Eric Clapton, original name Eric Patrick Clapp, (born March 30, 1945, Ripley, Surrey, England), British rock musician who was a highly influential guitarist in the late 1960s and early ’70s and later became a major singer-songwriter. Clapton was born to a teenage mother and a Canadian soldier, who was stationed in England during World War II and returned to his wife before Clapton was born. Clapton was largely raised by his grandparents. He began playing the guitar in his teens and briefly studied at the Kingston College of Art. After playing lead guitar with two minor bands, in 1963 he