At his peak, Eric Clapton was nicknamed "God" by his fans, an indication of how highly regarded the guitarist was during his glory days. This phrase, immortalized in graffiti that spread across London in 1967, originated a few years earlier when Clapton was playing with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers just after leaving the Yardbirds in 1965. Clapton never was comfortable with the nickname -- he embraced "Slowhand," titling his 1977 album after it -- but "Clapton Is God" is a pivotal part of his story and an instrumental moment in the rise of the guitar hero, a rock & roll cliché that didn't exist prior to EC. To be sure, there were flashy players in blues and rock prior to Clapton, but nothing along the lines of Clapton, whose fame quickly eclipsed Mayall's in the Bluesbreakers and whose playing became the centerpiece of Cream, the psychedelic power trio he co-led with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker between 1966 and 1968. Clapton was venerated for his fast-fingered solos (the "Slowhand" nickname was in jest) and that's what people came to see. Although he sang some Cream songs, it took him a while before he embraced lead vocals, easing into a solo career after a stint with Delaney & Bonnie in 1969 and 1970. Clapton was so reticent to step to the front of the stage that he adopted a pseudonym for what's regarded as his finest album, Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek & the Dominos, but after a bout with addiction that sidelined him through much of the early '70s, he re-emerged as the pre-eminent guitarist of his generation, a sword-slinger who undercut his bravado with pretty ballads, like "Wonderful Tonight." The '80s may not have treated Clapton kindly -- he teamed with Phil Collins for albums designed to bring him hits that never materialized -- but he reigned in the '90s, benefitting from the acoustic authenticity of 1993's Unplugged, which turned into one of his biggest records. After that LP, he went out of his way to boost his idols -- he cut full albums with J.J. Cale and B.B. King -- while occasionally taking an odd stylistic departure (his odd TDF side project with Simon Climie) but always reconnecting with the blues roots upon which his entire career lay, as evidenced by his relaxed 2021 album The Lady in the Balcony: Lockdown Sessions.