"After years of delay, on March 27, 1979, Eric Clapton finally married Pattie Boyd, the ex-wife of his friend George Harrison and the inspiration for the songs “Something,” “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight.”

Clapton and Harrison became close friends in the ’60s, at which time Clapton became infatuated with Boyd, who continually rebuffed his advances. But Clapton remained deeply in love with her. Many of the songs on Derek and the Dominos‘ 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs — especially the scorching title track — were thinly veiled autobiographical accounts of his feelings for her. Unfortunately, the album didn’t have the effect Clapton intended, and he fell into a three-year, heroin-induced isolation.

By 1974 — right around the time Clapton was kicking heroin — Harrison and Boyd were splitting up, and, with Harrison’s blessing, she ran into Clapton’s arms. Five years later, they tied the knot.

Two months into the marriage, the newlyweds held a reception for their friends in Clapton’s garden (the same place where Harrison wrote “Here Comes the Sun”). In attendance were Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. An impromptu jam session among the guests started, which was the closest there had been to a Beatles reunion until the Anthology project in the mid-’90s. John Lennon was not invited to the party due to his long-running immigration issues."

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/eric-clapton-marries-pattie-boyd/

If you haven't heard the acoustic version you may not recognize it as it is a lot slower than the electric version you're familiar with. It sounds like a whole nuther toon.

In some ways, he has had a snakebit life.

From La Wik:

Clapton and Pattie Boyd married in 1979 and had no children. In 1984 while recording Behind The Sun, Clapton began a relationship with Yvonne Kelly, the manager of AIR Studios Montserrat. Although both were married to other partners at the time, they had a daughter in January 1985. She was named Ruth Kelly Clapton, but her existence was kept from the public until the media realised she was his child in 1991.[139][140]

Clapton and Boyd tried unsuccessfully to have children, even trying in vitro fertilisation in 1984, but were faced instead with miscarriages.[141] They divorced in 1988 following his affair with Italian model Lory Del Santo, who gave birth to their son, Conor, on 21 August 1986. Conor died in 1991, at the age of four and a half, when he fell out of an open bedroom window on the 53rd floor of a Manhattan apartment building.[142] The death of his son was the inspiration for Clapton's song, "Tears in Heaven".

Clapton married Melia McEnery in a low-key church ceremony in January 2002. They have three daughters: Julie Rose (born June 2001), Ella May (born 2003) and Sophie Belle (born 2005).[143] His grandson Isaac Eric Owen Bartlett was born in June 2013 to his oldest daughter Ruth and her husband Dean Bartlett.[144]

It seems he bit himself. All that cheatin and fukkin around. Decent stick player but a human failure. Yeah, I'm a judger and a stone caster.

It had absolutely nothing to do with naming out daughter Lila.

"Bell Bottom Blues" was also a desperate paean to Boyd.

Layla is probably the best rock tune ever written, competing only with Dickie Betts' Jessica.

Clapton — consummate journeyman.

I first heard the song as: "Hey, Love...." I like my title better.

From the article:

It's almost like it's not me. It's like I'm listening to someone that I really like.

That is the sign of a consummate professional; a true master at his craft. When someone can play without thinking about what they're doing, they can concentrate on the sound.

It takes about a million years of practice and performing, and real talent. But when someone's got it, there's nothing else like it.

[Oh, and Jack, that's a real good way to start an argument. :^) ]

Great song. I have never tired of listening to it.

No mention that Gordon is incarcerated?