This day (January 10, 2023), in East Sussex, England, died Geoffrey Arnold Beck a.k.a Jeff Beck, an English rock guitarist.
WATCH IN FULL
Tracklist :
1 . Holland Blues Festival (2018)
2 . free jam (2017)
3 . w/ Steven Tyler – Train Kept A-Rollin’ (2016)
4 . Baloise Session (2016)
5 . Mna Na Heireann (2013)
6 . w/ Beth Hart – I’d Rather Go Blind
8 . w/ Steven Tyler & Sting – Sweet Emotion (2011)
9 . w/ Imelda May – How High The Moon (2010)
10 . w/ Joss Stone – I Put A Spell On You (2010)
11 . w/ Imongen Heap – Rollin’ And Tumblin (2007)
12 . w/ Terry Bozzio – Sling Shot (1990)
13 . w/ Steve Lukather & Carlos Santana – The Nagano Session
14 . w/ Eric Clapton & Jimmy Page – Layla (1983)
15 . Definitely Maybe (1972)
16 . w/ Rod Stewart – Beck-Ola STUDIO SESSIONS
17 . The Yardbirds – Heart Full Of Soul
18 . w/ Jimmy Page – Stroll On (1966)
AUDIO TOP 10
Tracklist :
Hi Ho Silver Lining . Beck’s Bolero . Freeway Jam . Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers . Rollin’ And Tumblin’ . I Put A Spell On You [feat. Joss Stone] . Scatterbrain . I Ain’t Superstitious . You Know What I Mean . Hammerhead .
PLAY
Thanks to the following musicians : Antonio Calero . BlondieGecias . craig fisher . Dannys Guitar Channel . delawellsoulmusic . guitarbyron . GuitarLessons365Song . interfr . JustinGuitar Songs . kangbyungjoo . KootenayGuitar . Learn Drums Live . Licklibrary – Online Guitar Lessons . Marc Bartle . MunsonCovers . note4noteus . PMOG1 . privettricker . Scott Bastow
SOUND LIKE
Jeff Beck: The Guitarist’s Guitarist
Jeff Beck, born on June 24, 1944, in London, spent his childhood dreaming about guitars before he could even afford one.
As a kid, he built his own makeshift guitar out of cigar boxes—because, why not?—and honed his craft inspired by the likes of Cliff Gallup, B.B. King, and Steve Cropper.
He even hated his piano lessons, but irony had other plans: they proved vital to his future as a six-string trailblazer.
Yardbirds and Beyond
Beck replaced Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds in 1965, stepping into shoes he immediately set on fire.
With his flair for sonic innovation—feedback, fuzz, and everything in between—he redefined the group’s sound, leaving Clapton purists in shock and awe.
His guitar work on tracks like “Heart Full of Soul” showed that a Fender Esquire wasn’t just an instrument—it was an attitude.
But Beck’s notorious unpredictability—skipping gigs and smashing equipment—meant his Yardbirds stint ended like a rock opera: dramatic and short-lived.
The Jeff Beck Group and Hard Rock Foundations
Post-Yardbirds, Beck recruited Rod Stewart and Ron Wood for the Jeff Beck Group, a lineup as volatile as it was groundbreaking.
The albums *Truth* (1968) and *Beck-Ola* (1969) became blueprints for hard rock and heavy metal, even as Beck wielded his Les Paul like a weapon of mass distortion.
The group’s constant lineup changes were chaotic but, in hindsight, part of its charm—a messy genius forging a new sound.
Blow by Blow: The Jazz-Rock Reinvention
By the mid-1970s, Beck pivoted to instrumental fusion, releasing *Blow by Blow* (1975), a George Martin-produced masterpiece.
The album featured tracks like “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” where Beck’s guitar quite literally wept—no vocals needed.
*Wired* (1976) followed, pairing Beck’s virtuosity with Jan Hammer’s synth-heavy brilliance, cementing Beck’s role as a pioneer in the fusion movement.
He abandoned guitar picks for fingerstyle, turning his Stratocaster’s tremolo arm into an extension of his soul.
Later Years: From Triumph to Timelessness
While the 1980s weren’t Beck’s most lauded era, he roared back with *Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop* in 1989, proving he was far from a relic.
His collaborations spanned genres and icons, from Stevie Wonder’s *Talking Book* to Tina Turner and even Johnny Depp in his final years.
Through it all, Beck won eight Grammys and two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions—not bad for a kid with a DIY cigar box guitar.
Legacy of a Maverick
Jeff Beck’s artistry defied convention, blending blues, rock, jazz, and even funk into an unmistakable voice that sang through his guitar.
He was a perfectionist but also refreshingly human, obsessed with vintage cars when he wasn’t bending notes into new dimensions.
Beck didn’t just play guitar; he reinvented it, leaving an indelible mark on music history and proving that the only rule in music is that there are no rules.
Photo : Simon Fernandez
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