Jeff Beck : Biography

Born on 24th June 1944, just before the end of World War II, Jeff Beck grew up in Wallington, England. His mother’s piano playing and the family’s radio tuned to everything from dance to classical made sure Beck was surrounded by music from a young age.

Inspired by the music he heard, it wasn’t long before Beck picked up a guitar and began playing around London. He briefly attended Wimbledon’s Art College before leaving to devote all of his time to music. Beck worked as a session player, with Screaming Lord Sutch—the British equivalent to Screaming Jay Hawkins—and the Tridents before he replaced Eric Clapton as the Yardbirds’ lead guitarist in 1965.

Beck left the band in 1967 and formed The Jeff Beck Group, which featured Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on bass. The band released two albums—“Truth” (1968) and “Beck-Ola ” (1969)—that became musical touchstones for hard rockers in the years to come.Stewart and Wood left to join the Faces and Beck disbanded the group until 1971 when he formed a new version of the band and recorded two albums—“Rough and Ready” (1971) and “The Jeff Beck Group” (1972). Beck again dissolved the group and formed a power trio with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, which released “Beck, Bogert and Appice” (1973).

Much of his output has been instrumental, and his releases have spanned genres, ranging from blues rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and (currently) a blend of guitar-rock and electronica. This versatility has made it difficult for Beck to establish and maintain a broad following.Beck's commercial releases have been sporadic since 1977. Stories about his temper, erratic behavior and tour-related incidents (even from musicians who are unabashed fans) have built his persona as a somewhat mad genius.

Nevertheless, Beck has gained wide critical acclaim for his work as a guitarist.He has won many Grammy awards in the category for best rock instrumental and played on some of the most influential releases in music history.