Editing Eric Clapton (section)

=== The Yardbirds and the Bluesbreakers ===
{{Main|The Yardbirds|John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers}}
[[File:The Yardbirds on ad 1965.jpg|thumb|Clapton (second from left) with The Yardbirds in 1965.]]
In October 1963, Clapton joined the Yardbirds, a [[British rhythm and blues|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.<ref name="unuhsh">Romanowski, Patricia (2003)</ref> The band initially played [[Chess Records|Chess]]/[[Checker Records|Checker]]/[[Vee-Jay]] blues numbers and began to attract a large [[cult following]] when they took over [[the Rolling Stones]]' residency at the [[Crawdaddy Club]] in [[Richmond, London|Richmond]], London. They toured England with American bluesman [[Sonny Boy Williamson II]]; a joint LP album, recorded in December 1963, was issued in 1965.

[[File:Royal Albert Hall.001 - London.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Appearing at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London for the first time in 1964, Clapton has since performed at the venue over 200 times.<ref name="Royal Albert Hall">{{cite news|title=Exclusive pictures: Eric Clapton hits 200 Royal Albert Hall shows|url=http://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2015/may/exclusive-pictures-eric-clapton-hits-200-royal-albert-hall-shows/|issue=24 May 2015|publisher=Royal Albert Hall.com|date=12 July 2015|access-date=12 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909172857/http://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2015/may/exclusive-pictures-eric-clapton-hits-200-royal-albert-hall-shows/|archive-date=9 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>]]

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 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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Welch|first1=Chris|title=Clapton|publisher=Voyageur Press|page=38}}</ref> In December 1964, Clapton made his first appearance at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London, with the Yardbirds.<ref name="Royal Albert Hall"/> Since then, Clapton has performed at the Hall over 200 times, and has stated that performing at the venue is like "playing in my front room".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/eric-clapton-starts-royal-albert-hall-run-with-classics-and-covers-20090518|title=Eric Clapton Starts Royal Albert Hall Run With Classics and Covers|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=18 May 2009|access-date=22 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109235404/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/eric-clapton-starts-royal-albert-hall-run-with-classics-and-covers-20090518#ixzz2HFkFECoM|archive-date=9 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://life.royalalberthall.com/2012/09/eric-clapton-celebrates-50-years-as-a-professional-musician/ |title=Eric Clapton celebrates 50 years as a professional musician |publisher=Life.royalalberthall.com |access-date=22 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010062802/http://life.royalalberthall.com/2012/09/eric-clapton-celebrates-50-years-as-a-professional-musician/ |archive-date=10 October 2013 }}</ref>

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 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,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iem.ac.ru/zeppelin/docs/interviews/page_77.trp |title=Trouser Press : Jimmy Page interview transcript |publisher=Iem.ac.ru |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820054853/http://www.iem.ac.ru/zeppelin/docs/interviews/page_77.trp |archive-date=20 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> putting [[Jeff Beck]] forward.<ref name="unuhsh"/> Beck and Page played together in 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.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/16/jeff-beck-opens-up-about-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-gigs-with-clapton-jeff-beck-group-reunion-prospects/|title=Jeff Beck Opens Up About Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Gigs with Clapton Jeff Beck Group Reunion Prospects|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=16 January 2017|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719164046/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/16/jeff-beck-opens-up-about-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-gigs-with-clapton-jeff-beck-group-reunion-prospects/|archive-date=19 July 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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 a number of tracks that were retroactively credited to [[All-Stars (band)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.mixanitouxronou.com.cy/stiles/rok-istories/to-kalokeri-pou-o-erik-klapton-epexe-rok-stin-athina-itan-apentaros-ke-antikatestise-ton-kitharista-sto-elliniko-sigkrotima-juniors-to-sigkrotima-iche-apodekatisti-prin-apo-liges-meres-se-ena-t/|title = Το καλοκαίρι που ο Έρικ Κλάπτον έπαιξε ροκ στην Αθήνα. Ήταν απένταρος και αντικατέστησε τον κιθαρίστα στο ελληνικό συγκρότημα "Juniors". Το συγκρότημα είχε αποδεκατιστεί πριν από λίγες μέρες σε ένα τρομερό τροχαίο (βίντεο)|date = 30 March 2015|access-date = 5 April 2021|archive-date = 16 August 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210816163727/https://www.mixanitouxronou.com.cy/stiles/rok-istories/to-kalokeri-pou-o-erik-klapton-epexe-rok-stin-athina-itan-apentaros-ke-antikatestise-ton-kitharista-sto-elliniko-sigkrotima-juniors-to-sigkrotima-iche-apodekatisti-prin-apo-liges-meres-se-ena-t/|url-status = live}}</ref> In October 1965 he rejoined John Mayall. In March 1966, while still 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 with Eric Clapton|Blues Breakers – John Mayall – With Eric Clapton]]'', this album 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]]''.<ref>Clapton, Eric (2007). Clapton: The Autobiography. New York City: Broadway Books. pp. 72, 73</ref>

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 the famous slogan "[[Clapton is God]]", spray-painted by an unknown admirer on a wall in [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]], North London in 1967.<ref>{{cite news| first= Neil| last= McCormick| title= Just how good is Eric Clapton?| date= 24 July 2015| work= The Telegraph| location= London| url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/11501274/Just-how-good-is-Eric-Clapton.html| access-date= 3 April 2018| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171124071909/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/11501274/Just-how-good-is-Eric-Clapton.html| archive-date= 24 November 2017| url-status= live}}</ref> The [[graffiti|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 the greatest guitar player in the world, but that's an ideal, and I accept it as an ideal".<ref>Clapton Documentary (1987). ''South Bank Show''. ITV.</ref>