Slowhand: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton

by Philip Norman

From the bestselling author of Shout!, comes the definitive biography of Eric Clapton, a Rock legend whose life story is as remarkable as his music, which transformed the sound of a generation.

For half a century Eric Clapton has been acknowledged to be one of music's greatest virtuosos, the unrivalled master of an indispensable tool, the solid-body electric guitar. His career has spanned the history of rock, and often shaped it via the seminal bands with whom he's played: the Yardbirds, John Mavall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominoes. Winner of 17 Grammys, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's only three-time inductee, he is an enduring influence on every other star soloist who ever wielded a pick.

Now, with Clapton's consent and access to family members and close friends, rock music's foremost biographer returns to the heroic age of British rock and follows Clapton through his distinctive and scandalous childhood, early life of reckless rock 'n' roll excess, and twisting & turning struggle with addiction in the 60s and 70s. Readers will learn about his relationship with Pattie Boyd, wife of Clapton's own best friend George Harrison, the tragic death of his son, which inspired one of his most famous songs, Tears in Heaven and even the backstories of his most famed, and named, guitars.

Packed with new information and critical insights, Slowhand finally reveals the complex character behind a living legend.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Autobiography, Audiobook

448 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2018

Reviews

[TXGAL1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bestselling author and rock star biographer, Philip Norman, has given us the latest retelling of the life of guitar “god” Eric Clapton in Slowhand. Norman, granted access to Clapton and various characters (some famous, some not) presents a retelling of Clapton’s life—the good and the bad.

Clapton’s life of success and excess was set in motion very early in his childhood when a deception that would affect the rest of his life was carried out by his mother and grandmother. The resulting pampering and indulging of Clapton reinforced his addictive personality and his treatment of the women in his life.

Norman included many snippets from witnesses to bolster the telling of Clapton’s life. There were times, however, that it seemed examples were scattered within a chapter as filler rather than making it cohesive. Other chapters were well developed and told the reader such a provocative story that the reader felt an actual witness.

All of Clapton’s story, from early childhood to membership/friendships with rock bands and legends to his deeply personal life, was revealed in this book. A lot of the Slowhand was dedicated to Clapton’s past drug use. This is understandable due to the number of years he was an addict. The story of Clapton’s beginning and overcoming of his addictions was what I really appreciated.

Having always loved the rock star Eric Clapton since first hearing Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” in high school, this book is an eye opener into Clapton’s life. It’s amazing and wonderful that Clapton has survived his rock star life. All admirers of his talent look forward eagerly to what he will next share with us.

I am glad I read Slowhand, but due to the uneven “editing” and also repeated phrases throughout the book, my rating is 3.5 stars.

Thanks goes to Little, Brown and Company for the free copy of Slowhand in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Dawnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable! I really liked this inside look into his life. I've always loved his music but never knew all these things about him. There are some really good photos in the book too. I enjoyed. It's bittersweet.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you know Clapton you won't find anything new here. Basically just another book telling the very tired story of Eric and Patty. Was hoping to hear more about the unbelievable band he had recently Trucks, Bramhall, Stainton, Weeks, Jordan etc. There was so much ground not even touched on. Other than Tears in Heaven nothing that has transpired in the last 30 years

[Natalie S]

To some people, Eric Clapton is god. But for author and journalist, Philip Norman, the Slowhand guitarist is unquestionably human. A talented star sure, but also a fallible guy. Slowhand: The Life & Music of Eric Clapton is a detailed biography covering Clapton’s extraordinary career.

Clapton’s life has been chronicled before. The legendary artist has published his own memoirs (with the help of a ghost writer). He has also appeared in other biographies and in the fabulous documentary, Life in 12 Bars. You could argue that the world doesn’t need another Clapton biography and in some respects you would be right. But, what Slowhand has going for it, is that it is a detailed and well-researched examination of this artist’s life.

Norman interviews Clapton’s management and crew, fellow musicians and childhood friends. The biggest coup here was his speaking to Pattie Boyd, Clapton’s former wife and the former wife of Clapton’s’ best friend, George Harrison. Their love triangle was legendary. Boyd has published her own memoirs and there’s no denying how important she was to Clapton’s career. She was his muse, inspiring the hits, “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight.”

In this biography, Norman paints a portrait of the enigmatic Clapton. The guitarist was abandoned as a child after his teenage mother moved to Canada. Clapton was then raised by his grandmother and was lead to believe that she was his actual mum. The truth eventually came out with devastating consequences.

The author attempts to explain some of Clapton’s more troublesome behaviour on this difficult childhood. Norman describes how Eric was spoilt and indulged as a kid. It was this atmosphere – along with the heartbreak of losing his Mum – that set him on a path of self-destruction into: promiscuity, infidelity, alcoholism and drug abuse. While this may seem like some plausible excuses, there are other people who have experienced similar upbringings who didn’t take this crossroad. However, some things about Clapton will remain unknowable and no matter how hard Norman tries, this was always going to be an incomplete portrait.

Norman does find a balance between a straight retelling of Clapton’s life and the broader context of his music, including his work with the groups: The Yardbirds, Cream and Derek and the Dominos. There is also commentary about Clapton’s collaborations with other artists, which should appease those readers who are audiophiles.

Clapton now leads a happy life as the father to three young daughters. His adulthood was filled with obsessive passions and bitter tragedies. The most shocking of these coming when his young son, Conor fell from the window of a high-rise apartment in New York. Conor’s premature death inspired Clapton’s classic song, “Tears in Heaven.”

Eric Clapton is a complex and multi-faceted character. In many ways, Norman’s biography captures this finer detail with storytelling that straddles the line between objective truths and some rose-tinted sympathy. It may not answer every question, but you do gain some understanding of what shaped Eric Clapton and why he sings the blues.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only reason for four stars vs five is because I read Clapton: The Autobiography in his own words first. This definitely includes more details than he does for many of the stories, so it fills in the gaps nicely in that respect. A lot more about his tumultuous nuclear family life is to be found in this version, and additional facets about his time with Patti Boyd, as well. For some reason the way his addictive years with both heroin and alcoholism hit me a lot harder in this book, maybe because you have the benefit of personal retrospect (vs objective reporting) in his Autobiography.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been better. I.e. Duane Allman not Gregg Allman died in a motorcycle crash in 1971!

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and informative. It was very easy to feel the pain he went through at various stages in his life. Interesting to read how in later life he realized the pain he caused people he was close to.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting out, in prologue, is a lunch with George Harrison and Clapton.. George is quite upset to detect beef broth in his mushroom soup and Eric is too broke to pay for his own. No one recognizes them, at first. George is first, most obvious, and his chameleon comrade is introduced as “the world’s greatest white guitarist...Bert Weedon.”

It’s the end of the 60’s, the Beatles and Cream. It’s the start of his not-so-secret touring with Delaney & Bonnie. He’s already “God” and wanting to be just an Apostle. He is content, playing guitar, playing rascal, and racing wind-up fruit backstage.

And on it goes. The ever increasing talent, the stage and studio sets, the sexual and band promiscuity, the hijinx, drugs, and notoriety. The Blues Breakers with John Mayall,The Yardbirds, jamming with Hendrix and numerous other greats, then Cream. Essentially his break out band, yet even as their wealth grew, they still showed up for concerts, en masse, in a Ford Mercury station wagon driven by their tour manager.

The backstory to their hits, the backstage meet-ups, the backstabbing life of rock ‘n roll, and the always back to grandma Rose. Charming and disarming. A young lad doing what he loves, sometimes with an attitude, but mostly with a zeal to just make the best music his guitar allows. And he did.

America, in 1968, was in turmoil as they were back touring. Martin Luther King and Ted Kennedy had just both been assassinated, civil riots were rampant, and long hair garnered one a slew of derogatory names and potentially physical harassment.

But nothing was as challenging as his heroin addiction. After the break up of Derek and the Dominoes and another rebuff from Pattie Boyd, he allowed the “dragon” to chase him off into its cave and control him. Along with him, he brought his old flame, Alice Ormsby-Gore, and they wallowed away at Hurtwood Edge. Many a friend tried to help, but a virtual moat was dug and no bridge over erected.

Via Dr. Meg Patterson, a Scottish neurosurgeon who came up with Neuroelectric Therapy, an acupuncture procedure that recreates the pleasant calm of heroin, allowing withdrawal to evolve easier, he recoups his life. While recovering from recovering, he works on a farm, enjoys visits from friends (primarily, Pete Townshend) and hits local pubs, becoming the alcoholic that afflicts him longer than the heroin.

As with his norm, a Jekyll and Hyde personality evolved as the drinking took further root. Sexual escapades almost as abundant as bottles lay littered in his wake. He and Patti held on to their thermostatic marriage, even when he fathered two children outside it. Granted, she was only aware of the one, but such was the life she was accustomed to, including with George, that she continued to take him back into her life when he was at his worst. But eventually, she would also rehab her addiction and leave him for good.

Finally clean, he slowly gains back a life, but now one where he actually participates in it. Trying to be a responsible adult, a caring friend, and a father to his son, Connor. There came the loss of comrade-in-guitar, Stevie-Ray Vaugh after a concert together, another woman he professed to love to Mick Jagger, and a breaking straw with the accidental death of his angelic son, Connor. He stayed sober. A tribute to his son.

Through his countless liaisons, guitar and band-mate riffs, epileptic seizures, ulcers, drinking and drugging, he managed to come out in the end a well-balanced family man who just happens to still be in the top guitar slayers of all time. Sharing the stage, or cozy room gathering, with nearly every living guitar legend, his many bands as vital now as their prime, he is, in his own realm, a God.

Tho it jumps around history and repeats a bit too much, it still reads informative with a big dose of backstage gossip.

Thank you Goodreads and the Hachette Book Group for the opportunity to peek into one of my (still) all-time favorite musicians.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of Eric Clapton. I'm not saying he's not a good musician and not influential, but Clapton's history of treating women like garbage doesn't endear me to him. As Philip Norman is one biographer I like to read, though, I wanted to read a neutral take on Clapton's life and see about a possible change of heart.

Six days and 400-odd pages later, I still want to kick Clapton in the privates. Yet, I also feel bad for him some respects...a bit. Norman's presentation of Clapton's story doesn't sanitize his reputation, nor does it vilify him. Slowhand spans from Clapton's illegitimate birth in Surrey on to a summarized career denouement in the early 00s. Clapton's early, slow rise to celebrity - colored by strained relationships with peers, unresolved familial strife, and drugs - through the "Tears in Heaven" climax comprise the meat of the book. Norman seems to favor gossipy history over details of Clapton's craft, however. You'll learn about a phenomenon coined the "Clapton Luck," which blesses the bio's subject every time he ends up in a sticky situation, be it a near-miss drug bust or most of his sexual liaisons that don't result in kids or crabs. In actuality, it may be more white privilege or the people around Clapton who spoiled/enabled him, but sure, let's go with luck.

Of the Norman-penned bios I've read, I wouldn't rank this one the highest. I still intend to read his Jagger book, so we'll see where that one falls in rank.

[Bettie]

Slowhand by Philip Norman review – Eric Clapton and the years of excess. The rock star secured fame by bringing US southern music to a new audience. Then the unrestrained hedonism began

[Ace Boggess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating history of a fascinating musician. I say 'fascinating' but I can't say 'compelling.' There are sections of this book that pass in litanies of facts, droning on like a monotone professor standing up front in the lecture hall. To be fair, this isn't, for the most part, the author's fault. There's simply too much going on to capture it all in the detail it deserves without the book ending up 2000 pages long. Sometimes those short summaries are necessary. Others, it feels like something's missing. The chapter on Cream, for example, seems painfully light. In contrast, when author Norman has time to really focus in on a scene, it reads in flowing passages filled with details as if this were a novel about a fictional rock star. The sections on addiction and the various treatments Clapton went through are outstanding. All in all, it's a good book, worth reading for music fans. As a complete history though, consider this the abridged version.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clapton’s story is well documented and there isn’t much new here. The latter part of his life is glossed over very quickly. I have always loved his music, but sadly there is a lot left to be desired as a man. Hell, even a just a human being. All too often that is the case with artistic genius.
If you are a fan, definitely read this. Especially if you haven’t read the autobiography or any of the other tomes on ec that are available. I still believe a definitive look at the man’s music has yet to be written. 3.5/5. Possibly a bit higher if this is your first read about Clapton.

[Pete]

Well this book would have been boring if not for all the famous people surrounding Eric. I didn't know that he was such good friends with George Harrison or that the pair of them treated women so poorly. Shame on both of them.

Eric did and I think still does a lot of philanthropic work so maybe he's changed for the better.

The book is well written and I will probably read more by Philip Norman.

[Jan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real eye opener.

[Michael Platt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book if you are a fan. It is very consistent with his very good autobiography but offers context and detail that the autobiography doesn't owing to the autobiography's brevity. Not only is it amazing that he is still alive after the life he's had, it is inspirational in the depth of redemption possible for all of us, famous or not. A really excellent read.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found and listened to on youtube

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done bio by a writer who has written about many other musicians. As a Clapton fan, I enjoyed the overall book. But the details of his drug abuse that nearly destroyed Clapton (and certainly damaged people close to him) was bothersome. The section detailing the death of his son, Conor, was difficult to read. Fortunately, he put all this (including his obsession with Patty Boyd) into his music.

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is often forgotten --- if thought of at all --- that a work of art in any medium is the very tip of the creative spear possessing quite a long shaft. This is especially true of a book or a sound recording. Think of the artist as a motorist stopped at the entrance to a roundabout that has six (or more) exits, with no idea of which one to take. The artist may take one, stop, retrace steps, and take another until he gets where he wants to go, or at least thinks he wants to go. It’s a bit of a gamble, timewise, which the artist must be willing to make in order to reach the illusionary goal of success, however that might be defined.

Biographies of musicians, actors and authors are of particular interest because of the manner in which those practitioners are thrust, often suddenly, into the public limelight. British novelist and playwright Philip Norman is uniquely qualified to have written biographies of several major British rock stars, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Elton John. Norman is a contemporary of those personalities, having been a part (as a spectator and journalist) of the British scene in which they all developed in the late 1950s and early ’60s. His latest effort, SLOWHAND, focuses on the life of Eric Clapton. While others have plowed this ground before, Norman manages to coax some fertility out of it even at this late date as the result of his lifelong access to the man and his contemporaries.

SLOWHAND is neither a slavish love letter nor a hatchet job. The subject matter is more complicated than one might expect and thus all the more interesting. Clapton’s conception was the result of an assignation between his mother and a Canadian serviceman stationed near the village of Ripley, England, in the months leading up to World War II. Clapton never knew his father, while his mother left both him and his half-brother in the care of their maternal grandmother, Rose, when he was just two years old. Grandparents are known to occasionally spoil their grandchildren, and Clapton raised that behavior to an art form. When he wanted a guitar before he even entered his teens, Rose made it so, and the instrument rarely left his hands.

Clapton’s future was set when he was asked to join a fledgling but popular group, The Yardbirds, while still in his teens. This union was auspicious for two reasons: Clapton acquired the nickname --- initially a jibe --- of “Slowhand” during this period, and was aboard for the recording and release of the album Five Live Yardbirds, which is arguably the best (and most poorly recorded) live performance of a rock band ever made, so much so that it stands up superlatively 55 years later. Clapton’s acrimonious departure from the band came on the eve of its international success but was followed by turns in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (with bass guitar duties handled by a dour-faced youngster named John McVie), the short-lived Powerhouse, and a band called Cream.

Clapton’s short tenure in each was a product of his artistic restlessness, which later sought release in the prodigious use of drugs and alcohol. This, coupled with his star status and appeal to women, resulted in a series of destructive actions that were noteworthy for the wide path they cut and the collateral damage carelessly inflicted upon those around him. Clapton’s substance-induced Pollyanna attitude --- and his conquest of it --- makes for fascinating reading in Norman’s hands, all the more so if the reader is of a certain age and has followed his musical career from afar.

Clapton still performs, even after all these years. He resides for part of the year in a suburb less than 20 minutes from where I sit typing (his in-laws live nearby), and sightings abound, from picking up the goods at a local dry cleaner to generously making a surprise appearance at a local musicians’ benefit show. His quiet recovery did not come without great personal cost; as we should know by now, success does not make one immune to tragedy. All of it is told in SLOWHAND, and told well.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was mildly disappointed in this book. It was not as well written as his earlier works, like the Beatles book “Shout”, and it provided little insight into Clapton’s music.

[Monical · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly good bio of Clapton. I appreciated that the book didn't do the usual "I am born" at the beginning, but integrated the young Clapton with the emerging "guitar god." The alcohol and drug use got repetitive (for everyone, I expect!) and Clapton does not emerge as the nicest guy in the universe but appears to have finally grown up by the end of the book. I certainly will re-visit the music and hope to track down a DVD of the concert in honor of George Harrison. I caught bits of that on PBS at some point and it was really interesting and well done.

[Anthony Fratto · Rating 2 out of 5]

419 pages and at least 300 of them just filler. A disorganized author who jumped around a lot. One would think that a biography would start at the birth of a person and wind up at the current day, but this author jumps back and forth in Eric Clapton's time line like some sort of science fiction movie about time travel.

More than that, the Author spends nearly as much time talking about other people, such as George Harrision, The Beatles, Mick Jager and the Rolling stones (to just name a few) as he does talking about Eric.

If you can bare to wade through all the BS and Junk, you can come up with a few tid bits of information about the life of Eric Clapton, but too few to have made this book worth while reading. Most of what you learn in this book, are things we all have already heard before.

[Jerry Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read Eric Clapton’s memoir and Patty Boyd’s so I was interested what a biographer would have to add. There were new anecdotes that added to my understanding of Eric’s life but it mirrored the Clapton memoir so it was all familiar territory. The life of sex, drugs and rock & roll takes it toll on the star and all the people who love and depend on him. It was interesting but his early years were so self indulgent and self destructive that his musical genius becomes somewhat tarnished in the telling. His later life is only sparsely covered so the sober years play little part in this book.
But it is an amazing success story and all the rock & roll stars of the era
are part of the story (and their wives.)

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very good and there is a lot about Eric I didn't know.His Mom was only 16 when she had him and when he was 2 years old she left him with his Grandma to raise.He grew up thinking she was his Mom and she spoiled him.His Mom was in and out of his life but he never really had a relationship with her.He was good friends with George Harrison and his wife Pattie, who he fell in love with and married when George divorced her.Even after Eric and Pattie got a divorce he was still friends with George.Eric is very lucky to be alive after all the drug and alcohol use.He had a great career but also a lot of sadness to.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book went up and down as far as being interesting. There was a lot of rehashed stories for those who read Eric's autobiography but there were also things in it that I didn't know about. But the author seems to interject his opinion every once in a while with snarky little remarks that eventually got on my nerves.

[Matthew Treya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but not sure what I was hoping to find here different than in previous bios I’ve read. I’m afraid Eric is still the same (hugely talented but) troubled Eric no matter how you slice it. I do strongly agree with the author that it is a miracle (or the incredible Clapton luck) that poor Eric did not join the “27 club.”

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a flattering picture of Clapton
But pretty detailed and actually learned some new info about him in this one
This does show a lot of the ugly side of Clapton but I think I personally needed to hear this as I modeled my playing after him and put him on a pedestal .

[Keith B · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge Clapton fan, I knew going into this I was going to like it.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good read.

[Dave Capers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man womanizes and abuses substances, manages to make some great music along the way and redeems himself late in life.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of rushes the latter half of Clapton's life, but is serviceable