For whatever reason, iconic musicians always seem to develop nicknames. Perhaps it’s because their names are thrown around so much that people want an alternative to use. If the musician is really a cultural force, they might have two or three nicknames (or in Frank Sinatra‘s case, 50 plus).
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Eric Clapton is the exception. Despite being a household name around the world, he is pretty much exclusively known by his real name or the nickname Slowhand. How did Clapton become known as Slowhand? Find out below.
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Why is Eric Clapton Called “Slowhand”
There are a couple of explanations as to why Clapton earned the nickname Slowhand that have evolved over the years. The first comes from a conversation between Clapton and biographer Ray Coleman. Clapton clearly knows his way around the frets. He is anything but a sluggish player. In fact, he rips through riffs with marked ease, delivering sprawling guitar solos with as many notes as humanly possible. Coleman recalls Clapton telling him that the nickname was given to him as a sarcastic nod to his rapid playing.
“My nickname of ‘Slowhand’ came from [music manager] Giorgio Gomelsky,” Clapton said. “He coined it as a good pun. He kept saying I was a fast player, [so he said] ‘Slowhand’ as a play on words.”
Another possible explanation comes from Clapton’s fellow Yardbird, Chris Dreja. His bandmate would often see Clapton break a string while on stage, replace it, and receive a rousing round of applause from the crowd. In England, such applause is dubbed as being “given the slowhand.” It happened to Clapton so often that it developed into his nickname, according to Dreja.
Regardless of which story is true, Clapton and the nickname Slowhand are inseparable.
Clapton is also referred to as “god.” That nickname stems from his godlike playing and prestige in the world of rock and blues. Many people attribute the nickname to an avid Clapton fan who spray painted the phrase “Clapton is god” on an underground station in Islington, England.
Photo by Carl Studna / Warner Records
