Clapton Plugs Into Grammy Glory : Commentary: The influential Eric Clapton surely deserves plenty of recognition, but where were his Grammys in the ‘60s and ‘70s?

Does Eric Clapton really deserve nine Grammy awards--the number of nominations he received Thursday in the 35th annual awards competition?

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Absolutely.

One of the most influential guitarists in pop-rock history, Clapton merits at least three or four Grammys for his landmark blues-rock excursions in the ‘60s with Cream, maybe another two or three for his Derek & the Dominoes days--notably “Layla”--and a final two or three for some of his classy ‘70s solo efforts.

But not for what he did in 1992.

The fact that he didn’t win even one Grammy for any of that exquisite body of ‘60s and ‘70s work underscores the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences’ continuing inability to isolate the defining moments in pop music.

Consider this: On Tuesday, Clapton--as a member of Cream--will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with such other paramount music figures as Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Doors, Sly & the Family Stone, Ruth Brown, Etta James and Van Morrison.

These artists stretched musical boundaries in ways that helped shape the culture of their times and influenced countless musicians who followed them.

We’re talking about recordings as celebrated as Creedence’s “Proud Mary” or “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” Sly & the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” and “I Want to Take You Higher,” Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and “White Room,” the Doors’ “Break on Through” and “The End.”

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So how many Grammys did they win collectively for their defining work? None--as in zero, zip.

By now giving Clapton nine nominations--many of which are tied to “Unplugged,” an acoustic career retrospective filmed for the MTV show of the same name--the 7,000 voting members of the recording academy are using this year’s awards ceremony as the ultimate “makeup call,” a sports term for an umpire’s acknowledging one bad decision by giving the player a break on the next one.

Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” which was nominated Thursday for best single, is a touching reflection on the loss of a loved one, a record all the more moving because the song--co-written by Clapton and Will Jennings--followed the accidental death in 1991 of the singer-guitarist’s 4-year-old son.

As such, the record is the runaway favorite to win in the best single category--though it told us far less about the emotional and sociological currents of 1992 than numerous other records.

Among the superior records that weren’t nominated: U2’s “One,” an expression of the complexities of love in an age compounded by AIDS, and Arrested Development’s “Tennessee,” a reflection on race relations that tries to reconcile life’s blessings with its injustices.

On the bright side, U2’s “Achtung Baby”--the acclaimed 1991 collection that included “One”--was nominated in the best album category, where it is head and shoulders above its competition.

The academy nominated Arrested Development for best new artist. With luck, the Georgia rap group should win that competition, thus saving the academy from its biggest embarrassment since three years ago when the membership voted Milli Vanilli--the celebrated lip-sync duo--as best new artist.

The danger this time: Billy Ray Cyrus, the “Achy Breaky Heart” man, is nominated for best new artist--and, even more shockingly, in the best single record category.

With Cyrus, there’s no charge of studio malpractice a la Milli Vanilli, but “Achy Breaky Heart”--for all its umpteen-million sales--has certainly got to be one of the flimsiest hits of the modern pop era.

To even think of nominating “Achy Breaky Heart” as the most distinguished record of the year is another blemish on the Grammys’ history. Of course, there are so many classic blemishes on that 35-year history by now, who’s gonna notice one more zit?