The first couple of dates have been announced for Eric Clapton [ tickets ]'s upcoming tour of North America.

The guitar hero is expected to visit nearly a dozen cities in the US and Canada, starting in early May with shows in Tampa and Hollywood, FL. Clapton and his band will also pass through Atlantic City and Holmdel, NJ; Noblesville, IN; Uncasville, CT; Wantagh, NY; Cleveland; Boston; Toronto; and Montreal, according to his website.

The Florida shows, listed below, go on sale to the general public this weekend. The rest of the dates, details for which have yet to be announced, are expected to go on sale beginning March 8.

Tonight (2/28), Clapton will wrap a sold-out, three-night stand with Steve Winwood [ tickets ] at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The performers, who played together briefly in the 1960s supergroup Blind Faith, had not performed a full concert together in nearly 40 years. They connected last summer during an impromptu reunion at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago. Clapton is also featured on Winwood's latest single, "Dirty City," from his forthcoming album, "Nine Lives."

Slowhand's most recent album, "Complete Clapton," is a two-disc career retrospective that was released in October to coincide with his autobiography. His latest studio set, 2006's "The Road to Escondido," pairs the singer/guitarist with his hero, J.J. Cale, and just snagged the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

During his more than 40-year career, Clapton has been honored with 19 Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the first triple-inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; he's been honored as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Cream and The Yardbirds.

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