Rock royalty, movie stars, the global music industry and concert fans have paid tribute to the ‘six-string warrior’, guitarist Jeff Beck, who died suddenly of bacterial meningitis aged 78.
Described as the ‘world’s greatest guitarist’ who played with the great Jimmy Hendrix, Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, died on Wednesday (AEDT) in a hospital near his home at Riverhall, a rural estate in southern England.
“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 [Tuesday local time].
“His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss,” read a statement issued on behalf of his family on Twitter.
His untimely death was immediately felt by generations of musicians who played with him and were influenced by his music, with the world’s biggest bands taking to social media to express their profound loss.
Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, The Kinks, Kiss, the Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath collectively described a genius musician and brother, posting images of performing and partying together over the decades.
Embattled Hollywood actor Johnny Depp, who toured Europe with Beck immediately following his six-week defamation trial in the US last year, said Beck (survived by his wife Sandra), helped keep him alive.
“There was a couple who very much helped to keep me alive, sane and happy through the weirdness and that was Jeff and Sandra,” he has said.
On June 24 last year, Beck celebrated his 78th birthday on the road with Depp, cutting up a strawberry layered sponge cake on board a private jet, with cabin crew popping champagne.
Shock, disbelief
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.
He 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”.
“Now Jeff has gone, I feel like one of my band of brothers has left this world, and I’m going to dearly miss him,” said Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood.
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, who was also a Yardbirds bandmate and good friend, said Beck “could channel music from ethereal”.
“The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions … his technique unique.
“His imaginations apparently limitless,” Page wrote.
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi described him as an “outstanding iconic, genius guitar player, there will never be another Jeff Beck” while Kinks guitarist Dave Davies was in shock, saying “he looked in fine shape to me”.
Rock legend Rod Stewart made two records with Beck – 1968’s Truth and 1969’s Beck-Ola – and one with a 64-piece orchestra, Emotion & Commotion.
They eventually collaborated one last time in 2019 at a special one-off show together at the Hollywood Bowl.
It began with Stewart and his solo band playing a long set of hits, and Beck came out for an extended encore that featured their first renditions including People Get Ready and I Ain’t Superstitious.
He said Beck was one of the few guitarists “that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond”.
Kiss bassist Gene Simmons said “no-one played guitar like Jeff” while his fellow bandmate Paul Stanley said “from The Yardbirds and The Jeff Beck Group on, he blazed a trail impossible to follow”
Beck also played guitar with vocalists as varied as Luciano Pavarotti, Macy Gray, Chrissie Hynde, Joss Stone, Imelda May, Cyndi Lauper, Wynonna Judd, Buddy Guy.
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 plane.
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 cancelled.
Beck teamed up with legendary producer George Martin – aka “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 synthesiser player Jan Hammer and honoured rockabilly guitarist Cliff Gallup with the album Crazy Legs.
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