Jeff Beck, the guitar god who influenced generations, has died at the age of 78

New York — Matt Jeff Beck is a talented guitarist who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz, and rock and roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitarist of the guitarist. He was 78 years old.

Beck died on Tuesday after “suddenly developing bacterial meningitis,” his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday.

Beck first came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds and then went out on his own with a solo career that spanned hard rock, jazz, funky blues, and even opera. He was known for improvising and his love of harmonics and the beat bar on his favorite guitar, the Fender Stratocaster.

“Jeff Beck is the best guitarist on the planet,” Joe Perry, lead guitarist for Aerosmith, told The New York Times in 2010. appearing only once every generation or two.

Beck was among the rock guitarists of the late 1960s, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix. Beck has won eight Grammy Awards and has been 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 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. time.”

Beck has played guitar with singers as diverse as Luciano Pavarotti, Maisie Gray, Chrissie Hynde, Joss Stone, Imelda May, Cyndi Lauper, Wynonna Judd and Buddy Guy. He made two records with Rod Stewart – 1968’s “Truth” and 1969’s “Pick-Ola” – and the other with a 64-piece orchestra, “Emotion” and disorder. “

“I love the element of chaos in music. That feeling is the best thing ever, as long as you don’t have too much of it. It has to be balanced. I just saw Cirque du Soleil, and it struck me as complete, organized chaos,” he told Guitar World in 2014. “If I can turn that into music, it’s not far from what my ultimate goal would be, which is to make people happy with chaos and beauty at the same time.”

Beck’s career highlights include joining with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice to create the power trio that launched “Beck, Bogert & Appiss” in 1973, tours with Brian Wilson and Buddy Guy and a tribute album to the late guitarist Les Paul, “Rock & Roll Party” ( Homage to Les Paul).

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born in Surrey, England and attended Wimbledon College of Art. His father was an accountant, and his mother worked in a chocolate factory. As a boy, he made 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 after only a year giving way to Page. During his tenure, the band created such memorable singles as “A Heart Full of Soul”, “I Am a Man” and “Shapes of Things”.

Beck’s first major hit was 1967’s “Beck’s Bolero”, which featured future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and future drummer Keith Moon. Jeff Beck’s group – with Stewart singing – were later booked to play the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival but their appearance was cancelled. Beck later said that there was turmoil in the band.

“I could see the end of the tunnel,” he told Rolling Stone in 2010.

Beck was a friend of Hendrix and they performed together. Prior to Hendrix, most rock guitar players focused on a similar style and technical vocabulary. Hendrix blew it away.

“He came in and reset all the rules one evening,” Beck told Guitar World.

Beck collaborated with legendary producer George Martin – also known as the “Fifth Beatle” – to help him engineer the music for “Blow by Blow” (1975) and “Wired” (1976). He collaborated with Seal on the Hendrix tribute “Stone Free”, created a jazz fusion group led by synthesizer Jan Hammer and honored rockabilly guitarist Cliff Gallup with the album “Crazy Legs”. He released the song “Loud Hailer” in 2016.

Beck’s guitar work can be heard on the soundtracks of such films as “Stomp the Yard”, “Shallow Hal”, “Casino”, “Honeymoon in Vegas”, “Twins”, “Observe and Report” and “Little Big League”.

Beck’s career did not reach Clapton’s commercial heights. A perfectionist, he preferred to make critically acclaimed music records and leave the limelight for extended periods of time, enjoying his time restoring vintage cars. He and Clapton had a strained relationship early on but became friends later in life and toured together.

Why did the two wait nearly four decades to tour together?

Beck told Rolling Stone in 2010: “Because we were all trying to be big bananas, I just didn’t have the luxury of the hit songs Eric had.”

Beck is survived by his wife, Sandra.