When Eric Clapton's Unplugged hit stores in 1992, it became an unexpected success - and on Feb. 24, 1993, the legendary guitarist found himself the winner of a mountain of trophies at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards.
That night, Clapton took home six awards. Three were for Unplugged, recorded for MTV's lauded acoustic show: it earned Album of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, while the unorthodox acoustic rendition of Derek & The Dominos' "Layla" - a Top 20 pop hit in 1992 - took home the prize for Best Rock Song.
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But Clapton's accolades didn't end there. "Tears in Heaven," a deeply felt ode to Clapton's late four-year-old son, earned Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The track appeared on both Unplugged and the soundtrack to the film Rush; the latter studio version reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a hit around the globe.
These wins helped spark a new chapter of Clapton's career. After being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cream that same year (a year after being inducted alongside The Yardbirds and seven years before being named as a solo inductee), he would earn acclaim bringing vintage blues songs to a new audience on albums like From the Cradle and Me and Mr. Johnson while also releasing original U.S. radio hits like "Change the World" and "My Father's Eyes."
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