JEFF A. BECK, ONE OF THE GREATEST GUITARIST EVER

Today, The Grandma has received sad news from England. Jeff Beck, one of the greatest guitaris ever, passed away two days ago.

Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944-10 January 2023) was an English rock guitarist who rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and afterwards fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice.

In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style with a focus on innovative sound, and his releases spanned genres ranging from blues rock, hard rock, jazz fusion, and a blend of guitar-rock and electronica.

Beck ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone and other magazines' list of 100 greatest guitarists. He was often called a guitarist's guitarist.

Rolling Stone described him as one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock. Although he recorded two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck did not establish or maintain the sustained commercial success of many of his contemporaries and bandmates. He recorded with many artists.

Beck earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and Best Pop Instrumental Performance once.

In 2014 he received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a member of the Yardbirds (1992) and as a solo artist (2009).

More information: Jeff Beck

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born on 24 June 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck at 206 Demesne Road, Wallington, London. As a ten-year-old, Beck sang in a church choir. He attended Sutton Manor School and Sutton East County Secondary Modern School.

Described by Rolling Stone as one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock, Beck cited his major influences as Les Paul, the Shadows, Cliff Gallup, Ravi Shankar, Roy Buchanan, Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Steve Cropper and Lonnie Mack.

Beck stopped the regular use of a guitar pick in the 1980s. He produced a wide variety of sounds by using his thumb to pluck the strings, his ring finger on the volume knob, and his little finger on the vibrato bar on his signature Fender Stratocaster.

By plucking a string and then fading in the sound with the volume knob he created a unique sound that can resemble a human voice, among other effects. He frequently used a wah-wah pedal both live and in the studio. Eric Clapton once said, With Jeff, it's all in his hands.

Beck died on 10 January 2023, at the age of 78.

More information: The Guardian

I don't understand why some people
will only accept a guitar if it has
an instantly recognizable guitar sound.
Finding ways to use the same guitar people
have been using for 50 years to make sounds t
hat no one has heard before is truly
what gets me off.

Jeff Beck