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152-505: Matsumoto was inspired to pick up a guitar at the age of 13 when he heard Eric Clapton 's playing on The Beatles song " While My Guitar Gently Weeps " for the first time. He reportedly bought his first electric guitar at age 15, a Japanese Gibson Les Paul , after hearing Deep Purple 's guitarist Ritchie Blackmore play " Smoke on the Water on the live album Made in Japan . Matsumoto has said over

304-455: A rhythm and blues band, and stayed with them until March 1965. Synthesising 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. The band initially played Chess / Checker / Vee-Jay blues numbers and began to attract

456-451: A 10-day promotional tour in Japan, quickly followed by a Platinum album, and a 20-city sold-out tour from July to September, ending at the Budokan . The Japanese tour for TMG saw the inclusion of Mr. Big's "To Be With You" in the set list. TMG was among the top five bands on melodicrock.com during that time, but the band no longer pursued tours beyond Japan. During the same year TMG was in

608-569: A 20-date tour of Japan followed by a New Year's Eve 1999 show with Aerosmith at the Osaka Dome in Osaka . Get Over It was released in the U.S. on March 21, 2000, followed by a short club stint at The Roxy Theater in West Hollywood. In the summer of 2001, Martin and the rest of Mr. Big released Actual Size in Japan and the rest of Asia. The CD stayed on the charts in the number three spot and "Shine"

760-577: A British tour in April and May of the same year, supported by bands The Throbs and Heartland. After another British tour, the band released the Mr. Big Live album in 1992. Mr. Big continued work on a third album as they headlined shows across the U.K. in 1993. In December, the band broke away from this run to play as support act for Aerosmith 's three-night, sold-out stand at London's Wembley Arena . In 1993, another ballad from Mr. Big's new album Bump Ahead rose to

912-401: A Pretty Face . The LP received a gold disc (certification ?), and consequently led to the band's appearance on American Bandstand and in various arena tours as the opening act for ZZ Top , Night Ranger , and Journey . In one interview, Eric mentions that they "worked thousands of shows, from clubs, to frat house parties, Bill Graham concerts, opening for anybody and everybody." One of

1064-508: A burgeoning production career, he started to search for a singer. After being presented with a tape from an unknown session singer known as Koshi Inaba , Matsumoto was blown away. Their first recorded session was a rendition of " Let It Be " and " Oh! Darling " by The Beatles , and even though the amp blew out, Matsumoto knew he had his new singer. Matsumoto and Inaba formed the duo B'z and debuted in September 1988. B'z has continued to be one of

1216-423: A collaboration concert with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra at Suntory Hall. At this special concert, named "Tokyo Special Collaboration 2004 Matsumoto Takahiro -HANA-", Matsumoto played the B'z hit " Love Phantom " and the solo number "HANA" with only his guitar and Orchestra. Soon after, TMG started its tour rehearsal. From July 30, the "Dodge The Bullet" tour started at Zepp Fukuoka. Chris Frazier who played songs on

1368-436: A concert of the group's second headlining US tour was another significant factor in the trio's demise, and it affected Clapton profoundly. Clapton has also credited Music from Big Pink , the debut album of The Band , and its revolutionary Americana sound as influencing his decision to leave Cream. Cream's farewell album, Goodbye , comprising live performances recorded at The Forum , Los Angeles, on 19 October 1968,

1520-423: A copy of which Ian Dallas had given to Clapton. The book moved Clapton profoundly, as it was the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful, unavailable woman and went crazy because he could not marry her. The two parts of "Layla" were recorded in separate sessions: the opening guitar section was recorded first, and for the second section, laid down a few weeks later, drummer Jim Gordon played

1672-538: A demo with Bearsville Records that was produced by Chris Nicks, brother of Stevie Nicks . During the summer break in 1974, Martin joined a musical comedy workshop held at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento. He auditioned for the part of Judas; although he ultimately did not get the role, he did become the understudy. Martin credits the honing of his voice to his teacher, Judy Davis. She taught him diction, stamina, and breath-control. The Martin family finally settled in

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1824-559: A duo with fellow blues enthusiast Dave Brock in pubs around Surrey. When he was 17, he joined his first band, an early British R&B group, the Roosters, whose other guitarist was Tom McGuinness . He stayed with them from January until August 1963. In October of that year, he performed a seven-gig stint with Casey Jones & the Engineers . In October 1963, Clapton joined the Yardbirds,

1976-399: A few years before; Eric and Denise were figuring out how to make tours overseas cost effective and fresh per performance. They would call promoters all around the world and book shows 5 months in advance, find the best rock musicians or the most popular bands in the big cities and have them learn 18 to 20 of Eric's tunes, send mp3's back and forth (and pray for the best). Martin performed across

2128-732: A guest on Crow's Central Park Concert. The duo performed a Cream hit single, " White Room ". Later, Clapton and Crow performed an alternate version of "Tulsa Time" with other guitar legends at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in June 2007 as well as Robert Johnson 's blues classic " Crossroads " at London's Hyde Park in August 2008 with John Mayer and Robert Randolph . At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards on 24 February 1999, Clapton received his third Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance , for his song " My Father's Eyes ". In October 1999,

2280-665: A large cult following when they took over the Rolling Stones ' residency at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond , London. They toured England with American bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson II ; a joint LP album, recorded in December 1963, was issued in 1965. Yardbirds' rhythm guitarist, Chris Dreja , recalled that whenever Clapton broke a guitar string during a concert, he would stay on stage and replace it. The English audiences would wait out

2432-470: A large number of drinks, for fear he would never be able to drink again. Clapton wrote in his autobiography: In the lowest moments of my life, the only reason I didn't commit suicide was that I knew I wouldn't be able to drink any more if I was dead. It was the only thing I thought was worth living for, and the idea that people were about to try and remove me from alcohol was so terrible that I drank and drank and drank, and they had to practically carry me into

2584-410: A live version of Robert Johnson 's "Cross Road Blues". Though Cream were hailed as one of the greatest groups of its day, and the adulation of Clapton as a guitar legend reached new heights, the supergroup was short-lived. Drug and alcohol use escalated tension between the three members, and conflicts between Bruce and Baker eventually led to Cream's demise. A strongly critical Rolling Stone review of

2736-455: A low-key touring band that included Radle, Miami guitarist George Terry , keyboardist Dick Sims (who died in 2011), drummer Jamie Oldaker , and vocalists Yvonne Elliman and Marcy Levy (also known as Marcella Detroit). With this band Clapton recorded 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), an album with an emphasis on more compact songs and fewer guitar solos; the cover version of " I Shot the Sheriff "

2888-713: A member of Lennon's Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival in September 1969, a recording from which was released as the album Live Peace in Toronto 1969 . On 30 September, Clapton played lead guitar on Lennon's second solo single, " Cold Turkey ". On 15 December that year, Clapton performed with Lennon, Harrison and others as the Plastic Ono Supergroup at a fundraiser for UNICEF in London. Delaney Bramlett encouraged Clapton in his singing and writing. Using

3040-566: A member of the Bluesbreakers, Clapton briefly collaborated on a side project with Jack Bruce and Steve Winwood among others, recording only a few tracks under the name Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse . During his second Bluesbreakers stint, Clapton gained a reputation as the best blues guitarist on the club circuit. Although Clapton gained fame for playing on the influential album, Blues Breakers – John Mayall – With Eric Clapton , this album

3192-666: A new album titled What If... produced by Kevin Shirley and released in early 2011. On May 10, 2011, after almost two decades, Mr. Big played the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, the Philippines. The band performed most of the songs from "Lean into It", and also introduced new songs from What If... . The band embarked on a very successful South American tour that ended with two dates in Brazil, at

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3344-511: A number of successful solo albums and songs over the next several decades, including a 1974 cover of Bob Marley 's " I Shot the Sheriff " (which helped reggae reach a mass market), the country -infused Slowhand album (1977) and the pop rock of 1986's August . Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song " Tears in Heaven ", which appeared on his Unplugged album. In 1996 he had another top-40 hit with

3496-621: A number of tracks that were retroactively credited to The Immediate All-Stars . In the summer of 1965 he left for Greece with a band called the Glands, which included his old friend Ben Palmer on piano. After a car crash that killed the bassist and injured the guitarist of the Greek band the Juniors, on 17 October 1965 the surviving members played memorial shows in which Clapton played with the band. In October 1965 he rejoined John Mayall. In March 1966, while still

3648-466: A party for Armani at New York City's Lexington Armory with Greg Phillinganes , Nathan East and Steve Gadd . Sheryl Crow appeared on one number, performing " Tearing Us Apart ", a track from August , 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 held at Hyde Park. The concert

3800-575: A return to his "rawk roots" and he definitely did so with "I'm Goin' Sane" which was released in Asia, Europe, and the US in late 2002. After the success of a Japan tour, an appearance at the European "Gods Festival", and a 23-city US tour, Martin decided to go back to the studio to record Pure , an EP that covers his hits in an unplugged and stripped-down acoustic form. In 2003, Martin contributed his version of "Cheer Up" to

3952-469: A second album and a nationwide tour across Japan in the works. Matsumoto, through his B'z fame, is credited for the "resurrection and reinvention of the Japanese guitar hero", alongside, and in comparison to, X Japan guitarist hide , as a model of guitarist more interested in technique, technology, and equipment, popularizing the electric guitar as a mass media product in Japan. Terry Burrows considered him

4104-545: A slot close to peak viewing hours, he was apparently flattered. His album output continued in the 1980s, including two produced with Phil Collins, 1985's Behind the Sun , which produced the hits "Forever Man" and "She's Waiting", and 1986's August . August was suffused with Collins's trademark drum and horn sound, and became Clapton's biggest seller in the UK to date, matching his highest chart position, number 3. The album's first track,

4256-448: A song dedicated to him, called "Mr. Bluesman". He contributed guitar and vocals to "Runaway Train", a duet with Elton John on the latter's The One album the following year. I almost subconsciously used music for myself as a healing agent, and lo and behold, it worked ... I have got a great deal of happiness and a great deal of healing from music. —Clapton on the healing process in writing "Tears in Heaven". Clapton's grief

4408-523: A song that Martin wrote during his teen years. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area , Martin first started his career in the music industry in 1966 At the age of 6. Eric Martin is the son of Frederick Lee "Pepper" Martin and Iris Martin. He has three younger siblings named Dan, Joan and Laurie, and is half-Irish, half-Italian. Martin was a drummer for a short while. Realizing it fit his personality better, he opted for frontman/lead vocalist in

4560-537: A three-track EP called Enigma , followed in 2017 by a collaboration album between himself and Hawaiian artist Daniel Ho , Electric Island, Acoustic Sea . Matsumoto's albums Strings of My Soul (2012) and New Horizon (2014) each won the Japan Gold Disc Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. He won the award a third time for 2020's Bluesman . On March 8, 2024, TMG officially announced its reformation, with

4712-411: Is a compilation of songs written by such people as Myles Hunter, John Waite , and a whole host of other established songwriters. It also included top West Coast session musicians such as drummers Mike Baird (who worked with Rick Springfield and Journey) and Mickey Curry (with Bryan Adams and Hall and Oates), guitarists Richie Zito , Tim Pierce , Michael Landau , and Rick Nowells. A compilation of

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4864-606: Is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He ranked second in Rolling Stone ' s list of the " 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time " and fourth in Gibson ' s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". He was named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009. In 2023, Rolling Stone named Clapton

5016-704: Is certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling over 10 million copies in the US. It reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and is certified four times platinum in the UK. On 9 September 1992, Clapton performed "Tears in Heaven" at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards , and won the award for Best Male Video. In 1992, Clapton received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors . In October 1992 Clapton

5168-580: Is something Eric calls "distorted pop" with a focus on his rock roots. Later in 2002, Martin was contacted by Tak Matsumoto . Tak's band, B'z , has sold over 80 million records and held onto success for over 20 years in Japan. Tak decided to put together a rock band called Tak Matsumoto Group , or TMG, with his favorite players; this would include Martin on vocals, Jack Blades ( Night Ranger / Damn Yankees ) on bass, and himself on guitar. They spent four months writing and recording an album in Los Angeles, did

5320-595: The Music for Montserrat concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, performing "Layla" and "Same Old Blues" before finishing with "Hey Jude" alongside fellow English artists Paul McCartney , Elton John , Phil Collins, Mark Knopfler and Sting . That autumn, Clapton released the album Pilgrim , the first record containing new material for almost a decade. In 1996, Clapton had a relationship with singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow . They remain friends, and Clapton appeared as

5472-563: The 1987 Brit Awards in London, Clapton was awarded the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 1987, he played on George Harrison 's album Cloud Nine , contributing guitar to "Cloud 9", "That's What It Takes", "Devil's Radio" and "Wreck of the Hesperus". Clapton also got together with the Bee Gees for charity. The supergroup called itself the Bunburys , and recorded a charity album with

5624-508: The Amnesty International benefit The Secret Policeman's Other Ball in London. Clapton accepted the invitation and teamed up with Jeff Beck to perform a series of duets – reportedly their first ever billed stage collaboration. Three of the performances were released on the album of the show, and one of the songs appeared in the film. The performances at London's Drury Lane theatre heralded a return to form and prominence for Clapton in

5776-624: The Layla sessions in Florida; he talked about Allman as the "musical brother I'd never had but wished I did". Although Radle remained Clapton's bass player until the summer of 1979 (Radle died in May 1980 from the effects of alcohol and narcotics), it was not until 2003 that Clapton and Whitlock appeared together again; Clapton guested on Whitlock's appearance on the Later with Jools Holland show. Another tragic footnote to

5928-729: The Mabuhay Gardens on Broadway in San Francisco. In agreement, Nymann and Martin got people together from both their previous bands, and formed a new group named 415 – which was the telephone area code for the San Francisco Bay Area, since every person in the band was from there. 415 was formed in late 1979. It marked the start of Martin's career as lead vocalist. He stated, "415 played hundreds of shows at area nightclubs, beer parties, even high school and college dances, before eventually headlining San Francisco's premiere night club –

6080-516: The Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon for his charitable contributions. Matsumoto was given his own Signature Model Les Paul from Gibson in 1999. Matsumoto was added to the Gibson signature artist club as the first guitarist from Asia . He currently holds the record with 7 different signature models produced, including "Model Double Cutaway". His Les Paul model was also adapted into an Epiphone . In recent years,

6232-603: The Nelson Brothers and was later introduced to them by a common friend. The Nelson Brothers, Matthew and Gunnar , invited Martin to join them in the new all-star band they were forming called "Scrap Metal". Generally, Scrap Metal would be a band dedicated to performing classic heavy metal and rock 'n' roll hits from the 1980s and 1990s. On February 3, 2007, Eric Martin, together with Matthew and Gunnar Nelson of "Nelson", Mark Slaughter of "Slaughter", Jani Lane of "Warrant", and Kelly Keagy of " Night Ranger ", performed under

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6384-902: The Party at the Palace concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace . On 29 November 2002, the Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall , a tribute to George Harrison, who had died a year earlier of lung cancer. Clapton was a performer and the musical director. The concert included Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne , Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers , Ravi Shankar , Gary Brooker , Billy Preston, Joe Brown and Dhani Harrison . In 2004, Clapton released two albums of covers of songs by bluesman Robert Johnson , Me and Mr. Johnson and Sessions for Robert J . Guitarist Doyle Bramhall II worked on

6536-478: The Rolling Stones , Winwood and Starr. Despite the superstar line-up, critic Cub Koda noted: "Even Eric Clapton, who usually welcomes any chance to play with one of his idols, has criticized this album repeatedly in interviews, which speaks volumes in and of itself." Other noted recordings from this period include Clapton's guitar work on "Go Back Home" from Stephen Stills' self-titled first solo album . With

6688-685: The Tsunami Relief Concert held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , in aid of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake . In May 2005, 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 . Clapton's first album of new original material in nearly five years, Back Home ,

6840-643: The Twisted Wheel Club in Manchester on 29 July 1966 before their full debut two nights later at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor . Cream established its enduring legend with the high-volume blues jamming and extended solos of their live shows. By early 1967, fans of the emerging blues-rock sound in the UK had begun to portray Clapton as Britain's top guitarist; however, he found himself rivalled by

6992-525: The best-selling musicians of all time . In 1998, Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict , founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua , a medical facility for those recovering from substance abuse. Clapton was born on 30 March 1945 in Ripley, Surrey , England, to 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton (1929–1999) and Edward Walter Fryer (1920–1985), a 25-year-old soldier from Montreal , Quebec. Fryer

7144-571: The blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood , and Ric Grech , recording one album and performing on one tour before they broke up. Clapton then toured with Delaney & Bonnie and recorded his first solo album in 1970, before forming Derek and the Dominos with Bobby Whitlock , Carl Radle and Jim Gordon . Like Blind Faith, the band only lasted one album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs , which includes " Layla ", one of Clapton's signature songs . Clapton continued to record

7296-579: The "Scrap Metal" banner for an MTV filmed concert at the Mohegan Sun Hotel & Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. They would compose the core of the band. A few months later, he made an appearance as a Guest Vocalist of Japanese Jazz Fusion Band T-Square on their album, 33. The song he was featured in is called "Tell the Truth", which is based on T-Square's hit from 1987, "Truth". Scrap Metal would tour around

7448-473: The "White Album"). Harrison's debut solo album, Wonderwall Music (1968), became the first of many Harrison solo records to include Clapton on guitar. Clapton went largely uncredited for his contributions to Harrison's albums due to contractual restraints, and Harrison was credited as "L'Angelo Misterioso" for his contributions to the song "Badge" on Goodbye . The pair often played live together as each other's guest. A year after Harrison's death in 2001, Clapton

7600-419: The "most highly regarded guitarist to emerge from Asia". Matsumoto ranked first in a 2011 poll conducted by the Japanese search engine goo on who the Japanese people thought was the best guitarist to represent Japan. In 2019, Matsumoto's song "1090 ~Thousand Dreams~" ( 1090 〜千夢一夜〜 ) was named the 51st best guitar instrumental by Young Guitar Magazine . In April 2022, the Japanese government awarded Matsumoto

7752-555: The 35th best guitarist of all time. After playing in a number of different local bands, Clapton joined the Yardbirds from 1963 to 1965, and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1965 to 1966. After leaving Mayall, he formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce , in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop ". After four successful albums, Cream broke up in November 1968. Clapton then formed

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7904-529: The Allman Brothers Band. Despite Clapton's later admission that the tour took place amid a blizzard of drugs and alcohol, it resulted in the live double album In Concert . Recording of a second Dominos studio album was underway when a clash of egos took place and Clapton walked out, thus disbanding the group. Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident on 29 October 1971. Clapton wrote later in his autobiography that he and Allman were inseparable during

8056-452: The B'z album Big Machine joined as the drummer for this tour. TMG had 16 shows in 8 locations including the last show at Nihon Budokan on September 7. In November, Matsumoto established his own label, "House of Strings", which emphasizes guitarists and string musicians. He recorded again at a studio with songs played with an orchestra in July and released it as the first House of Strings CD with

8208-466: The Blind") is notable as he is clearly wearing a fake beard in some shots, the result of deciding to shave off his real beard after the initial takes in an attempt to force the director to remove his earlier scene from the film and leave the set. In 1974, Clapton started living with Boyd (they would not marry until 1979) and was no longer using heroin (although he gradually began to drink heavily). He assembled

8360-960: The Bramletts' backing group and an all-star cast of session players (including Leon Russell and Stephen Stills ), Clapton recorded his first solo album during two brief tour hiatuses, titled Eric Clapton . Delaney Bramlett co-wrote six of the songs with Clapton, also producing the LP, and Bonnie Bramlett co-wrote "Let It Rain". The album yielded the unexpected US No. 18 hit, J. J. Cale 's "After Midnight". Clapton also worked with much of Delaney and Bonnie's band to record George Harrison's All Things Must Pass in spring 1970. During this period, Clapton also recorded with artists such as Dr. John , Leon Russell , Billy Preston , Ringo Starr and Dave Mason . With Chicago blues artist Howlin' Wolf , he recorded The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions , that also included long-time Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin and members of

8512-450: The Cradle contained new versions of old blues standards , highlighted by his electric guitar playing. In 1995, Clapton for the first and only time appeared on a UK No. 1 single, collaborating with Cher , Chrissie Hynde , and Neneh Cherry on a solo to a cover of " Love Can Build a Bridge " released in aid of the British charity telethon Comic Relief . On 12 September 1996 Clapton played

8664-425: The Dominos story was the fate of drummer Jim Gordon , who had undiagnosed schizophrenia and years later murdered his mother during a psychotic episode . Gordon was confined to 16-years-to-life imprisonment, later being moved to a mental institution, where he remained for the rest of his life. Clapton's career successes in the 1970s were in stark contrast with the struggles he coped with in his personal life, which

8816-559: The Fire" from the movie soundtrack Teachers , as well as "These Are the Good Times" and "Eyes of the World" from the movie Iron Eagle . In 1985, Eric Martin released a self-titled album Eric Martin , featuring the minor hit "The Information" which peaked at No. 87 mid-year. It was followed later on in 1987 by I'm Only Fooling Myself , which was re-issued in 2008 by Rock Candy Records. The album

8968-505: The Green Concert." The band became a popular local draw, all the while still being an unsigned act. 415 was later signed on to Elektra/Asylum Records under the management of Walter "Herbie" Herbert, Ron Chiarottino, and Sandy Einstein. These three persons managed and worked for the band Journey . The management decided to change the name of the band to the Eric Martin Band (EMB), as singer-named bands were popular during that time. EMB debuted their first album in 1983, entitled Sucker for

9120-417: The Highclere Castle, in aid of the Countryside Alliance, playing two set pieces of " Wish You Were Here " and " Comfortably Numb ". Clapton, now a regular charity performer, played at the Live Aid concert at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia on 13 July 1985, playing with Phil Collins , Tim Renwick , Chris Stainton , Jamie Oldaker , Marcy Levy , Shaun Murphy and Donald 'Duck' Dunn . When offered

9272-407: The Japanese release Sincerely 2 – Mariya Takeuchi Song Book album. He also came to attention outside of his priority solo activities, portraying the character "Mr. Niko" for a 2004 "Genius" outing In Search of The Little Prince . Martin later recorded another album entitled Destroy All Monsters , which would then be released in Japan, Europe, the US, and South America in 2004. The album's sound

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9424-517: The Money , on the tracks " Are You Hung Up? " and "Nasal Retentive Calliope Music". In 28 months, Cream had become a commercial success, selling millions of records and playing throughout the US and Europe. They redefined the instrumentalist's role in rock and were one of the first blues-rock bands to emphasise musical virtuosity and lengthy jazz-style improvisation sessions. Their US hit singles include " Sunshine of Your Love " (No. 5, 1968), " White Room " (No. 6, 1968) and " Crossroads " (No. 28, 1969) –

9576-416: The Old Waldorf. Selling out in advance, word quickly spread about our dynamic live shows and soon we were opening for established acts like Billy Squier , Hall & Oates , Rick Springfield , Molly Hatchet , the Marshall Tucker Band , and Foreigner , to name a few. Eventually, without yet being signed to a recording contract, we played in front of 60,000 fans at Oakland Stadium at Bill Graham 's Days on

9728-430: The R&B crossover " Change the World ". In 1998, he released the Grammy award-winning " My Father's Eyes ". Since 1999, he has recorded a number of traditional blues and blues rock albums and hosted the periodic Crossroads Guitar Festival . His latest studio album, Meanwhile , was released in 2024. Clapton has received 18 Grammy Awards as well as the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004, he

9880-750: The RKO Theater. Clapton used the guitar for most of Cream's recordings after Fresh Cream , particularly on Disraeli Gears , until the band broke up in 1968. One of the world's best-known guitars, it symbolises the psychedelic era . They recorded Disraeli Gears in New York from 11 to 15 May 1967. Cream's repertoire varied from hard rock (" I Feel Free ") to lengthy blues-based instrumental jams (" Spoonful "). Disraeli Gears contained Clapton's searing guitar lines, Bruce's soaring vocals and prominent, fluid bass playing, and Baker's powerful, polyrhythmic jazz-influenced drumming. Together, Cream's talents secured them as an influential power trio . Clapton's voice can be heard on Frank Zappa 's album We're Only in It for

10032-453: The Rolling Stones and the Beatles , avidly attended Hendrix's early club performances. Hendrix's arrival had an immediate and major effect on the next phase of Clapton's career. Clapton first visited the United States while touring with Cream. In March 1967, Cream performed a nine-show stand at the RKO Theater in New York. Clapton's 1964 painted Gibson SG guitar – The Fool – a "psychedelic fantasy", according to Clapton, made its debut at

10184-507: The San Francisco Bay Area in about 1976. Martin attended Galileo High School and met up with some of the band members who would join him in his first successful venture: Kid Courage. Kid Courage opened for AC/DC for two shows in the Bay Area, which were AC/DC's first shows in America. Martin grew up listening to both soul and rock icons in the 1970s, such as Otis Redding , Paul Rodgers , The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , Lynyrd Skynyrd , Edgar Winter , Free , and Humble Pie . When he

10336-461: The US all year round. In 2010, Martin participated in a tribute album titled Mister Bolin's Late Night Revival , a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by guitar legend Tommy Bolin , prior to his death in 1976. The CD includes other artists such as HiFi Superstar , Doogie White , Troy Luccketta , Jeff Pilson , Randy Jackson , Rachel Barton , Rex Carroll , Derek St. Holmes , Kimberley Dahme , and The 77's . A percentage of

10488-432: The Yardbirds for a while, but Beck, Page, and Clapton were never in the group together. They first appeared together in 1983 on the 12-date benefit tour for Action for Research into multiple sclerosis with the first date on 23 September at the Royal Albert Hall. Clapton joined John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in April 1965, only to quit a few months later. In June, Clapton was invited to jam with Jimmy Page, recording

10640-539: The age of 64. His last show was at the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton on November 23, 2017. A memorial show took place on May 23, 2018, at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California , with former member Richie Kotzen as a special guest. The all-star finale of " To Be With You " included, among others, Matt Sorum , Dave Amato , Ricky Phillips , Keith St John , Prescott Niles , Kelly Keagy , Jeff Scott Soto , Ace Von Johnson and Gregg Bissonette . In October 2018, Eric Martin said in interview with Friday NI Rocks that

10792-507: The album Ghostlights , notably performing the guest vocal role in the songs "Dying for an Angel", "The Wicked Symphony" and "Twisted Mind". In early 2008, Martin was approached, again, by Sony Japan to do a project wherein he would cover (translated) famous Japanese Ballads sung by women. The album, entitled Mr. Vocalist , was released in November 2008. The album included ballads such as " I Believe " by Ayaka , " Yuki no Hana " by Mika Nakashima , and "M" by Princess Princess . Seeing

10944-535: The album with Clapton (after opening Clapton's 2001 tour with his band Smokestack) and joined him on his 2004 tour. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Clapton No. 53 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" . Other media appearances include the Toots & the Maytals Grammy award-winning album True Love , where he played guitar on the track " Pressure Drop ". On 22 January 2005, Clapton performed in

11096-409: The annoyance of Clapton, who was devoted to the blues and not commercial success. He left the Yardbirds on the day that "For Your Love" went public, a move that left the band without its lead guitarist and most accomplished member. Clapton suggested fellow guitarist Jimmy Page as his replacement, but Page declined out of loyalty to Clapton, putting Jeff Beck forward. Beck and Page played together in

11248-628: The band is in the process of planning their next album. According to him, once the band is done with its 2019 touring commitments, they will subsequently disband: "Yeah, that's the last hurrah – that's it. It feels a little uncomfortable to keep going without Pat Torpey." While in Mr. Big, Martin was also involved in other projects on the side. In 1995, Martin was the vocalist in The Power Rangers Orchestra, which also featured Guns N' Roses member Matt Sorum . Their version of "Go Go Power Rangers"

11400-558: The band joined them on the tour: Matt Starr (from Ace Frehley's band,) is a drummer and singer, and Mr. Big recruited him to sit in for Pat Torpey , who had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. While Torpey did tour with the band, he played drums on only a few songs, and typically sat on a stool and sang with the band while Starr handled the rest of the drum duties. Additional dates were planned for rock cruises and West coast dates in early 2016. On July 7, 2017, Mr. Big released Defying Gravity , its ninth studio album. The record

11552-506: The band members (the Road Vultures) were graciously treated as state guests and were escorted upon arrival in India and during the concert. Amit Paul , a singer from the show "Indian Idol", together with other Indian celebrities, joined the show and sang part of "To Be With You" with Eric. The gig in India was meant to be only a seven-to-ten thousand seat show; but, as people started to break into

11704-442: The band released the album Live At Budokan before taking a break from recording and touring. While recording their fifth studio album, Paul Gilbert announced his decision to leave the band, and new guitarist Richie Kotzen was added to the lineup. The new line-up of Mr. Big released Get Over It in September 1999 in Japan. Get Over It yielded "Superfantastic", a number one hit in Japan that went multi-platinum. Mr. Big put in

11856-450: The band released their eponymous debut, which received critical and commercial success in the US and Japan. In June 1990, the group toured America with the Canadian band Rush . The group's 1991 release, Lean into It , featured two ballads that established them as a commercial success: " To Be with You " (number one song in 15 countries) and "Just Take My Heart". The album was followed by

12008-499: The ceremony inducting them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . A full reunion took place in May 2005, with Clapton, Bruce and Baker playing four sold-out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall , and three shows at New York's Madison Square Garden that October. Recordings from the London shows, Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005 , were released on CD, LP and DVD in late 2005. Clapton's next group, Blind Faith , formed in 1969,

12160-618: The clinic. After being discharged, it was recommended by doctors of Hazelden that Clapton not partake in any activities that would act as triggers for his alcoholism or stress. But it did happen. Clapton would go back to the Hazelden Treatment Center in November 1987. He has stayed sober ever since. A few months after his discharge from his first rehab, Clapton began working on his next album, against doctors' orders. Working with Tom Dowd, he produced what he thought as his "most forced" album to date, Money and Cigarettes . Clapton chose

12312-412: The compilation album, Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton , was released, which contained a new song, " Blue Eyes Blue ", that also appears in soundtrack for the film, Runaway Bride . Clapton finished the twentieth century with collaborations with Carlos Santana and B.B. King . Clapton looked up to King and had always wanted to make an album with him, while King said of Clapton, "I admire

12464-678: The cricket club's 25th anniversary celebrations in 2011, which were held at London's Grosvenor House Hotel. 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 . In 1989, Clapton released Journeyman , an album that covered a wide range of styles, including blues, jazz, soul and pop. Collaborators included George Harrison, Phil Collins, Daryl Hall , Chaka Khan , Mick Jones , David Sanborn and Robert Cray . The song " Bad Love "

12616-431: The death of Jimi Hendrix; eight days previously the band had cut a cover of "Little Wing" as a tribute. On 17 September 1970, one day before Hendrix's death, Clapton had purchased a left-handed Fender Stratocaster that he had planned to give to Hendrix as a birthday gift. Adding to Clapton's woes, Layla received only lukewarm reviews upon release. The shaken group undertook a US tour without Allman, who had returned to

12768-470: The delay by doing what is called a "slow handclap". Clapton's nickname of "Slowhand" came from Giorgio Gomelsky , a pun on the slow handclapping that ensued when Clapton stopped playing while he replaced a string. In December 1964, Clapton made his first appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, with the Yardbirds. Since then, Clapton has performed at the Hall over 200 times, and has stated that performing at

12920-474: The earlier B'z albums. Matsumoto attended jazz school, but when he started working as a session musician and supporting tours like TM Network , his musicianship was cemented. His exposure to a myriad of styles helped him to meld his own unique blend, incorporating elements of his jazz training, blues (his incorporation of the style known as "Kansai Blues" is well known), classical, heavy metal , rock, and ska . Matsumoto continued his session work throughout

13072-537: The early and mid-1980s with acts such as Mari Hamada until deciding to jump on the emerging solo instrumental trend catching on in Japan at that time. He recorded the solo album Thousand Wave and worked with future globe headliner Tetsuya Komuro as a touring guitarist for Komuro's band TM Network . "99", a simple instrumental incorporating some blistering fretwork, is considered one of his finest works. After his solo album, Matsumoto decided to try his hand at starting his own band. With his session work behind him and

13224-609: The edge of the world" and ran to the scene. The first person to offer condolences towards Clapton was friend and fellow guitarist Keith Richards , who himself had lost his young son Tara in 1976. Conor's funeral took place on 28 March at St Mary Magdalene's Church in Clapton's home village in Ripley, Surrey , with Conor buried in the church graveyard. After his son's death Clapton began attending AA meetings . In 1991, Clapton appeared on Richie Sambora 's album, Stranger in This Town , in

13376-475: The emergence of Jimi Hendrix , an acid rock -infused guitarist who used wailing feedback and effects pedals to create new sounds for the instrument. Hendrix attended a performance of the newly formed Cream at the Central London Polytechnic on 1 October 1966, during which he sat in on a double-timed version of " Killing Floor ". Top UK stars, including Clapton, Pete Townshend and members of

13528-479: The famous slogan " Clapton is God ", spray-painted by an unknown admirer on a wall in Islington , North London in 1967. The graffito was captured in a now-famous photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall. Clapton is reported to have been embarrassed by the slogan, saying in his The South Bank Show profile in 1987, "I never accepted that I was the greatest guitar player in the world. I always wanted to be

13680-407: The final name became "Derek and the Dominos". Clapton's close friendship with George Harrison brought him into contact with Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd , with whom he became deeply infatuated. When she spurned his advances, Clapton's unrequited affections prompted most of the material for the Dominos' album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). Heavily blues-influenced, the album features

13832-456: The first single off the album was number one. The song was also used as the ending theme for the animation series, Hellsing . Though headed for a breakup, the members of Mr. Big performed a farewell tour of Japan and Asia in 2002 as part of a contract they were obliged to comply with. A near Mr. Big "one-off" reunion took place on May 13, 2008, in Los Angeles, at the House of Blues, when Paul Gilbert

13984-479: The formation of Cream, Clapton was not well known in the United States; he left the Yardbirds before "For Your Love" hit the US top ten, and had yet to perform there. During his time with Cream, Clapton began to develop as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, though Bruce took most of the lead vocals and wrote the majority of the material with lyricist Pete Brown . Cream's first gig was an unofficial performance at

14136-481: The four-man band: Eric Clapton Live from Montreux and Eric Clapton and Friends . Clapton later remade "After Midnight" as a single and a promotional track for the Michelob beer brand, which had also used earlier songs by Collins and Steve Winwood . Clapton won a British Academy Television Award for his collaboration with Michael Kamen on the score for the 1985 BBC television thriller series Edge of Darkness . At

14288-421: The four-piece Dominos recorded "I Looked Away", " Bell Bottom Blues " and "Keep on Growing". Allman returned to record "I Am Yours", " Anyday " and "It's Too Late". On 9 September, they recorded Hendrix's " Little Wing " and the title track. The following day, the final track, "It's Too Late", was recorded. Tragedy dogged the group throughout its brief career. During the sessions, Clapton was devastated by news of

14440-481: The greatest guitar player in the world, but that's an ideal, and I accept it as an ideal". Clapton left the Bluesbreakers in July 1966 (replaced by Peter Green ) and was invited by drummer Ginger Baker to play in his newly formed band Cream , one of the earliest supergroups , with Jack Bruce on bass (Bruce was previously of the Bluesbreakers, the Graham Bond Organisation and Manfred Mann ). Before

14592-491: The hit " Can't Find My Way Home ". Another, "Presence of the Lord", is the first song credited solely to Clapton. The album's jacket image of a topless pubescent girl was deemed controversial in the US and was replaced by a photograph of the band. Blind Faith dissolved after less than seven months. Clapton subsequently toured as a sideman for an act that had opened for Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends . He also performed as

14744-579: The hit " It's in the Way That You Use It ", appeared in the Tom Cruise – Paul Newman film The Color of Money . The songs "Tearing Us Apart" (with Tina Turner ) and "Miss You" continued Clapton's more angry sound. This rebound kicked off Clapton's two-year period of touring with Collins and their August collaborators, bassist Nathan East and keyboard player/songwriter Greg Phillinganes . While on tour for August , two concert videos were recorded of

14896-450: The inexpensive steel-stringed instrument was difficult to play and he briefly lost interest. Two years later he picked it up again and started playing consistently. He was influenced by blues music from an early age, and practised long hours learning the chords of blues music by playing along to the records. He preserved his practice sessions using his portable Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder, listening to them over and over until he

15048-451: The intention of counteracting the "star" cult faction that had begun to form around him, Clapton assembled a new band composed of Delaney and Bonnie's former rhythm section , Bobby Whitlock as keyboardist and vocalist, Carl Radle as the bassist, and drummer Jim Gordon , with Clapton playing guitar. It was his intention to show that he need not fill a starring role, and functioned well as a member of an ensemble. During this period, Clapton

15200-417: The last of which in the city of Porto Alegre on July 10, according to Eric Martin, Mr. Big had an "end of the tour party" live in front of over 2,000 fans at the local rock venue Bar Opinião. In October 2014, Mr. Big released ...The Stories We Could Tell with 13 new songs and a bonus live track of "Addicted to That Rush." They embarked on a world tour to support the record and an unofficial fifth member of

15352-400: The list and were covered by Eric and Sony Japan's team of top musicians. The resulting album was released on March 4, 2009, and topped the charts in Japan at its debut. For months, it continued to move along the top five albums in Japan. From 2007 to 2009, Martin toured Europe, South America, and India, with different local bands backing him at each stop along the tour. It started as an idea

15504-572: The man. I think he's No. 1 in rock 'n' roll as a guitarist and No. 1 as a great person." Clapton released the album Reptile in March 2001. One month after the 11 September attacks , Clapton appeared at the Concert for New York City , performing alongside Buddy Guy . An event marking the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in June 2002, Clapton performed "Layla" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at

15656-458: The most acclaimed performances of the band was a solo tour in 1983 held at Honolulu, Hawaii . But despite continuing to land high-profile gigs as support for some of the most popular acts at the time, the band decided to split up in 1985 after returning from the ZZ Top tour. After the break-up, Martin continued involving himself in several recordings and gigs. He contributed to the track "I Can't Stop

15808-479: The most successful bands in the history of Japanese music, helped by the pairing of two very different musical directions. Matsumoto always drew his tastes from blues, classical, and jazz, while Inaba preferred rock music. Matsumoto has ongoing friendships with musicians such as Barry Sparks , Marty Friedman , Billy Sheehan , Eddie Van Halen , Eric Martin , Jack Blades , Joe Perry , Pat Torpey , Steven Tyler , and Steve Vai , with whom Matsumoto and Inaba recorded

15960-489: The name of the album "because that's all I saw myself having left" after his first rehabilitation from alcoholism. In 1984, he performed on former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters ' solo album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking , and participated in the supporting tour. Since then Waters and Clapton have had a close relationship. In 2005, they performed together for the Tsunami Relief Fund. In 2006, they performed at

16112-524: The new decade. Many factors had influenced Clapton's comeback, including his "deepening commitment to Christianity", to which he had converted prior to his heroin addiction. After calling his manager and admitting he was an alcoholic, Clapton flew to Minneapolis–Saint Paul in January 1982 and checked in at Hazelden Treatment Center , located in Center City, Minnesota . On the flight over, Clapton indulged in

16264-806: The next bands he joined. He played in a handful of teen rock groups with Randy Richardson, Fil Pearl and Ric Walz-Smith, such as S.F. Bloodshy and Backhome while attending Foothill High School in Sacramento , California. He performed in a punk band in the mid-1970s called The Innocents with Walz-Smith and Connie Champagne . Also, in 1974 and 1975, he played college clubs with Jim Preston in The J.C. Michaels Band. He started to make it big when he joined Stark Raving Mad (which also included future Winger guitarist/keyboardist Paul Taylor ) in Santa Rosa, California . Stark Raving Mad, which also included Donavan Stark and Brian Stark, cut

16416-526: The period include No Reason to Cry (a collaboration with Bob Dylan and The Band ); Slowhand , which contained " Wonderful Tonight " and a second J. J. Cale cover, " Cocaine ". In 1976, he performed as one of a string of notable guests at the farewell performance of The Band, filmed in a Martin Scorsese documentary titled The Last Waltz . In 1981, Clapton was invited by producer Martin Lewis to appear at

16568-649: The piano part for the melody, which he claimed to have written (though Bobby Whitlock stated that Rita Coolidge wrote it). The Layla LP was actually recorded by a five-piece version of the group, thanks to the unforeseen inclusion of guitarist Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band . A few days into the Layla sessions, Dowd – who was also producing the Allmans – invited Clapton to an Allman Brothers outdoor concert in Miami. The two guitarists met first on stage, then played all night in

16720-517: The proceeds from this project will benefit the Jackson Recovery Centers. In 2013, Martin was invited to be part of the metal opera project Avantasia , by Tobias Sammet . Martin played the role of a beggar on the album The Mystery of Time , performing What's Left of Me, with Sammet. Martin was also part of their 2013 world tour in support of the album as one of the guest vocalists. He was also part of their 2016 world tour in support of

16872-583: The proceeds going to the Bunbury Cricket Club in Cheshire, which plays exhibition cricket matches to raise money for nonprofit organisations in England. The Bunburys recorded three songs for The Bunbury Tails : "We're the Bunburys", "Bunbury Afternoon" and "Fight (No Matter How Long)". The last song also appeared on The 1988 Summer Olympics Album and went to No. 8 on the rock music chart. Clapton played at

17024-569: The same title on the album. It is an instrumental album including Christmas numbers such as "Itsuka no Merry Christmas" and "Holy Night". In 2005, he scored the soundtrack for the film Ultraman: The Next , while the next year wrote the music of " Real Face " for KAT-TUN . According to Oricon , "Real Face" became the best-selling Japanese single in 2006. In 2010, after the tour "Ain't No Magic" with B'z, Matsumoto worked with guitarist Larry Carlton . Together they released an album titled Take Your Pick on June 2, 2010, available in Japan and around

17176-440: The signature model "Doublecut Custom Ebony" was released. Matsumoto has also amassed a substantial guitar collection, including the following: Matsumoto is also an avid collector of older guitar amplifiers, as well as an accomplished bass player. Aside from guitars, he also owns other instruments, such as a few sitars , electric and otherwise. Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945)

17328-460: The single " Oh Japan ~Our Time Is Now~ ", was released. The album TMG I , which made Matsumoto go back and forth to the US for the recording, was released on June 23. Matsumoto said he had this project idea for a long time. The album mixes rock and oriental sounds. The album topped the Oricon Albums Chart in the first week. Matsumoto energetically kept working; on July 18, 19 and 20, he had

17480-525: The song "Asian Sky" from the 1999 album, The Ultra Zone . Billy Sheehan recorded tracks for 1999's Brotherhood album, as well as touring (along with Shane Gaalaas) as support musicians for 2002's Green Live-Gym Tour. In 2002, Matsumoto contributed music to two songs ("Don't Stop Music!" and "Koiuta") on Misia 's fourth album, Kiss in the Sky ; she invited him to be a part of the album after discovering his solo work. Matsumoto's 2003 solo album The Hit Parade

17632-469: The studio, and became friends. Duane first added his slide guitar to " Tell the Truth " and " Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out ". In four days, the five-piece Dominos recorded " Key to the Highway ", " Have You Ever Loved a Woman " (a blues standard popularised by Freddie King and others) and "Why Does Love Got to be So Sad?" In September, Duane briefly left the sessions for gigs with his own band, and

17784-556: The success of Mr. Vocalist , Sony Japan opted to follow it up with another one. Mr. Vocalist 2 was unique from the first because all the songs included in it were famous international ballads, and were voted in by fans either through the Internet or through mobile phone. Martin and Sony Japan lined up about 30 international ballads sung by women, such as " Hero " by Mariah Carey , " My Heart Will Go On " by Celine Dion and " Eternal Flame " by The Bangles . The top 12 songs were taken from

17936-607: The theme song for the Pride Fighting Championships , which was a major mixed martial arts organization. The song "The Last Man Standing" debuted New Year's Eve 2006 on pay-per-view to millions of viewers. Martin also wrote and recorded a song for guitar legend Ronnie Montrose 's CD, 10x10 . He sings along with nine other singers including Sammy Hagar , Edgar Winter , Davey Pattison , and Mark Farner . The 10x10 album sparked interest in Eric's vocal performance and he

18088-501: The top 10 of the charts – a cover of Cat Stevens ' " Wild World ". Although the band was unable to sustain commercial success in the US, their popularity in Japan continued to soar, leading to several Japan-only live albums as Raw Like Sushi I , Raw Like Sushi II , Japandemonium , and Mr. Big in Japan In 1996, Mr. Big released Hey Man , which sold strongly in the Far East. In 1997,

18240-449: The twin lead guitars of Clapton and Duane Allman, with Allman's slide guitar as a key ingredient of the sound. Working at Criteria Studios in Miami with Atlantic Records producer Tom Dowd , who had worked with Clapton on Cream's Disraeli Gears , the band recorded a double album. The album contained the hit love song " Layla ", inspired by the classical poet of Persian literature , Nizami Ganjavi 's The Story of Layla and Majnun ,

18392-424: The two solo albums are available on Soul Sessions – The Capitol Years CD. In 1988, Martin teamed up with Billy Sheehan , Pat Torpey , and Paul Gilbert to form Los Angeles supergroup Mr. Big. The band combined "shredding" musicianship with melodic vocal harmonies. The reputations of the players generated immediate interest in fellow musicians, and the band was signed to Atlantic Records in 1989. That year,

18544-457: The venue is like "playing in my front room". In March 1965, Clapton and the Yardbirds had their first major hit, " For Your Love ", written by songwriter Graham Gouldman , who also wrote hit songs for Herman's Hermits and the Hollies (and later achieved success of his own as a member of 10cc ). In part because of its success, the Yardbirds elected to move toward a pop-orientated sound, much to

18696-661: The works, Eric and Denise were also expecting twin boys by December. In light of this, Martin decided to lie low for the next couple of years. On March 8, 2024, the band announced its reformation, with a second album and a nationwide tour across Japan in the works. From 2004 to 2007, Martin was involved in numerous projects while remaining near home. A more comprehensive collection of his works are available on Eric Martin's Official Site. His projects included singing tracks on albums of different composers/artists, singing for karaoke games, video games, and TV commercials, and joining benefit concerts all year round. Martin wrote and recorded

18848-510: The world with bands such as The Road Vultures from Argentina, Hayseed from Norway, Raw Like Sushi (a Mr. Big tribute band) from Italy, and John McNamara's band from Australia. Martin was invited by the King of Tripura, Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman , to perform Mr. Big songs during the Rock Festival at Shillong. Shillong is well known in India as a place for avid music-lovers, especially rock. Martin and

19000-437: The world. The album was considered for nomination for nine categories of the 2011 Grammy Awards , and ended up winning the award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. It also won Jazz Album of the Year at the 25th Japan Gold Disc Awards. Together they embarked on a nationwide tour to support the album, with Matsumoto saying that he "felt a little nervous playing 'Room 335' with Mr. Larry Carlton every night". In 2016, Matsumoto released

19152-436: The years that he has many favorite artists, from whom he has drawn much inspiration, from hard rock, particularly Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin , Aerosmith and Van Halen , and Michael Schenker . He has also cited a love of classical music, which was the catalyst for the incorporation of strings into many B'z compositions. He has also worked with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra for many years, and their work often appears on many of

19304-557: Was Clapton's first number one hit. The 1975 album There's One in Every Crowd continued this trend. The album's original title, The World's Greatest Guitar Player (There's One in Every Crowd) , was changed before pressing, as it was felt its ironic intention would be misunderstood. The band toured the world and subsequently released the 1975 live LP E. C. Was Here . Clapton continued to release albums and toured regularly. Highlights of

19456-524: Was about 13 to 15 years old, while living in Italy, he was introduced musically to different artists under Motown Records and Stax/Volt Records. Martin had decided to live independently by the age of 18. His first job was selling ice-cream. Later, John Nymann, guitarist for the band Mile Hi, gave him a call and asked if he would want to form a new band together. The two had known each other since their former bands (Mile Hi and Kid Courage) had played together at

19608-503: Was among the dozens of artists performing at Bob Dylan 's 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration . Recorded at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the live two-disk CD/DVD captured a show full of celebrities performing classic Dylan songs, with Clapton playing the lead on a nearly 7-minute version of Dylan's " Knockin' on Heaven's Door " as part of the finale. While Clapton played acoustic guitar on Unplugged , his 1994 album From

19760-526: Was asked to sing the classic song "Guitar Man" with Ronnie Montrose, Denny Carmasi, and Ricky Phillips to take to the Sundance Film Festival. Martin also composed and performed a song called "Fly" for the commercial of Asahi Super Dry Beer in Japan, which was accompanied by a music video. While taking his family on a stroll along the Marin County Fair, Martin was able to watch a performance by

19912-499: Was awarded a CBE for services to music. He has received four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors , including the Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream. In his solo career, he has sold 100 million records worldwide, making him one of

20064-486: Was chosen as one of the Best Rock & Pop albums of the year at the 18th Japan Gold Disc Awards . In 2004, he formed the " Tak Matsumoto Group " (TMG) with Eric Martin on vocal, Jack Blades on bass, and various guest drummers, namely Brian Tichy and Cindy Blackman , forging ahead with his own brand of musical genius. Matsumoto played guitar, produced the album, and wrote songs while Eric and Jack wrote lyrics. In March,

20216-482: Was composed of Cream drummer Ginger Baker , Steve Winwood of Traffic , and Ric Grech of Family , and yielded one LP and one arena-circuit tour. The supergroup debuted before 100,000 fans in London's Hyde Park on 7 June 1969. They performed several dates in Scandinavia and began a sold-out American tour in July before their only album was released. The LP Blind Faith consisted of just six songs, one of them

20368-774: Was drafted to war before Clapton's birth and then returned to Canada. Clapton grew up believing that his grandmother, Rose, and her second husband, Jack Clapp, Patricia's stepfather, were his parents, and that his mother was actually his older sister. The similarity in surnames gave rise to the erroneous belief that Clapton's real surname is Clapp (Reginald Cecil Clapton was the name of Rose's first husband, Eric Clapton's maternal grandfather). Years later, his mother married another Canadian soldier and moved to Germany, leaving Eric with his grandparents in Surrey. Clapton received an acoustic Hoyer guitar , made in Germany, for his thirteenth birthday, but

20520-466: Was expressed in the song " Tears in Heaven ", which was co-written by Will Jennings . At the 35th Annual Grammy Awards , Clapton received six Grammys for the single "Tears in Heaven" and his Unplugged album, for which Clapton performed live in front of a small audience on 16 January 1992 at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, Berkshire , England. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 , and

20672-565: Was featured in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie . Martin's third solo album, Somewhere in the Middle , was written during the two-year hiatus from Mr. Big. The CD was completed in 1998 and released in Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Strong Japanese sales prompted a 1998 tour. In between promoting and preparing for Mr. Big's 2002 "Farewell Tour", Martin continued to record songs for his fourth solo album. He promised

20824-570: Was first officially announced on February 1, 2009, in a Japanese radio program called "Heavy Metal Syndicate by Koh Sakai". The interviews and press conferences that followed shortly within the first two weeks of February revealed plans of the band to tour Japan in June 2009 and to release new albums. A world tour followed suit, with dates all across Europe, and several gigs in South East Asia, particularly in India, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea. In 2010, Mr. Big recorded

20976-576: Was increasingly influenced by The Band and their 1968 album Music from Big Pink , saying: "What I appreciated about the Band was that they were more concerned with songs and singing. They would have three- and four-part harmonies, and the guitar was put back into perspective as being accompaniment. That suited me well, because I had gotten so tired of the virtuosity – or pseudo -virtuosity – thing of long, boring guitar solos just because they were expected. The Band brought things back into perspective. The priority

21128-459: Was joined onstage by Pat Torpey , Richie Kotzen and Billy Sheehan for renditions of Humble Pie 's " 30 Days in the Hole " and original Mr. Big composition "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy". Reportedly, the three had such an amazing time that they decided to contact Eric Martin a few days later, and a reunion of the four original members (Paul, Eric, Pat, and Billy) was put into motion. The reunion

21280-472: Was musical director for the Concert for George . In January 1969, when the Beatles were recording and filming what became Let It Be , tensions became so acute that Harrison quit the group for several days, prompting John Lennon to suggest they complete the project with Clapton if Harrison did not return. Michael Lindsay-Hogg , television director of the recording sessions for Let It Be , later recalled: "I

21432-409: Was not released until he had left the band for the last time in July 1966. The album itself is often called The Beano Album by fans because of its cover photograph showing Clapton reading the British children's comic The Beano . Having swapped his Fender Telecaster and Vox AC30 amplifier for a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar and Marshall amplifier , Clapton's sound and playing inspired

21584-607: Was recorded in six days to accommodate the schedules of the band members and the producer, and was released on the Frontiers Music SRL label. It featured 11 new songs and was produced by Kevin Elson, who also produced Mr. Big's debut record in 1989. They embarked on a tour of the United States, followed by tours of Europe and southeast Asia, including a return to the Philippines on October 12, 2017. On February 7, 2018, drummer Pat Torpey died from complications of Parkinson's disease at

21736-623: Was released as a single and later won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance . The 1990s brought a series of 32 concerts to the Royal Albert Hall, such as the 24 Nights series of concerts that took place around January through February 1990, and February to March 1991. On 30 June 1990, Dire Straits, Clapton and Elton John made a guest appearance in the Nordoff-Robbins charity show held at Knebworth in England. On 27 August 1990, fellow blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan , who

21888-403: Was released on Reprise Records on 30 August . Eric Martin (singer) Eric Lee Martin (born October 10, 1960) is an American rock singer who was active throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, both as solo artist and as a member of various bands. He rose to prominence as the frontman for the hard rock band Mr. Big , which scored a big hit in the early 1990s with " To Be with You ",

22040-554: Was released shortly after Cream disbanded. It also spawned the studio single " Badge ", co-written by Clapton and George Harrison (Clapton had met and become close friends with Harrison after the Beatles shared a bill with the Clapton-era Yardbirds at the London Palladium ). In 1968, Clapton played the lead guitar solo on Harrison's " While My Guitar Gently Weeps ", from the Beatles' self-titled double album (also known as

22192-507: Was revived, and managed to finish his performance. In January 1973, the Who 's Pete Townshend organised a comeback concert for Clapton at London's Rainbow Theatre , titled the " Rainbow Concert ", to help Clapton kick his addiction. Clapton returned the favour by playing "The Preacher" in Ken Russell's film version of the Who's Tommy in 1975. His appearance in the film (performing "Eyesight to

22344-601: Was satisfied. In 1961, after leaving Hollyfield School in Surbiton , he studied at the Kingston College of Art but was expelled at the end of the academic year because his focus had remained on music rather than art. His guitar playing was sufficiently advanced that, by the age of 16, he was getting noticed. Around this time, he began busking around Kingston , Richmond , and the West End . In 1962, he started performing as

22496-516: Was taped and the footage was released both on VHS video cassette and later, on DVD. Clapton's 1996 recording of the Wayne Kirkpatrick / Gordon Kennedy / Tommy Sims tune "Change the World" (on the soundtrack of the film Phenomenon ) won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1997, the same year he recorded Retail Therapy (an album of electronic music with Simon Climie under the pseudonym TDF ). On 15 September 1997, Clapton appeared at

22648-472: Was the song." The band was originally called "Eric Clapton and Friends". The eventual name was a fluke that occurred when the band's provisional name of "Del and the Dynamos" was misread as Derek and the Dominos. Clapton's biography states that Tony Ashton of Ashton, Gardner and Dyke told Clapton to call the band "Del and the Dominos", since "Del" was his nickname for Eric Clapton. Del and Eric were combined and

22800-501: Was there when John mentioned Clapton – but that wasn't going to happen. Would Eric have become a Beatle? No. Paul [McCartney] didn't want to go there. He didn't want them to break up. Then George came back." Clapton was on good terms with all four of the Beatles; in December 1968 he had played with Lennon at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus as part of the one-off group the Dirty Mac . Cream briefly reunited in 1993 to perform at

22952-484: Was touring with Clapton, and three members of their road crew were killed in a helicopter crash between concerts. Then, on 20 March 1991, Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor, died after falling from the 53rd-floor window of his mother's friend's New York City apartment at 117 East 57th Street. Clapton was informed of his son's death through a hysterical phone call by the boy's mother Lory Del Santo . Once comprehending what had happened he described feeling like he "went off

23104-453: Was troubled by romantic longings and drug and alcohol addiction. Still infatuated with Boyd and torn by his friendship with Harrison, he withdrew from recording and touring to isolation in his Surrey residence as the Dominos broke up. He nursed a heroin addiction , which resulted in a lengthy career hiatus interrupted only by performing at Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh benefit shows in New York in August 1971; there, he passed out on stage,

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