Legendary guitarist, Jeff Beck, passed away at the age of 78 on January 10, 2023 after contracting bacterial meningitis. In a new interview with Guitar World, Def Leppard guitarist, Vivian Campbell, pays tribute to a singular guitar talent, and explains why it wasn't just what Beck played but how he played and the idea behind it that made him great. An excerpt follows...
“I first saw Jeff when he toured with Stevie Ray Vaughan on the Guitar Shop album. I saw their co-headline tour at a sports arena in downtown LA. It was equally inspiring and depressing to witness Jeff Beck play live. You go there thinking you’re a guitar player and you leave realizing that you’re a guitar owner!
“He was just in a league by himself. He was in a class of one. There was no-one who did what Jeff did. It was technical, but there’s nothing anyone can play that somebody else can’t figure out. You could get yourself a Strat like he played and with enough practice you could play like Jeff Beck, but what was amazing about Beck was always the inspiration. It was the ideas that he had.”
Read more at Guitar World.
Eric Clapton is set to team up with a huge array of artists for two upcoming tribute shows in honour of Jeff Beck. The shows are set to take place on May 22 and 23 at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall.
Artists confirmed to appear include: Doyle Bramhall, Eric Clapton, Gary Clark Jr, Johnny Depp, Billy Gibbons, Imelda May, John McLaughlin, Joe Perry, Robert Randolph, Olivia Safe, Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Ronnie Wood, and from the Jeff Beck Band: Rhonda Smith, Anika Nilles and Robert Stevenson.
Both shows are sold out. Surplus income from the concerts will be donated to the Folly Wildlife Rescue based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
