Slowhand, The Life and Music of Eric Clapton by Philip Norman is the definitive biography of Eric Clapton, one of the greatest guitarists of all time and the unrivalled master of the solid-body electric guitar.
His career has spanned the history of rock, and often transfigured it via the bands with whom he’s played, namely The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominoes. Clapton is winner of eighteen Grammys and is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame’s only three-time inductee. He was the only outsider to be an honorary member of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and the studio musician of choice for Bob Dylan and the late Aretha Franklin.
Although quiet and unassuming on the surface, no life has been more reckless and ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ than Clapton’s. His uncontrolled consumption of drugs and alcohol and his insatiable appetite for beautiful women, expensive cars and clothes brought him personal tragedy and to the brink of suicide.
Miraculously, he is the ultimate survivor.
To those of us who grew up in the 1960’s and were fans of The Beatles, Eric Clapton was acknowledged as the fifth member of the band. As such his relationship with Patti Boyd, and the seeming compliance of George Harrison, was acceptable at the time, as was the fact that anyone in the rock and roll business was into drugs and alcohol. If we thought we knew the full story of those times, Philip Norman has told the real facts with his tremendous knowledge of the rock music scene.
Norman peels away the layers to reveal the truth about Clapton, the man and the musician, and discloses the insecurity brought about by deception regarding his birth, his suicidal bouts of depression and his obsessions and desires. He also tells of a man blessed with uncanny luck, engendering the love of family, friends and fans.
This in depth biography tells of a likeable man dedicated to his art and allows the reader to appreciate and understand him, flaws and all.
ISBN: 9781474606561
Slowhand is available in hardback, paperback and e-book
About Philip Norman
Philip Norman was born in London and brought up on the Isle of Wight and is a novelist, biographer, journalist and playwright. He joined the Sunday Times at the age of twenty-two and soon gained a reputation as Atticus columnist and for his profiles of famous individuals as diverse as Elizabeth Taylor and Colonel Gaddafi. At the end of the 1960’s he was assigned to investigate and report on the breakup of The Beatles business, Apple Corps, which resulted in Shout! The True Story of the Beatles. He has also written the revelatory biographies of Paul McCartney, Buddy Holly, Mick Jagger, Elton John and John Lennon.
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