Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton was born on 30 March 1945 in his grandparents home at 1 The Green, Ripley, Surrey, England. He was the son of 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton (b. 7 January 1929, d. March 1999) and Edward Walter Fryer (b. 21 March 1920, d. 1985), a 24-year-old Canadian soldier stationed in England during World War II. Before Eric was born, Fryer returned to his wife in Canada. It was extraordinarily difficult for an unmarried 16-year-old to raise a child on her own in the mid-1940s. Pat’s parents, Rose and Jack Clapp, stepped in as surrogate parents and raised Eric as their own. Thus, he grew up believing his mother was his sister. His grandparents never legally adopted him, but remained his legal guardians until 1963. Eric’s last name comes from Rose’s first husband and Pat’s father, Reginald Cecil Clapton (d. 1933).
Slash
Saul Hudson, better known as Slash, was born to an African American mother and British father in London on July 23, 1965. A family friend gave him the nickname "Slash," because he was constantly in motion. Slash lived with his father and grandparents in Stoke-on-Trent until the age of five, when he and his father joined his mother in Los Angeles. His parents divorced several years later, and Slash became a "problem child." He lost interest in schoolwork and took up BMX racing. At 14, he began learning to play guitar, sometimes practicing for as many as 12 hours a day. In 1981, he joined his first band, Tidus Sloan, and dropped out of high school to tour.
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johann Malmsteen is a world-renowned guitarist from Stockholm, Sweden. As a young boy, Yngwie originally had no interest in music, but that all changed on September 18th, 1970 when he saw a TV special on the late Jimi Hendrix. Seven-year-old Yngwie watched in awe as Hendrix blasted the audience with torrents of feedback and sacrificed his guitar in flames. The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Yngwie was born. Yngwie Malmsteen's career has spanned over 40 years with over twenty albums to his name. Drawing influence from classical composers such as Bach, Paganini, and Vivaldi, Yngwie is responsible for birthing the neo-classical genre to the world of rock.
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix learned to play guitar as a teenager and grew up to become a rock legend who excited audiences in the 1960s with his innovative electric guitar playing. One of his most memorable performances was at Woodstock in 1969, where he performed "The Star-Spangled Banner." Hendrix died in 1970 from drug-related complications, leaving his mark on the world of rock music and remaining popular to this day. Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix (later changed by his father to James Marshall) on November 27, 1942, in Seattle, Washington. He had a difficult childhood, sometimes living in the care of relatives or acquaintances. In many ways, music became a sanctuary for Hendrix. He was a fan of blues and rock and roll, and with his father's encouragement taught himself to play guitar.