For more than half a century, Eric Clapton has been acknowledged to be one of music's greatest virtuosos, shaping rock history through his work with Cream, the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and his solo career. In this authorized biography, Philip Norman follows Clapton through his scandalous childhood, early success, and his struggle with addiction in the 1960s and 70s. Here too is his mercurial relationship with Pattie Boyd—wife of his best friend George Harrison, and inspiration for "Layla"—and the tragic death of his son, the source of his biggest hit, "Tears in Heaven." Norman even recounts the backstories of some of Slowhand's most famed, and named, guitars.