Jeff Beck

"Geoffrey Beck" redirects here. For the English cricketer, see Geoffrey Beck (cricketer).

Jeff Beck
Beck playing live, black & white photograph
Beck performing in Amsterdam, 1979
Background information
Birth nameGeoffrey Arnold Beck
Born(1944-06-24)24 June 1944
Wallington, Surrey (now Greater London), England
Died10 January 2023(2023-01-10) (aged 78)
East Sussex, England
Genres
OccupationsGuitarist
Years active1964–2023
Labels
Formerly of
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English guitarist. He rose to prominence as a member of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to an instrumental style with focus on an innovative sound, and his releases spanned genres and styles ranging from blues rock, hard rock, jazz fusion and a blend of guitar-rock and electronica.

Beck has been consistently ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone and other magazines' lists of the greatest guitarists.[5][6][7][8] He was often called a "guitarist's guitarist".[9] Rolling Stone described him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock".[10] Although he recorded two successful albums (1975's Blow by Blow and 1976's Wired) as a solo act, Beck did not establish or maintain commercial success like that of his contemporaries and bandmates.[9][3] He recorded with many artists.[11]

Beck earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times, winning in three categories at the 2010 Grammy Awards for a career total of eight Grammies. In 2014, he received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.[12] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first as a member of the Yardbirds (1992) and secondly as a solo artist (2009).

  1. ^ Kreps, Daniel; Grow, Kory (11 January 2023). "Jeff Beck, Guitar Virtuoso and Blues-Rock Innovator, Dead at 78". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  2. ^ Booth, Philip (8 August 2003). "Guitarist Jeff Beck a long time fan of blues icon King". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jeff Beck". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  4. ^ Hoffman, Frank. "Jeff Beck". Hybrid Children of Rock. Retrieved 15 June 2023. More than any other guitarist, Jeff Beck was responsible for defining the progressive rock genre.
  5. ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists". Rolling Stone. 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Top 100 Guitarists". Vintage Guitar. 18 June 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Guitar Heroes: Jeff Beck". Marshall Amplification. 13 April 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  8. ^ "The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Top 10 rock guitarists". TODAY.com. 26 October 2006. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Jeff Beck Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  11. ^ "Jeff Beck Credits". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  12. ^ Pakinkis, Mike (22 May 2014). "Ivor Novello Awards 2014: All the winners". Music Week. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.