Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck (born June 24, 1944, Wallington, Surrey, England—died January 10, 2023, Wadhurst, East Sussex, England) was an English rock guitarist whose fast intricate playing influenced the development of the heavy metal and jazz-rock genres and made him one of the most respected guitarists in rock music.

A supporting stint with rock-and-roll eccentric Screaming Lord Sutch brought young guitarist Beck to the attention of blues-rock group the Yardbirds, whose lead guitarist he became in 1965, replacing Eric Clapton. The following year, having left the Yardbirds, Beck founded his own combo, the Jeff Beck Group, featuring vocalist Rod Stewart and bassist Ron Wood. On Truth (1968) and Beck-Ola (1969), the band pioneered a fierce, overdriven approach to the blues that lay the groundwork for early heavy metal.

Stewart and Wood left in 1970 to join the Small Faces (later the Faces), and Beck was injured in a car accident later that year, forcing him to put his career on hiatus. In 1971 he resurfaced with a new Jeff Beck Group that included Bobby Tench on lead vocals and Cozy Powell on the drums. They released two rhythm-and-blues–influenced albums, Rough and Ready (1971) and Jeff Beck Group (1972). With former Vanilla Fudge members Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, Beck released Beck, Bogert & Appice in 1973. After its negative reception the trio disbanded, and Beck embarked on a solo career. The critically acclaimed Blow by Blow (1975), produced by Beatles collaborator George Martin, featured an all-instrumental, jazz fusion approach in which Beck’s guitar playing essentially took the place of a lead vocalist. He would record largely without vocals for the rest of his career.

Flash (1985), produced by Nile Rodgers, was Beck’s most commercial release. It contained the Grammy Award-winning track “Escape,” as well as a cover of the Impressions’ “People Get Ready,” which featured Stewart on vocals and became Beck’s first hit single. In later years Beck maintained a relatively low profile, touring occasionally and recording, including contributions to such albums as Mick Jagger’s Primitive Cool (1987) and Roger Waters’s Amused to Death (1992). In 1989 Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop won a Grammy Award for best rock instrumental performance.

In the early 21st century Beck began incorporating electronic textures and hip-hop rhythms into his compositions, notably those for 2003’s Jeff, which won a Grammy for the song “Plan B.” Emotion & Commotion (2010) marked a return to Beck’s blues-rock roots and featured a number of guest vocalists, including Joss Stone and Imelda May. In 2011 that album earned him a pair of Grammy Awards, for best pop instrumental and best rock instrumental, and he claimed a third trophy for his collaboration with Herbie Hancock on “Imagine.” Beck collaborated with guitarist Carmen Vandenberg and vocalist Rosie Bones on the aggressive rock album Loud Hailer (2016). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992 and as a solo artist in 2009.