YEAR
2000
INDUCTED BY
Robbie Robertson (The Band)
CATEGORY
Performers
Three inductions, three words: “Clapton is God.”
Eric Clapton is a consistent hitmaker and one of the greatest guitarists of all time—perhaps that’s why he is the only person to be inducted into the Rock Hall three times. His diverse influences ranged from reggae to the blues and established him as a versatile and resilient artist whose relevance never fades.
Eric Clapton
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Robert Mantelli
Getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is nothing new for Eric Clapton.
One of the greatest guitarists of our time, a musician whose achingly honest, often brilliant blues-laden solos continue to explore the eternal conflict between passion and pain, Clapton has been honored previously for his work with seminal blues-rock band the Yardbirds (inducted in 1992) and psychedelic-tinted supergroup Cream (inducted in 1993).
We focus our attention this time on Clapton’s sterling solo career, one that spans three decades and is still going strong. Remarkably, his induction tonight makes Clapton the only artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times.
