric Clapton ^{Eric Clapton (album)} which in 1974 became the backup to the most famous of all Clapton's guitars, "Blackie". In November 1970 Eric bought six Fender Stratocasters from the Sho-bud guitar shop in Nashville, Tennessee while on tour with the Dominos. He gave one each to George Harrison, Steve Winwood and Pete Townshend.

Clapton assembled the best components of the remaining three to create "Blackie", which was his favourite stage guitar until its retirement in 1985. It was first played live 13 January 1973 at the Rainbow Concert ^{Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert} . Clapton called the 1956/57 Strat a "mongrel". On 24 June 2004, Clapton sold "Blackie" at Christie's Auction House, New York for $959,500 to raise funds for his Crossroads Centre for drug and alcohol addictions. "Brownie" is now on display at the Experience Music Project. The Fender Custom Shop has since produced a limited run of 275 'Blackie' replicas, correct in every detail right down to the 'Duck Brothers' flight case, and artificially aged using Fender's 'Relic' process to simulate years of hard wear. One was presented to Eric upon the model's release and used for three numbers during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in May 17, 2006.

In 1971, Clapton gave a signed guitar to the Hard Rock Cafe to designate his favourite bar stool. Pete Townshend also donated one of his own guitars, with a note attached: "Mine's as good as his! Love, Pete."

In 1988, Fender honored Clapton with the introduction of his signature Eric Clapton Stratocaster. These were the first two artist models in the Stratocaster range and since then, the artist series has grown to include models inspired both by Clapton's contemporaries such as Rory Gallagher, Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and by those who have influenced him such as Buddy Guy. Clapton uses Ernie Ball Slinky and Super Slinky strings. Clapton has also been honoured with signature-model 000-28EC and 000-42EC acoustic guitars made by the famous American firm of C.F. Martin & Company/ The Crossroads Centre is a treatment base for addictive disorders such as drugs ^{drug addiction} and alcohol ^alcoholism . In 2004, Clapton organized and participated in the Crossroads Guitar Festival to benefit the Centre. A second guitar auction, including the "Cream" of Clapton's collection – as well as guitars donated by famous friends – was also held on 24 June 2004. His Lowden ^{George Lowden} acoustic guitar sold for $41,825. The total revenue garnered by this auction at Christie's was US $7,438,624.The "'woman tone'" is the informal term used by guitarists to refer to Clapton's distinctive mid- to late-1960s electric guitar sound, created using his Gibson SG solidbody guitar (with humbucking pickups) and a Marshall ^{Marshall Amplifiers} tube ^{vacuum tube} amplifier. It is an overdriven, distorted sound that is articulate yet thick. It is characterized by being quite distorted (or even achieved with a fuzz) but muted, in contrast to the bright and twangy distortion that most guitarists were using at the time. Many players have tried to duplicate it, usually without success, in part because Clapton's playing technique had a lot to do with the tone, and also because it required heavily overdriven tube amps to achieve.

Among the techniques used to replicate Clapton's sound is a technique by which the amplifier's volume is turned up to full, while the guitar's tone knob is turned down to zero or one.

Perhaps the best examples of the "woman tone" are Clapton's famous riff and solo from his band Cream ^{Cream (band)} 's 1967 hit "Sunshine of Your Love." Clapton has explained that he obtained the tone with his Gibson ^{Gibson Guitar Corporation} 's tone control rolled all the way down, switching to the neck pickup (closest to the fretboard) and the volume all the way up, with his distortion turned all the way up. The treble, mids and bass controls on the amplifier were also maxed out. Some versions of the "woman tone" may also have involved strategic positioning of Clapton's wah-wah pedal.Clapton frequently appears as a guest on the albums of other musicians. For example, he is credited on Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms ^{Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits album)} album, as he lent Mark Knopfler one of his guitars for the album. He also played lead guitar and synthesizer on The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, Roger Waters' debut solo album. Other media appearances include the Toots & the Maytals album True Love ^{True Love (Toots & the Maytals album)} where he played guitar on the track "Pressure Drop ^{Pressure Drop (song)} ". He can also be heard at the beginning of Frank Zappa's album, We're Only in It for the Money, repeating the phrase, "Are you hung up?" over and over again. In 1985, Clapton appeared on the charity concert Live Aid in Philadelphia with Phil Collins, Tim Renwick, Chris Stainton, Jamie Oldaker, Marcy Levy, Shaun Murphy and Donald 'Duck' Dunn. In 1988 he played with Dire Straits and Elton John at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley Stadium and the Prince's Trust rock gala at the Royal Albert Hall. Two years later, Dire Straits, Clapton and Elton John made a guest appearance in the Nordoff-Robbins charity show held at Knebworth ^{Concerts at Knebworth House} . In 1991, Clapton was featured on Richie Sambora's album, Stranger In This Town, in a song dedicated to him called "Mr. Bluesman". He also contributed guitar and vocals to "Runaway Train", a duet with Elton John on the latter's The One ^{The One (Elton John album)} album the following year.

On 12 September 1996, Clapton played a party for Armani at New York City's ^NYC Lexington Armory with Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East and Steve Gadd. Sheryl Crow appeared on one number, performing "Tearing Us Apart", a track from August ^{August (album)} , which was first performed by Tina Turner during the Prince's Trust All-Star Rock show in 1986. It was Clapton's sole US appearance that year, following the open-air concert ^{Live In Hyde Park (Eric Clapton album)} held at Hyde Park ^{Hyde Park, London} with Dave Bronze, Andy Fairweather-Low, The Kick Horns, Jerry Portnoy, Chris Stainton and backing vocalists Katie Kissoon and Tessa Niles. The concert was taped and the footage was released both on VHS video cassette and later, on DVD.

Clapton was featured in the movie version of Tommy ^{Tommy (film)} , the first full length rock opera written by The Who. The movie version gave Clapton a cameo appearance as the Preacher, performing Sonny Boy Williamson ^{Sonny Boy Williamson II} 's song, "Eyesight to the Blind". He also appeared in Blues Brothers 2000 as one of the Louisiana Gator Boys. In addition to being in the band, he had a small speaking role. Clapton has also appeared in an advertisement for the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen ^{Mercedes-Benz G-Class} . In March 2007, Clapton appeared in an advertisement for RealNetwork's ^RealNetworks Rhapsody online music service ^{Rhapsody (online music service)} . In 2010 Clapton started appearing as a spokesman for T-Mobile, advertising their MyTouch ^{HTC Magic} Fender cell phone.

Eric Clapton was again compared to God's image in the episode "Holy Crap!" of season two of That '70s Show when Eric Forman and Steven Hyde are made by their minister to draw God.Clapton is a supporter of the Countryside Alliance, has played in concerts to raise funds for the organisation and publicly opposed the Labour Party ^{Labour Party (UK)} ’s ban on fox hunting. A spokesperson for Clapton said: "Eric supports the Countryside Alliance. He doesn't hunt himself, but does enjoy rural pursuits such as fishing and shooting. He supports the Alliance's pursuit to scrap the ban on the basis that he doesn't agree with the state's interference with people's private pursuits."On 5 August 1976 Clapton provoked an uproar and lingering controversy when he spoke out against increasing immigration ^{Immigration to the United Kingdom (1922-present day)} during a concert in Birmingham. Visibly intoxicated, Clapton voiced his support of controversial political candidate Enoch Powell and announced on stage that Britain was in danger of becoming a "black colony". Clapton was quoted telling the audience: "I think Enoch's right ... we should send them all back. Throw the wogs out! Keep Britain white!" Clapton continued:

"I used to be into dope, now I’m into racism. It’s much heavier, man. *** wogs, man. *** Saudis taking over London. Bastard wogs. Britain is becoming overcrowded and Enoch will stop it and send them all back. The black wogs and coons and Arabs and *** Jamaicans and *** (indecipherable) don’t belong here, we don’t want them here. This is England, this is a white country, we don’t want any black wogs and coons living here. We need to make clear to them they are not welcome. England is for white people, man. We are a white country. I don’t want *** wogs living next to me with their standards. This is Great Britain, a white country, what is happening to us, for ***'s sake? We need to vote for Enoch Powell, he’s a great man, speaking truth. Vote for Enoch, he’s our man, he’s on our side, he’ll look after us. I want all of you here to vote for Enoch, support him, he’s on our side. Enoch for Prime Minister! Throw the wogs out! Keep Britain white!"

This incident, along with some explicitly pro-fascism remarks made around the same time by David Bowie as well as uses of Nazi-related imagery by Sid Vicious and Siouxsie Sioux, were the main catalysts for the creation of Rock Against Racism, which occurred on 30 April 1978.

In response to his comments, rock photographer Red Saunders and others published an open letter in NME, Melody Maker, Sounds and the Socialist Worker. It read "Come on Eric... Own up. Half your music is black. You're rock music's biggest colonist". It also concluded, "P.S. Who shot the Sheriff, Eric? It sure as hell wasn't you!".

In a 2004 interview with Uncut ^{Uncut (magazine)} , Clapton referred to Powell as "outrageously brave", and stated that his "feeling about this has not changed", because the UK is still "... inviting people in as cheap labour and then putting them in ghettos." In 2004, Clapton told an interviewer for Scotland on Sunday, "There's no way I could be a racist. It would make no sense". In his 2007 autobiography, Clapton called himself "deliberately oblivious to it all" and wrote, "I had never really understood or been directly affected by racial conflict... when I listened to music, I was disinterested in where the players came from or what colour their skin was. Interesting, then, that 10 years later, I would be labelled a racist... Since then, I have learnt to keep my opinions to myself. Of course, it might also have had something to do with the fact that Pattie had just been leered at by a member of the Saudi royal family." In a December 2007 interview with Melvin Bragg on The South Bank Show, Clapton reiterated his support for Enoch Powell and again denied that Powell's views were "racist".* Mean Streets (1973) – "I Looked Away"
* The Hit (1984) – Score
* Back to the Future (1985) – Heaven Is One Step Away
* Edge of Darkness (1985) – Soundtrack
* The Color of Money (1986) – "It's In The Way That You Use It"
* SpaceCamp (1986 film) – "Forever Man" plays when Tate Donovan's character arrives at the Space Camp.
* The German car manufacturer Opel and Vauxhall ^{Vauxhall Motors} in the UK used the guitar riff of Clapton's "Layla" in its advertising campaign throughout in 1987–95.
* Lethal Weapon (1987) – Soundtrack with Michael Kamen
* Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) – "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"
* Goodfellas (1990) – "Layla" and "Sunshine of Your Love"
* Rush ^{Rush (1991 film)} (1991) – Clapton wrote the score
* Wayne's World (1992) – "Loving your Loving"
* Peter's Friends (1992) – "Give Me Strength"
* Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) - Clapton contributed to the score and co-wrote and co-performed the song "It's Probably Me" with Sting and "Runaway Train" with Elton John.
* True Lies (1994) – "Sunshine of Your Love"
* The Simpsons episode "Mother Simpson" (1995) – "Sunshine of Your Love"
* Twister ^{Twister (1996 film)} (1996) – "Motherless Child"
* Phenomenon ^{Phenomenon (film)} (1996) – "Change the World"
* The Van ^{The Van (1996 film)} (1996) – (Soundtrack)
* Patch Adams ^{Patch Adams (film)} (1998) – "Let It Rain"
* Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) – "Pilgrim"
* City Of Angels (1998) – "Further On Up The Road"
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer ^{Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)} episodes "Band Candy" and "Forever ^{Forever (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)} " (1998) – "Tales of Brave Ulysses"
* Runaway Bride ^{Runaway Bride (1999 film)} (1999) – "Blue Eyes Blue "
* The Story of Us (1999) – "(I) Get Lost" (featured multiple times)
* Friends episode "The One with the Proposal, Part 2" (2000) - "Wonderful Tonight"
* Dancing At The Blue Iguana ^{Dancing at the blue iguana} (2000) – "River of Tears"
* A Knight's Tale (2001) – "Further On Up The Road"
* Blow ^{Blow (film)} (2001) – "Strange Brew"
* Friends episode "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby, Part Two" (2002) - "River of Tears"
* Futurama episode "The 30% Iron Chef" (2002) – "Sunshine of Your Love"
* The Sopranos episode "Whitecaps" (2002) – Tony Soprano is seen listening to "Layla" in his Suburban.
* School Of Rock (2003) – "Sunshine of Your Love"
* Starsky & Hutch ^{Starsky & Hutch (film)} (2004) – "Cocaine"
* Anger Management ^{Anger Management (film)} (2004) – "Strange Brew"
* Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) – "Cocaine"
* Bad News Bears (2005) – "Cocaine"
* Lords of Dogtown (2005) – "Strange Brew"
* Lord of War (2005) – "Cocaine"
* United States of Tara episode – "Cocaine", Derek Trucks, Steve Jordan ^{Steve Jordan (musician)} , Eric Clapton, Willie Weeks 2006–2007


2006–07 Tour Band

'European Tour'
* 'Eric Clapton' – guitars, vocals
* Doyle Bramhall II – guitars, backing vocals
* Derek Trucks – slide guitar, guitar
* Chris Stainton – keyboards
* Tim Carmon – keyboards
* Willie Weeks – bass guitar
* Steve Jordan ^{Steve Jordan (musician)} – drums
* The Kick Horns (Simon Clarke, Roddy Lorimer, and Tim Sanders) – brass ^{Brass instrument}
* Michelle John – backing vocals
* Sharon White – backing vocals

'North America – Eastern Region, Japan, Australia and New Zealand – Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007'
* 'Eric Clapton' – guitars, vocals
* Doyle Bramhall II – guitars, backing vocals
* Derek Trucks – slide guitar, guitar
* Chris Stainton – keyboards
* Tim Carmon – keyboards
* Willie Weeks – bass guitar
* Steve Jordan ^{Steve Jordan (musician)} – drums
* Jerry Douglas – slide guitar on Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007
* Michelle John – backing vocals
* Sharon White – backing vocals

Support act for European and North America: The Robert Cray Band


2008 Summer Tour Band

'Eastern U.S. / Canada Tour'
*'Eric Clapton' – guitars, vocals
*Doyle Bramhall II – guitars, backing vocals
*Chris Stainton – keyboards
*Pino Palladino – bass
*Robert Randolph – slide guitar
*Ian Thomas – drums
*Sharon White – backing vocals
*Michelle John – backing vocals

'European Tour'
*'Eric Clapton' – guitars, vocals
*Doyle Bramhall II – guitars, backing vocals
*Chris Stainton – keyboards
*Willie Weeks – bass
*Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums
*Sharon White – backing vocals
*Michelle John – backing vocals


2009 Tour Band


'Japan / Australia / New Zealand Tour'

*'Eric Clapton' – guitars, vocals
*Doyle Bramhall II – guitars, backing vocals
*Chris Stainton – keyboards
*Willie Weeks – bass
*Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums
*Sharon White – backing vocals
*Michelle John – backing vocals

'UK / Ireland Tour'

*'Eric Clapton' – guitars, vocals
*Andy Fairweather-Low – guitars, backing vocals
*Doyle Bramhall II – guitars, backing vocals (on the RAH ^{Royal Albert Hall} shows of 26–31 May)
*Chris Stainton – keyboards
*Willie Weeks – bass
*Tim Carmon – keyboards
*Steve Gadd – drums
*Sharon White – backing vocals
*Michelle John – backing vocals

'US Tour with Steve Winwood – (10 June – 30 June)'

*'Eric Clapton' – guitars, vocals
*Steve Winwood – vocals, Hammond B3, piano, guitars
*Chris Stainton – keyboards
*Willie Weeks – bass
*Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums
*Michelle John – backing vocals
*Sharon White – backing vocals


2010 Tour Band


*'Eric Clapton' – guitars, vocals
*Chris Stainton – keyboards
*Willie Weeks – bass
*Walt Richmond – keyboards
*Steve Gadd – drums
*Sharon White – backing vocals
*Michelle John – backing vocals


Previous band members


* Albert Lee – guitar, vocals, backing vocals
* Tim Renwick – guitar
* Andy Fairweather-Low – guitar, backing vocals
* Phil Palmer – guitar
* George Terry – guitar, backing vocals
* Mark Knopfler – guitar
* Alan Darby – guitar
* Greg Phillinganes – keyboards, hammond organ, backing vocals
* Billy Preston – Hammond B3 Organ ^{Hammond Organ}
* David Sancious – keyboards, guitar, harmonica, backing vocals
* Joe Sample – piano, Wurlitzer
* Dick Sims – keyboards
* Alan Clark ^{Alan Clark (keyboardist)} – piano, keyboards
* Jim Taylor – xylophone
* Gary Brooker – keyboards, backing vocals
* Chuck Leavell – piano, keyboards, hammond organ
* Chris Stainton – piano, keyboards
* Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass guitar
* Carl Radle – bass guitar, guitar
* Nathan East – bass guitar, vocals, backing vocals
* Pino Palladino – bass guitar
* Dave Bronze – bass guitar
* Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
* Jim Gordon ^{Jim Gordon (musician)} – drums, piano
* Steve Ferrone – drums
* Steve Gadd – drums
* Roger Hawkins – drums
* Jim Keltner – drums
* Richie Hayward – drums
* Andy Newmark – drums
* Jamie Oldaker – drums
* Henry Spinetti – drums
* Phil Collins – drums, vocals
* Ricky Lawson – drums
* Ray Cooper – percussion
* Yvonne Elliman – vocals, backing vocals, guitar
* Katie Kissoon – backing vocals
* Marcy Levy – vocals, backing vocals, harmonica
* Tessa Niles – backing vocals
* Maggie Ryder – backing vocals