Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars | |
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Directed by | Lili Fini Zanuck |
Written by | Stephen 'Scooter' Weintraub Larry Yelen |
Produced by | John Battsek Stephen 'Scooter' Weintraub Larry Yelen Lili Fini Zanuck |
Music by | Gustavo Santaolalla |
Production companies | Passion Pictures The Zanuck Company |
Distributed by | Showtime Documentary Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 135 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars is a 2017 documentary film about Eric Clapton, directed and co-produced by Lili Fini Zanuck. The film covers Clapton's early childhood, including the trauma of his mother leaving him to be raised by his grandparents, and his career, consisting of "a single-minded mission to raise the profile of the blues in popular culture". [1] Clapton's tragedies, including his infatuation with Patti Boyd, then the wife of his best friend George Harrison, his struggles with drugs and alcoholism, and the death of his 4-year-old son Conor are highlighted. [2]
Clapton and Zanuck previously worked together on the 1991 film Rush .
The film was released on home video on June 8, 2018. [3]
Dennis Harvey found the archive footage "diverse and absorbing", with "the assembly well paced", but was critical of the film's minimal coverage of Clapton's solo career. [4]
The Hollywood Reporter , in a negative review of the film, found it "weirdly assembled, with counterintuitive emphases". The review also criticized the reliance on voiceover instead of on-camera appearances for interviewees, including Clapton himself. [5]
A soundtrack of the film was released on June 8, 2018. [6] It includes five previously unreleased tracks. [3]
Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". In 2023, Rolling Stone named Clapton the 35th best guitarist of all time. He was also named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009.
Derek and the Dominos were a short-lived English–American blues rock band formed in the spring of 1970 by singer-guitarist Eric Clapton, keyboardist-singer Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. All four members had previously played together in Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, during and after Clapton's brief tenure with Blind Faith. Dave Mason supplied additional lead guitar on early studio sessions and played at their first live gig. Another participant at their first session as a band was George Harrison, the recording for whose album All Things Must Pass marked the formation of Derek and the Dominos.
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr. and John Mayer. In the 1960s, Guy played with Muddy Waters as a session guitarist at Chess Records and began a musical partnership with blues harp virtuoso Junior Wells.
Robert Colin Stigwood was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions like Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar, and film productions including the successful Grease and Saturday Night Fever. On his death, one obituary judged that he had been for a time the most powerful tycoon in the entertainment industry: "Stigwood owned the record label that issued his artists’ albums and film soundtracks, and he also controlled publishing rights – not since Hollywood's golden days had so much power and wealth been concentrated in the hands of one mogul."
Unplugged is a 1992 live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at Bray Studios, England in front of an audience for the MTV Unplugged television series. It includes a version of the successful 1992 single "Tears in Heaven" and an acoustic version of "Layla". The album itself won three Grammy awards at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993 and became the bestselling live album of all time, and Clapton's bestselling album, selling 26 million copies worldwide.
Richard Darryl Zanuck was an American film producer. His 1989 film Driving Miss Daisy won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Zanuck was also instrumental in launching the career of director Steven Spielberg, who described Zanuck as a "director's producer" and "one of the most honorable and loyal men of our profession."
Clarence Greenwood, also known by his stage name, Citizen Cope, is an American songwriter, producer and singer. His music is commonly described as a mix of blues, soul, folk, and rock. Citizen Cope's compositions have been recorded by Carlos Santana, Dido, Pharoahe Monch and Richie Havens. He currently records and produces for his own record label, Rainwater Recordings, which he founded in 2010. He had previously been signed to Capitol, Arista, DreamWorks and RCA. On March 1, 2019, he self-released his first album in six years, Heroin and Helicopters.
Doyle Bramhall II is an American guitarist, producer and songwriter best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters. He is the son of the songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall.
Blues Breakers, colloquially known as The Beano Album, is the debut studio album by the English blues rock band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, originally credited to John Mayall with Eric Clapton. Produced by Mike Vernon and released in 1966 by Decca Records (UK) and London Records (US), it pioneered a guitar-dominated blues-rock sound.
"After Midnight" is a rock song by J. J. Cale, first released in 1966. Eric Clapton later covered it for his eponymous album, released in 1970. Clapton's rendition became a success, prompting Cale to re-record the song for his own 1971 album Naturally. In 1987, Clapton later re-recorded the song for a Michelob beer commercial and then released the re-recording as a single. "After Midnight" has been considered one of Clapton's signature songs throughout his career. Other artists covered the song in later years.
British guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton's recording career as a solo artist began in 1970, with the release of his self-titled debut, Eric Clapton. Since then, he has released several best selling albums, such as Unplugged (1992), From the Cradle (1994), and Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton (1999).
Edge of Darkness is the 1985 soundtrack by Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen for the British television series Edge of Darkness. The soundtrack's theme won the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting and composing, besides winning the 1986 BAFTA Award for Best Music.
Delaine Alvin "Delaney" Bramlett was an American singer and guitarist. He was best known for his musical partnership with his wife Bonnie Bramlett in the band Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, which included a wide variety of other musicians, many of whom were successful in other contexts.
Judith Glory Hill is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She has provided backing vocals for such artists as Michael Jackson, Prince, and Josh Groban. In 2009, Hill was chosen as Jackson's duet partner for the song "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" during his This Is It rehearsals. After Jackson's death in 2009, she, along with the rest of the This Is It cast members, performed at Jackson's memorial service and attracted global attention when she sang the lead on the song "Heal the World". Hill's rise to fame is recounted in 20 Feet from Stardom, a documentary film that tells the untold story of the backup singers behind some of the "greatest musical legends of the 21st century". She is also a featured artist on the film's soundtrack. She won the Grammy Award for Best Music Film for her performance in this film.
Gary Lee Clark Jr. is an American blues guitarist and singer from Austin, Texas who fuses blues, rock and soul music with elements of hip hop. In 2011, Clark signed with Warner Bros Records and released The Bright Lights EP. It was followed by the albums Blak and Blu (2012) and The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015). Throughout his career, Clark has been a prolific live performer, documented by Gary Clark Jr. Live (2014) and Gary Clark Jr Live/North America (2017).
Bessie is a 2015 HBO TV film about the American blues singer Bessie Smith, and focuses on her transformation as a struggling young singer into "The Empress of the Blues". The film is directed by Dee Rees, with a screenplay by Rees, Christopher Cleveland and Bettina Gilois. Queen Latifah stars as Smith, and supporting roles are played by Michael Kenneth Williams as Smith's first husband Jack Gee, and Mo'Nique as Ma Rainey. The film premiered on May 16, 2015. By the following year Bessie was the most watched HBO original film in the network's history. The film was well received critically and garnered four Primetime Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Television Movie.
Nothing but the Blues is a 1995 documentary film about Eric Clapton's musical journey and his love for Blues music. Martin Scorsese was one of the executive producers. It is not to be confused with the 2003 album release Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Eric Clapton.
The Phenomenon soundtrack is a compilation album by various artists released for Reprise Records, who contributed to the music score of the 1996 American romantic fantasy drama film Phenomenon, starring John Travolta. The soundtrack features performances by international music stars including Eric Clapton, Bryan Ferry and Peter Gabriel, and went on to be a high-selling soundtrack release. The single "Change the World", performed by Eric Clapton, which was released off the album became a global hit and helped to promote the soundtrack's sales figures. "Everyday Is A Winding Road", from Sheryl Crow's 1996 self-titled album, was featured in the film, but not on the soundtrack.
Homeboy – Original Score Performed by Eric Clapton is a soundtrack album recorded by the British Rock musician Eric Clapton and features a total of eighteen songs which were mostly composed by Clapton especially for the 1988 American sports drama Homeboy starring Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken and Debra Feuer. The album was produced and supervised by Fraser Kennedy.
Lili Zanuck is an American film producer and director.