The musician Jeff Beck said killed his role as a guitar god
The mark of a person can be felt on the day they die, as was the case with Jeff Beck. The legendary guitarist’s passing sent the musical world into a collective state of mourning. Although Beck is no longer here to fill the world with his otherworldly talent, his legacy is unbreakable, and he played a valuable role in establishing the blueprint for rock ‘n’ roll guitar playing.
If there were to be a Mount Rushmore for British guitarists, Beck’s position would be set in stone. The legendary figure was one of the most important artists in London’s thriving scene during the 1960s, and even before joining The Yardbirds in 1965, Beck had amassed a stellar reputation within musical circles despite his young age.
At 21, he had the world at his feet upon replacing Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds. He was only a member of the group for less than two years, but it was their most commercially successful era and transformed Beck from regional status to nationwide acclaim. Prior to him joining The Yardbirds, Clapton had already used the band as a platform for bigger and better things. Therefore, it was a natural progression for Beck to follow in his footsteps by establishing The Jeff Beck Group after leaving The Yardbirds behind.
However, one major obstacle prevented Beck from being the only conversation in town. In late 1966, the British music scene was shaken up dramatically by the arrival of Jimi Hendrix, who rocked up on these shores and quickly rose to the top of the food chain.
Beck later shared with Rolling Stone that his first experience of witnessing Hendrix perform took place at “a tiny downstairs club in Queensgate”. Immediately, he knew there was a new contender for his crown, adding: “He came on, and I went, ‘Oh, my God.’ He had the military outfit on and hair that stuck out all over the place. They kicked off with (Bob Dylan’s) ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ and I thought, ‘Well, I used to be a guitarist.'”
Rather than seeing Hendrix’s arrival as competition and using it as fuel to level up his game, Beck solemnly admitted defeat. In his heart, the guitarist felt that Hendrix was operating at an unattainable standard, and no matter what he did, it would never match the brilliance of the American.
Additionally, it wasn’t only Hendrix’s skill as a guitarist that made him the best in the business. During a conversation with Louder, Beck later explained how Hendrix’s showmanship was like nothing he’d previously seen and recalled how it blew his mind.
Beck remembered: “When I saw Jimi, we knew he was going to be trouble. And by ‘we,’ I mean me and Eric (Clapton), because Jimmy (Page) wasn’t in the frame at that point. I saw him at one of his earliest performances in Britain, and it was quite devastating. He did all the dirty tricks – setting fire to his guitar, doing swoops up and down his neck, all the great showmanship to put the final nail in our coffin.”
As a technician, Beck could compete with anybody else in the rock business, and in the studio, he was especially almost unrivalled. Nevertheless, Hendrix was the whole package and possessed electric energy, which came to the forefront when he performed live. As much as many attempted to copy his stunts in a bid to displace his position at the top spot, no one could rival the original.
