Beck had surprisingly contracted meningitis, according to a message on the official website. “His family requests privacy as they process this tremendous loss.”
Beck was born in 1944 in a southern suburb of London, and legend has it that he made his first guitar out of a cigar box. While still at school, he got involved in the then London rock scene, met the guitarist of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, and made contacts. It was Page who recommended Beck as a band member for the Yardbirds in 1965, replacing their guitarist Eric Clapton.
in relevant circles
Beck quickly developed into an experimental guitarist who kept coming up with new sounds and tricks. “I made the strangest noises I could,” Beck once told Rolling Stone. In 1966 Jimmy Page joined as second lead guitarist and took over when Beck fell out with the band during a US tour. It was the first snag in his career that was to be followed by many more.
Beck later made it onto the UK charts with two singles “Hi Ho Silver Lining” and “Tallyman” and established his signature tune “Beck’s Bolero”. His first solo album “Truth” from 1968 gave him the reputation as a guitar legend. He was supported by musicians such as Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Keith Moon and John Paul Jones. But after two albums as the Jeff Beck Group and only three weeks before their planned appearance in Woodstock, he broke up his band.
Last tour with Johnny Depp
Beck later worked in many different formations with Mick Jagger, Roger Waters, Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Stevie Wonder as well as with Tina Turner on her “Private Dancer” album. He traveled through almost all genres, from rock, pop, funk, trance and of course jazz.
Most recently, he mixed electronic rock with futuristic blues on “Loud Hailer” in 2016. He released his latest and last album with Hollywood star Johnny Depp last year. For the most part, “18” consists of covers of greats from the ’60s and ’70s. The duo also completed a tour of Europe together.