Slowhand
The Life and Music of Eric Clapton
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4.5 • 22 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
From the bestselling author of Shout!, comes the definitive biography of Eric Clapton, a Rock legend whose life story is as remarkable as his music, which transformed the sound of a generation.
For half a century Eric Clapton has been acknowledged to be one of music's greatest virtuosos, the unrivalled master of an indispensable tool, the solid-body electric guitar. His career has spanned the history of rock, and often shaped it via the seminal bands with whom he's played: the Yardbirds, John Mavall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominoes. Winner of 17 Grammys, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's only three-time inductee, he is an enduring influence on every other star soloist who ever wielded a pick.
Now, with Clapton's consent and access to family members and close friends, rock music's foremost biographer returns to the heroic age of British rock and follows Clapton through his distinctive and scandalous childhood, early life of reckless rock 'n' roll excess, and twisting & turning struggle with addiction in the 60s and 70s. Readers will learn about his relationship with Pattie Boyd -- wife of Clapton's own best friend George Harrison -- the tragic death of his son, which inspired one of his most famous songs, "Tears in Heaven," and even the backstories of his most famed, and named, guitars.
Packed with new information and critical insights, Slowhand finally reveals the complex character behind a living legend.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Norman (Paul McCartney: The Life) reveals little that's unknown about Eric Clapton's life and music in this straightforward yet enjoyable biography, written with Clapton's consent (though Clapton himself was not interviewed). Norman draws on conversations with the guitarist's friends, music associates, and family to chronicle Clapton's rise to fame, from his early years in art school through the formation of his various bands such as Derek and the Dominoes and Cream, as well as his love affair with and marriage to Pattie Boyd (once George Harrison's wife). Norman also writes about Clapton's heroin and alcohol addiction; the death of his four-year-old son, Conor, in 1991; and his development of the Crossroads guitar festivals, starting in 2004. Norman notes that, despite his superstardom, Clapton remains a sensitive, sometimes reclusive musician who seems never satisfied with either his own guitar playing or the bands he abruptly left: the Yardbirds, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, and Cream. Norman does unveil one feature of Clapton's life that's not widely known: the guitarist's deep love of fine fashion (he bought 50% of shares in England's famous J.C. Cording men's store in 2004 and became its design director). In this thorough book, Norman hits all the important notes, and Clapton emerges as a person more comfortable with his fretboard than with other people.
Customer Reviews
Good read.
Good read, all round good read.
The author seems to have a favorite number.