Jeff Beck Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Geoffrey Arnold “Jeff” Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He was one of the three noted guitarists — the others being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page — to have played with The Yardbirds. He was ranked the 14th on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. Much of Beck’s recorded output has been instrumental, and his releases have spanned genres ranging from blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and (currently) a blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Beck has earned wide critical praise^[2] and four Grammy awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, and had two hit albums in the mid-1970s as a solo act. However, Beck has not been able to establish and maintain a broad following or the sustained commercial success of many of his collaborators and bandmates.Fender heartily congratulates Jeff Beck on his April 4 induction as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The honor comes amid a flurry of recent activity for Beck, who is in the midst of a busy worldwide touring schedule and who had a brand-new DVD release mere days before the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland.

As for that induction—it’s about time, we say. Beck has enjoyed an extremely influential and highly regarded 45-year career that, in the words of the Hall of Fame, “has been filled with unpredictable twists and turns” and is indelibly marked with “consistency in the experimental streak that has been a hallmark of his playing from the beginning” and a guitar style that “reflects a philosophy of spontaneity and freshness.”

From his hit-making and inventive mid-1960s blues psychedelia work in seminal U.K. outfit the Yardbirds (with whom Beck was first inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992) to his subsequent groundbreaking solo career in the Jeff Beck Group, on his own and in collaboration with many others, the perennially cool Beck has always had street and artistic credibility to spare and a truly unique and instantly identifiable guitar sound.

At the ceremony, Beck was inducted by longtime friend and former Yardbirds bandmate Jimmy Page. Beck performed a rousing version of signature tune “Beck’s Bolero” at the ceremony, joined mid-song by Page.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Beck as an induction candidate in September 2008 and named him as an inductee on Jan. 14, 2009. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after their first recording was released. The induction ceremony took place in Cleveland (home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum) for the first time since 1997 and was broadcast live on Fuse TV.

Beck is having a very busy year, having wrapped up the two-month Australia-New Zealand-Japan leg of his current world tour in late February. He’ll follow a dozen U.S. tour dates in April with U.K., Canadian and European tour dates throughout June and July (see list of tour dates below). Beck’s touring band once again consists of veteran drum ace Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Tal Wilkenfeld and keyboardist Jason Rebello.

Further, March 31 saw the DVD release of Jeff Beck Performing This Week … Live at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, the video counterpart to Beck’s November 2008 live album of the same name. The 21-track in-concert DVD presents the best performances from Beck’s series of shows in 2007 at famed Soho, London, nightspot Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.

Tracks include live Beck staples such as “Beck’s Bolero,” “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers,” “Led Boots,” “People Get Ready,” “Scatterbrain,” “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” and “A Day in the Life.

A special Blu-ray edition of the DVD also includes an exclusive seven-track rockabilly set of Beck performing with the Big Town Playboys; tracks include “Race With the Devil,” “Crazy Legs,” “Train Kept a Rollin’,” “My Baby Left Me,” “Matchbox,” “Baby Blue” and “Honky Tonk.” The disc also includes Jeff Beck discussing the songs, a Big Town Playboys interview and a 16-track audio CD.