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Legendary British rock guitarist Jeff Beck has died.
The news was confirmed by his family a few moments ago, who shared their “deep and profound sadness” at the news. The musician was 78 years old; he contracted bacterial meningitis and passed away yesterday (January 10th).
On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss. pic.twitter.com/4dvt5aGzlv
Jeff Beck (@jeffbeckmusic) January 11, 2023
A key player in the British R&B boom, Jeff Beck was invited to replace Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds. Stepping into the shoes of the man dubbed ‘God’ in a famous piece of North London graffiti, Beck matched Clapton’s thirst for blues authenticity with a passion in forward-thinking electronics.
Jeff Beck’s innovations included the proto-psychedelic riff on ‘Shapes Of Things’, and his playing arguably took the band to their highest level.
As the Yardbirds splintered Jeff Beck formed his own ensemble, joined by Ronnie Wood on bass and a certain Rod Stewart on vocals. The Jeff Beck Group forged a path for heavy music, arguably laying out the foundations for Led Zeppelin’s sound without achieving even a fraction of the fame.
The 70s saw Jeff Beck plunge into technical innovation, adapting his style to fusion in the process. Charging into the future, records such as 1975 LP ‘Blow By Blow’ achieving trans-Atlantic success, finally giving Beck the fame he craved.
A perpetual technical and a formidable stylist, Jeff Beck was a deep influence on emerging strands of metal. His experiences with tinnitus restricted his recording and touring activities, but the 90s ended with ‘Who Else!’ – a daring melting point of guitar music and electronica.
Still writing, recording, and touring right until the end – even sipping a few pints with Sam Fender just a few months ago – Jeff Beck leaves a formidable legacy.
Friend Mick Jagger commented: “With the death of Jeff Beck we have lost a wonderful man and one of the greatest guitar players in the world. We will all miss him so much.”
KISS’ icon Gene Simmons mourned the loss of Jeff Beck: “Heartbreaking news to report the late, great Jeff Back has sadly passed. No one played guitar like Jeff. Please get ahold of the first two Jeff Beck Group albums and behold greatness.”
Former band mate and sparring partner Rod Stewart was effusive in his praise: “Jeff Beck was on another planet . He took me and Ronnie Wood to the USA in the late 60s in his band the Jeff Beck Group and we haven’t looked back since. He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond. Jeff, you were the greatest, my man. Thank you for everything. RIP”.
Re-visit Jeff Beck’s lessons for thriving in music in this Clash archive interview.
