GW ASKED A WIDE RANGE OF GUITARISTS to pay tribute to Jeff Beck, either by choosing their favorite Beck song or guitar moment — or, in some cases, sharing something a bit more personal and emotional. All of their responses, which are collected below, perfectly illustrate why Beck was indeed the guitar hero’s guitar hero.
Dave Mustaine
I RECORDED “I Ain’t Superstitious” by Willie Dixon, as remade by Jeff Beck, and that was on one of our very earliest albums. I’ve been a fan for a really long time, and I recently got to see him (and all of the stars’ respect for him) at the Classic Rock Awards ceremony in Tokyo [Tokyo Super Jam] — and he was amazing. I also saw him once at the Hammersmith Odeon in England, and that was a show to behold! I will miss him and surely follow the sounds of his magic guitar in heaven.
Jason Becker
HE WAS SUCH a big influence on me. His playing brought me to tears many times. His heart and soul were connected to his fingers, and what came out was full of love and beauty. My song “Rain” was obviously inspired by him; big time. I saw him perform live three times; once with Clapton and Page, once with Stevie Ray Vaughan and once solo. Thank you, Jeff, for making my life a lot better.
Paul Gilbert
“EL BECKO” HAS WILD jazz modulations during the intro, and Jeff’s melody ties the chords together perfectly. His slide playing in the verse is so tight that I never even knew it was a slide. And he knows when to throw off the chains of the chord structure and rock with minor blues licks in the middle solo. I also love “I’m Not Talking” by the Yardbirds. Jeff uses a blistering fuzzy guitar tone to drive this unusually arranged rock ’n’ roll song.
Jennifer Batten
GIVEN HIS PROLIFIC wealth of recorded content, for me, it’s his ballads that are like going to church. All the lessons you need in music are in those tracks. Jeff told me that Charles Mingus, who wrote “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” sent him a nice note written on a notation sheet praising Jeff’s version of the tune. There are slices of life amongst all the struggles that stick out to me, where I’d often think, “Appreciate this moment with him; it’s not going to get better than this.” I played an outdoor summer show with him on the beach in Sardinia that was so magical that I could hardly be contained. And then our first tour was all over Italy because he wanted to get some miles on the new band before taking it to the U.S. and Japan. I played with him for three years, but that one is a highlight. The setting was magical, and I couldn’t have been prouder to be on stage with him that night.
—JENNIFER BATTEN
Joe Satriani
WATCHING JEFF PLAY live was always thrilling. He never stopped striving to outdo himself and show us a new way to approach the instrument. People say it was all in his hands, but I think it was all in his heart.
Eric Johnson
WHEN I WAS very young, I heard the solo from “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” by the Yardbirds and was blown away and have been ever since. “The Nazzis another great guitar performance. is absolutely beautiful from start to finish, as is a lot of Jeff’s work. I remember seeing him once on a double bill with John McLaughlin and Mahavishnu Orchestra, and he made time stand still. In more recent years, his innovation of playing melodies with the tremolo bar transcends the limits of the guitar.
