10 Guitarists Who Inspired The Sound Of Modern Rock & Metal Music

Eric Clapton is one of the great guitarists who emerged from the late sixties, and who can truly lay claim to being one of the most influential players in rock music. His style was directly inspired by the classic American blues guitarists of the preceding decades, with the roots of his influence starting firmly with the legendary Robert Johnson.

At the age of 20, Eric joined the Yardbirds in 1965, and then progressed to playing with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, firmly making his mark as the finest emerging guitar player of the era. But it would be his next musical venture in the original power trio rock band Cream - where he helped create and played on songs such as Sunshine Of Your Love, White Room and Crossroads - that cemented his legacy, and saw the legendary graffiti of ‘Clapton is God’ painted on the walls of London.

After Cream went their separate ways, Eric formed Derek And The Dominoes with Steve Winwood, and together they created one of the all time classic rock songs in Layla, which remains Clapton’s signature riff to this day. Throughout the seventies and eighties Clapton’s solo career saw him remain as one of the leading musicians in the world, with the focus always on his guitar playing. And as an older man he has continued to create music to this day, selling out arenas and revisiting his vast back catalogue for his loyal fan-base