Briton Jeff Beck, “genius” guitarist of rock, blues or even jazz, who carved out his legend within the Yardbirds group of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton in the 1960s, died Tuesday at the age of 78 from a meningitis.
“On behalf of his family, it is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Jeff Beck. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he passed away peacefully yesterday,” according to a statement Wednesday evening on the site. official of the musician who has won eight Grammy awards for his virtuosity and sense of innovation on the electric guitar.
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, alongside Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page with whom he played in the group The Yardbirds. He had also founded at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s the hard rock group The Jeff Beck Group with singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood, before a long solo career.
Reactions from his peers
The equally legendary Mick Jagger paid tribute in a video on Twitter to “a wonderful man and one of the greatest guitarists in the world”. “No one played guitar like Jeff,” Gene Simmons of hard rock band Kiss immediately tweeted.
His bandmate from Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi, also bowed to “an incredible icon, a genius guitarist. There will never be another Jeff Beck.” Singer Paul Young also said on Twitter that he was “devastated by the sudden and tragic death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck”.
Styles divers
Capable of moving from one style to another (rock, hard rock, blues, jazz) and constantly innovating with the sound of his instruments and his amps, he founded at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s the group of hard rock The Jeff Beck Group with then-unknown British vocalist Rod Stewart and guitarist and bassist Ron Wood.
In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him fifth in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to the specialized press, Jeff Beck was not a fan of acoustic guitars and played electric guitars from Fender and Gibson. He is also renowned for his distortion effects with his instrument, a sound that will also be experienced at the same time by guitarist Pete Townshend’s The Who.
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