RIP Jeff Beck

Gern Blansten

Damn....out of the blue

igotid88

R.I.P.

mickeyrat

https://apnews.com/article/jeff-beck-dies-6fafc82a3f8fe8e27d6f6e39a215e28d

 

Jeff Beck Tony Iommi

Jeff Beck, guitar god who influenced generations, dies at 78

By MARK KENNEDY

11 mins ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, has died. He was 78.

Beck died Tuesday after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,” his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday. The location was not immediately known.

“Jeff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player — there will never be another Jeff Beck,” Tony Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath wrote on Twitter.

Beck first came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds and then went out on his own in a solo career that incorporated hard rock, jazz, funky blues and even opera. He was known for his improvising, love of harmonics and the whammy bar on his preferred guitar, the Fender Stratocaster.

“Jeff Beck is the best guitar player on the planet," Joe Perry, the lead guitarist of Aerosmith, told The New York Times in 2010. "He is head, hands and feet above all the rest of us, with the kind of talent that appears only once every generation or two.”

Beck was among the rock-guitarist pantheon from the late ’60s that included Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Beck won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — once with the Yardbirds in 1992 and again as a solo artist in 2009. He was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

---

ENTERTAINMENT

Golden Globes telecast draws near-record low audience

SAG Awards nominate 'Banshees,' 'Everything' and Zendaya

Tatjana Patitz, supermodel of '80s and '90s, dies at 56

Dr. Dre, Missy, Lil Wayne to be honored at pre-Grammy event

Beck played guitar with vocalists as varied as Luciano Pavarotti, Macy Gray, Chrissie Hynde, Joss Stone, Imelda May, Cyndi Lauper, Wynonna Judd, Buddy Guy and Johnny Depp. He made two records with Rod Stewart — 1968's “Truth” and 1969's “Beck-Ola” — and one with a 64-piece orchestra, “Emotion & Commotion.”

“I like an element of chaos in music. That feeling is the best thing ever, as long as you don’t have too much of it. It’s got to be in balance. I just saw Cirque du Soleil, and it struck me as complete organized chaos,” he told Guitar World in 2014. “If I could turn that into music, it’s not far away from what my ultimate goal would be, which is to delight people with chaos and beauty at the same time.”

Beck career highlights include joining with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice to create the power trio that released “Beck, Bogert and Appice” in 1973, tours with Brian Wilson and Buddy Guy and a tribute album to the late guitarist Les Paul, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul).”

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born in Surrey, England, and attended Wimbledon Art College. His father was an accountant, and his mother worked in a chocolate factory. As a boy, he built his first instrument, using a cigar box, a picture frame for the neck and string from a radio-controlled toy airplane.

He was in a few bands — including Nightshift and The Tridents — before joining the Yardbirds in 1965, replacing Clapton but only a year later giving way to Page. During his tenure, the band created the memorable singles “Heart Full of Soul,” “I’m a Man” and “Shapes of Things.”

Beck’s first hit single was 1967’s instrumental “Beck’s Bolero,” which featured future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and future Who drummer Keith Moon. The Jeff Beck Group — with Stewart singing — was later booked to play the 1969 Woodstock music festival but their appearance was canceled. Beck later said there was unrest in the band.

“I could see the end of the tunnel,” he told Rolling Stone in 2010.

Beck was friends with Hendrix and they performed together. Before Hendrix, most rock guitar players concentrated on a similar style and technical vocabulary. Hendrix blew that apart.

“He came along and reset all of the rules in one evening,” Beck told Guitar World.

Beck teamed up with legendary producer George Martin — a.k.a. “the fifth Beatle” — to help him fashion the genre-melding, jazz-fusion classic “Blow by Blow” (1975) and “Wired” (1976). He teamed up with Seal on the Hendrix tribute “Stone Free,” created a jazz-fusion group led by synthesizer player Jan Hammer and honored rockabilly guitarist Cliff Gallup with the album “Crazy Legs.” He put out “Loud Hailer” in 2016.

Beck’s guitar work can be heard on the soundtracks of such films as “Stomp the Yard,” “Shallow Hal,” “Casino,” “Honeymoon in Vegas,” “Twins,” “Observe and Report” and “Little Big League.”

Beck’s career never hit the commercial highs of Clapton. A perfectionist, he preferred to make critically well-received instrumental records and left the limelight for long stretches, enjoying his time restoring vintage automobiles. He and Clapton had a tense relationship early on but became friends in later life and toured together.

Why did the two wait some four decades to tour together?

“Because we were all trying to be big bananas,” Beck told Rolling Stone in 2010. “Except I didn’t have the luxury of the hit songs Eric’s got.”

Beck is survived by his wife, Sandra.

___

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Halifax2TheMax

Damn. Grew up listening to and wearing out Wired on vinyl.

igotid88

https://youtu.be/GJErzI-aP1M

josevolution

Whoa what a punch to the gut! I’m glad I got to see him live at least twice damn what a shame RIP 

F Me In The Brain

So much influence on those around and after him....

Wobbie

badass guitar player….from the yardbirds to his fusion stuff. RIP, Jeff.

GlowGirl

RIP. Amazing guitarist. Such a legend. 

CROJAM95

RIP Jeff

what shitty news, amazing musician. 

brianlux

Just the other day, a friend asked me to run out on stage at the scream-break part in the recently released instrumental "Beck's Bolero" that he planned on playing with his band that night.  I was only 17 or so and overly introverted so I didn't take him up on it.  And now, just like that, one of the greatest is gone.

R.I.P. the great Jeff Beck.

Poncier

Damn.
RIP to one of the greats.

tempo_n_groove

igotid88 said:

https://youtu.be/GJErzI-aP1M

I've never seen this and enjoyed it.  Very Satriani and Vaish which I'm sure they got this from him.

The whole band can play.  That fat bass line?  

Enjoyed this.

Gern Blansten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WjsUFedjEg

edwho

Really liked this album when it came out in 1984. Played it all the time front to back still do. Didn't hurt having Mark Knophler contribute a song and Jeff Beck adding the guitar solo to it.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4QnalIHlVc

edwho

And this one Steel Claw also from the Private Dancer record. Band included Dire Straits members and Jeff Beck. Love how she screams JEFF BECK right before his first solo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkoGnyzfDRM