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Clapton started to rebel against the Yardbirds pop swing. Still devoted to the blues, he quit the band as soon as “For Your Love” was recorded. Because of his thirst for playing blues music Clapton immediately joined John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in April, 1965. He contributed unforgettable and highly emotional guitar playing to the band’s first album, entitled Blues Breakers, which created such an impact on British culture that it provoked a string of graffiti in England reading, “Clapton is God.”
Clapton left the Bluesbreakers in the middle of 1966 to form one of the first power trios in rock history, Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. It was in Cream that Clapton’s talents as a songwriter and a singer were realized and allowed to blossom alongside his guitar playing. Cream was one of the first bands to incorporate loud blues guitar jamming and extended guitar solos into their live performances, even though their studio work was centered on highly developed and original straight rock music. Their music ranged from pop soul to blues-based instrumental songs, all built around Clapton’s guitar lines.
In 1967 guitarist Jimi Hendrix appeared on the British rock scene and provided what Clapton perceived to be unbeatable competition for him in the guitar music world. Hendrix inspired Clapton to rethink his musical direction. In just three years, Cream had sold 15 million records and was selling out shows in Europe and the United States. Clapton’s project had helped redefine the role of musical skill in rock music, and all the songs showcased the deep instrumental talents of the band members instead of focusing simply on the lyrics. But there was great tension between the band members that also provoked critics to give unfavorable reviews of live performances. The guitarist was discouraged by the band’s troubles and dissolved the band in 1968 to follow the new directions rock music was going. Their final album was released after their demise in 1968 and featured the still memorable song, written by Eric Clapton and friend George Harrison of The Beatles, “Badge.” The power trio entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
After Cream Clapton took two years to participate in side projects to regroup and refocus his music. He took on a side role as a feature guitarist in the American group Delaney Bonnie and Friends. He spent a year living in New York City from 1969-1970, and used the opportunity to start writing his own songs. In 1970, he released his first solo album that featured his best song from this period in his life “Let it Rain.”
Derek and the Dominos came next in his life, named because an announcer mispronounced the temporary band name Eric & the Dynamos. Initially this group was intended as a vehicle to show off Clapton’s ensemble work. But Derek and the Dominos marked a shift in his personal life as well; he met and fell in love with George Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd-Harison, and the unrequited love affair provided creative fodder for most of the band’s material, most namely the songs on their only album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. This music is considered to be Clapton’s greatest work and features his most innovative and technically-astounding guitar playing. The album was enhanced and re-mixed several times to add contributions by a variety of artists, most notably the guitar work of Duane Allman.
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