New York, USA. Legendary British rock, blues and even jazz “genius” guitarist Jeff Beck, who created the legend of himself with the band The Yardbirds in the 1960s, died of meningitis at age 78 on Tuesday.
Source: AFP
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Jeff Beck. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he passed away peacefully yesterday.“according to the statement published Wednesday night on the musician’s official site.
The artist won eight Grammy Awards for his virtuosity and his sense of innovation on the electric guitar.
The reactions of his colleagues did not wait.
The also legendary Mick jaggersinger of The Rolling Stonespaid tribute in a video posted on Twitter to “a wonderful man and one of the greatest guitarists in the world”.
“NOBODY PLAYED THE GUITAR LIKE JEFF”
Gene Simmonsfrom the band kisswrote on his Twitter account: “No one played the guitar like Jeff”.
His colleague from the heavy metal group Black Sabbath, tony iomialso greeted “an incredible icon, a genius guitar player. There will never be another Jeff Beck“he claimed.
For his part, the singer Ozzy Osbourne said on Twitter that it was “an incredible honor to have played with him on (his) last album”.
Also on Twitter, the singer Paul Young declared “devastated by the sudden and tragic death of the legendary guitarist”.
Born in June 1944 in London, Jeff Beck is considered one of the best rock, hard rock, blues and even jazz guitarists of all time, along with Jimmy Pagewith whom he played in the band The Yardbirds in 1965, just after the departure of the also great Eric Clapton.
The duo carved out their legend with the albums and pieces of “Shapes of Things” Y “Over Under Sideways Down”.
SOUND INNOVATION
Capable of going from one style to another (rock, hard rock, blues, jazz) and also permanently innovating with the sound of his instruments and amplifiers, he founded the hard rock group at the end of the 1960s The Jeff Beck Group together with the singer, unknown at the time, Rod Stewart and with the guitarist Ron Wood.
Stewart also greeted a “Jeff Beck from another planet”. “He took me along Ronnie Wood to the United States in the late 1960s with his band The Jeff Beck Group and we haven’t looked back since.”he wrote on Twitter
Beck then began a long solo career, experiencing success in the mid-1970s with his album “Blow By Blow”.
In 2015, the magazine rolling stones ranked him fifth on his list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
According to the specialized press, Jeff Beck was not a fan of acoustic guitars, instead he was a fan of electric guitars from Fender and Gibson brands.
His reputation is also due to his distortion effects with his instruments, a sound also experienced at the same time by the guitarist. Pete Townshendof The Who.
