Dissatisfied with the change of the Yardbirds sound from blues rock to a more radio-friendly pop rock sound, he left in 1965 to play with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.
Īfter playing in a number of different local bands, Clapton joined the Yardbirds in 1963, replacing founding guitarist Top Topham.
He was also named number five in Time magazine's list of 'The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players' in 2009. 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 is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter.
