Eric Clapton's Real Name: Eric Patrick Clapton

Quick answer: Eric Clapton was born Eric Patrick Clapton on March 30, 1945, in Ripley, Surrey, England. Some references, including Britannica and the Library of Congress, list "Eric Patrick Clapp." His official biography explains that Clapp was the surname of the grandparents who raised him, while he was given his mother's surname, Clapton, at birth. He is the guitarist behind Cream, "Layla," and "Tears in Heaven" (Official site; Britannica).

Real name and early life

His official site says Eric Patrick Clapton was born at his grandparents' home in Ripley. His mother was 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton, and his father was Edward Walter Fryer, a Canadian soldier who went back to his wife in Canada before Eric was born. Patricia's mother, Rose, and her second husband, Jack Clapp, raised him as their own, and he grew up believing his mother was his sister. The surname Clapton came from Rose's first husband, Patricia's father, Reginald Cecil Clapton. As a schoolboy he wrote his own name as "Eric Clapton" and his guardians' as "Mr. and Mrs. Clapp."

Britannica lists "Eric Patrick Clapp" under "also known as," and the Library of Congress carries "Clapp, Eric Patrick" as a variant, with his birth date and Ripley birthplace. Encyclopedia.com's biography agrees with the official account. It says he learned the truth about his parents at nine.

Career highlights

In 1963 he joined the Yardbirds, then left in 1965 for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. In 1966 he formed Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. Songs like "Crossroads" and "White Room" set the standard for the rock guitar solo. After Blind Faith and a 1970 solo debut, he formed Derek and the Dominos. Britannica calls their double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) his masterpiece.

After two years in seclusion fighting heroin addiction, he returned with 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), including his hit cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff." "Tears in Heaven," written after the death of his son, and Unplugged won song, record, and album of the year at the 1993 Grammys. He made Grammy-winning albums with B.B. King and J.J. Cale and published his autobiography, Clapton, in 2007. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times: with the Yardbirds, with Cream, and as a solo artist.

Britannica notes that his opposition to COVID-19 vaccine requirements drew controversy and renewed scrutiny of his remarks at a 1976 Birmingham concert, which he has blamed on his addictions.

Name notes for searchers

Patrick is his middle name, and Clapton is his birth surname. "Clapp" was his grandmother's married name and his stepgrandfather's surname. Fan site Where's Eric! notes that Billboard's Top Pop Singles reference also gives Clapp.