Timeline of Eric Clapton

1965: Eric Clapton leaves and joins John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Summer 1966: Eric Clapton forms .

December 11-12, 1968: film the ‘Rock and Roll Circus’, with guests Eric Clapton, , Jethro Tull and .

February 1969: Soon after ’s breakup, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker join forces with Steve Winwood (of ) and Ric Grech (of Family) to form the “instant supergroup” Blind Faith.

September 12, 1969: appears at the Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival concert, accompanied by Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Alan White and Yoko. ‘The Plastic Ono Band – Live Peace in Toronto’ is released in December.

September 20, 1969: Blind Faith - the only studio album by the “supergroup” comprising Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech - tops the U.S. and U.K. charts for the first of two weeks.

1970: Eric Clapton releases “Layla and Other Love Songs” featuring Duane Allman.
January 1,

1970: Eric Clapton records his self-titled solo debut album in Los Angeles. He is backed by Delaney and Bonnie and their band, which includes Leon Russell. It yields such staples of Clapton’s repertoire as “After Midnight,” “Blues Power” and “Let It Rain.”

August 1, 1970: Eric Clapton is released, peaking at #13. This same month, Clapton begins recording in Miami with his new band, Derek and the Dominos. They record the monumental double album Layla...and Other Assorted Love Songs in ten days. One writer called it “the most valid double since [’s] Blonde on Blonde.”

August 1, 1971: The concert for Bangladesh, featuring , and Eric Clapton, takes place in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

January 13, 1973: Backed by an all-star band, Eric Clapton performs a solo concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre. It is promoted as a comeback concert, returning Clapton to the public eye after a reclusive period of heroin addiction. Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert is released in abbreviated form on LP (6 tracks) in 1973 and in expanded form on CD (14 tracks) in 1995.

May 1, 1974: A drug-free Eric Clapton launches his solo career in earnest, recording 461 Ocean Boulevard in Miami. Both the album and its key single, “I Shot the Sheriff,” go to #1. Virtually reinventing himself in the space of one album, Clapton takes few guitar solos and adopts a more laid-back stylistic demeanor.

September 8, 1974: I Shot the Sheriff (Eric Clapton) was a hit.

September 14, 1974: Eric Clapton’s version of the Wailers’ “I Shot the Sheriff,” written by head Wailer , hits #1 and helps generate interest in reggae.

May 1, 1977: Eric Clapton’s biggest-selling album of the Seventies, Slowhand, finds him recording at London’s Olympic Studios for the first time since Fresh , the first album. Slowhand yields Top Forty hits in “Lay Down Sally” (#3) and “Wonderful Tonight” (#16), and an FM favorite and live staple in “Cocaine.”

1982: Appearing with Eric Clapton, Waters makes his final public performance.
February 1, 1983: Money and Cigarettes, one of Eric Clapton’s stronger albums of the Eighties, is the inaugural release on his own Duck Records label.

April 18, 1988: A four CD box set documenting the first quarter century of Eric Clapton’s career, Crossroads, is released. The 73-track retrospective, which includes rare and previously unreleased material, reaches #34 and goes on to sell more than two million copies.

February 5, 1991: The first date in what becomes an annual stand of Eric Clapton concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall finds Clapton joined in different segments by a four-piece band, nine-piece band, blues band, and orchestra. The series lasts for 24 nights - hence the title of a live double-CD documentary, 24 Nights, released later in the year.

January 16, 1992: Eric Clapton performs an all-acoustic set for that is taped for the MTV series Unplugged. It airs on March 11, winning a record audience for the show, and is released on CD and videotape in August. The 70-minute live set, which includes an acoustic arrangement of “Layla,” reaches #1. It goes on to sell three million copies and earns a Grammy for Album of the Year.

1992: Johnnie Johnson’s third solo album, ‘Johnnie B. Bad,’ finds the piano great backed by Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and NRBQ.

January 8, 1993: “MTV Unplugged” with Eric Clapton is nominated for four Grammy Awards and Mariah Carey’s performance on “MTV Unplugged” is nominated for three Grammy Awards by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc.

1994: Eric Clapton releases his first all blues album ‘From the Cradle’.

March 1, 1995: From the Cradle, an album of blues interpretations released the previous fall, wins Eric Clapton a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album.

March 10, 1998: His Pilgrim album yields the introspective hit “My Father’s Eyes,” which wins Eric Clapton a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

2000: Eric Clapton and B.B King release ‘Riding With the King’.

March 6, 2000: Eric Clapton is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the fifteenth annual induction dinner. Robbie Robertson is his presenter.


[http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/eric-clapton]