Guitarist Jeff Beck, one of the greatest icons of the instrument in rock history, died last Tuesday (10) at the age of 78 in Surrey, England after contracting bacterial meningitis. The information was released by the official UK Twitter account.
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and intense sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s death,” the publication reads. “He died peacefully yesterday after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis. His family requests privacy as they process this tremendous loss.”
Beck was born in Wallington, south London, in 1944. He began his career as a studio musician until taking over as guitarist for the Yardbirds in 1965, replacing Eric Clapton.
The group, an icon of English rock in the 1960s, went down in history for having three of the genre’s greatest guitarists in their lineup. Alongside Beck and Clapton, Led Zeppelin member Jimmy Page was also in the band.
Beck stayed with the Yardbirds for a short time just 20 months but during his tenure the group released their bestknown songs, such as the 1966 album Roger the Engineer. Other members on a US tour.
But it wasn’t until the Jeff Beck Group and in a solo career that the musician found fame, beginning in the late 1960s. 1968’s album ‘Truth’ marked the guitarist’s solo debut and years later influenced what would become heavy metal.
In its first formation, the Jeff Beck Group had the then unknown Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood, who would later play in the Rolling Stones, on guitar. They released albums in the early 1970s with different lineups.
But Beck held his own as a solo artist in the 1970s with his most famous albums 1975’s “Blow by Blow,” produced by George Martin, and 1976’s “Wired,” which featured more instrumental rock verging on jazz, and still achieved commercial success .
Over the years, Beck has become known for his guitar skills and technique, which he played without a pick, unlike most instrumentalists around the world. The guitarist left the object and began playing fingers from the 1989 album Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop.
In the 1980s and 1990s his productions became rarer and he moved closer to pop music, collaborating with Nile Rodgers, chic guitarist and icon of disco music, and even using techno elements in his songs.
Its importance for the guitar in rock is also related to the improvement of some techniques. Beck was one of the names who pioneered the use of distortion and feedback effects, still a novelty in the 1960s.
Although he was very attached to rock, his playing style was based on blues and integrated elements of jazz fusion and hard rock in addition to electronic music. Though recognized for his talent on guitar, Beck has never been as popular or sold as many records as other big names on the instrument in rock history.
In addition to his solo career, Beck has played guitar on numerous albums by rock singers and bands including Bon Jovi, Roger Waters, Kate Bush, Morrissey and Ozzy Osbourne, among others. His most recent project was the album 18, in collaboration with actor Johnny Depp, with whom he toured in 2022.
Voted one of the most influential names on the instrument by guitarists, Beck has been recognized as one of the alltime greats on multiple occasions and has been a frequent name on the greatest polls of all time. He was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the best guitarists.
After all, the Briton has won eight Grammys over the course of his career, the first in 1985 and the last in 2010. Seven of these awards went in the instrumental music categories.
He has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice once in 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds and once in 2009 as a solo artist.
Jimmy Page paid tribute to the guitarist on Twitter. “The sixstringed warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he has woven around our mortal emotions. Jeff, I will miss you and your millions of fans.”
Another who spoke out about Beck’s death was Mick Jagger. “With the passing of Jeff Beck we have lost a wonderful man and one of the greatest guitarists in the world,” wrote the Stones frontman. “We will miss him very much.”