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Call him a "guitar god" or a "guitarist's guitarist," but Jeff Beck was in a class by himself. Beck, one the most acclaimed guitarists in rock and roll history, died Tuesday after contracting bacterial meningitis, according to a statement released by a publicist on behalf of his family. He was 78 years old.

Beck could play rock, jazz, blues, soul and anything else that caught his ear. To Beck, the guitar — at least the way he played it — could be as versatile an instrument as the human voice. "I just tried to become a singer," he told NPR 

. "I think the Stratocaster, the particular guitar Stratocaster, lends itself to endless possibilities because of the spring-loaded bridge that it's got. I can depress the whammy bar they call it, but it's actually a vibrato bar. And I can do infinite variations on that by raising or lowering the pitch. I can play a chord and lower that pitch — six strings simultaneously."

Beck was born in Wallington, England in 1944. He became enamored with the guitar as a child and first came to prominence playing in The Yardbirds – where he replaced Eric Clapton and joined Jimmy Page. Beck left the band shortly after, and formed The Jeff Beck Group (along with a then little-known singer named Rod Stewart). 

 Beck is often listed in the same breath as players like Clapton, Page and Keith Richards. But Beck was always a bit of a recluse — wary of the attention that came with being a famous musician. He explained to 

 in 2010 how he felt about the music industry as a whole: 


Despite his best efforts to stay out of the spotlight, Beck was still recognized and acclaimed. He accumulated 17 Grammy nominations, including one for Best Rock Performance in this year's ceremony, and has won eight. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice — once with The Yardbirds and once on his own.


Arts and Culture

Andrew Limbong

Author

Guitarist Jeff Beck was among a wave of influential English guitar players in love with American blues. He died on Tuesday, Jan. 10 after contracting bacterial meningitis. 

Classic rock guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck dies at 78

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