In March 1965, after his stint with U.K. blues band the Tridents, Jeff Beck replaced Eric Clapton as the lead guitarist in the Yardbirds.
His brief guitar solos—which can be heard on a slew of iconic Yardbirds tracks, from "Heart Full of Soul" and "Over Under Sideways Down" to "Shapes of Things"—often were fuzzed-out mini-masterpieces that helped pave the way to his long-standing "guitar god" status.
Now, 51 years later, Beck will officially celebrate his 50 (well, 50-plus) years in the music biz with a rare August 10 appearance at the Hollywood Bowl. As a bonus to six-string fans, Beck will be joined by his good friend, blues legend Buddy Guy, who will be celebrating his 80th birthday July 30.
“Sharing the stage and this moment with Buddy is a dream for me," Beck said in a press release sent to Guitar World. "His concerts are legendary, and the music world would be a very boring place without his influence.” Ticket information is available below.
In other Beck news, the guitarist has been hard at work on his first book, which will focus on his twin inspirations—hot rodding and guitars. The London-based Genesis Publishing Group plans to release BECK01, a “signed, limited-edition” book, later this year.
“Right from the beginning, I've tried to do something with anything I've got hold of," Beck said. "At age 13, I built two or three of my own guitars. I painted the frets on. It was fun just to look at it and hold it… I knew where I was headed.”
Beck also is working on an officially sanctioned documentary. Stay tuned for details on all of the above in the weeks (and/or months) ahead.
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Tickets for the Hollywood Bowl 2016 summer season are/will be available at HollywoodBowl.com on the following dates:
• New subscriptions are available for purchase February 9
• Group sales available February 16
• "Five or More" packages available March 15
• The Hollywood Bowl box office opens for single-ticket sales May 1.
Beck has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—twice—first as a Yardbird in 1992 and then as a solo artist in 2009. He's won eight Grammy awards and has recorded or performed with everyone from Guy to Stevie Wonder to Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, David Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Roger Waters, Jack White, B.B. King, Clapton, Jimmy Page ... . You get the idea.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
