Tommy Emmanuel paid tribute to late electric guitar legend Jeff Beck at his January 11 show at the Lexington Opera House in Kentucky, performing a rendition of Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers, a Stevie Wonder song famously covered by Beck on his 1975 album, Blow By Blow.
The performance, which took place on the day of Beck’s passing, saw the Aussie maestro transform the original – which features Beck’s gloriously vocal and articulate electric guitar leads – for fingerstyle guitar, in a touching homage to the former Yardbirds man. Check it out below.
Emmanuel also paid tribute to Beck on social media, calling him an “original, an artist of the highest order, the finest guitar player that could not be copied, only enjoyed and appreciated”.
“Thank you for all your dedication, love of good songs and totally adventurous spirit,” he added.
Jeff Beck died suddenly last week at the age of 78 after contracting bacterial meningitis. The news stunned the guitar world, prompting players far and wide to pen tributes and share their memories with the guitar icon.
Among those who paid homage were Joe Satriani, who said Beck had “an enormous impact on my guitar playing, my musicianship and my soul”, Sir Rod Stewart, who commended him as “one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond”, and Jimmy Page, who praised the “spell he could weave around our mortal emotions” with his playing.
Other tributes came from David Gilmour, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Jack Bruce, John Mayer, Joe Perry, Johnny Marr, Sammy Hagar, Mick Mars, Mike McCready, The Edge and many more.
One of the most in-depth, though, came from Queen guitarist Brian May, who last week posted a five-minute video on social media waxing lyrical on Beck’s influence on him and on the wider guitar world.
“I don't think I could ever put into words exactly how much I did revere him, I hope I gave him the picture,” he said. “I don't know if he knew. But I feel like I wasn't a good enough friend to him. And that's one of the things that happens, I suppose, but particularly in this case I feel like there were so many times I could have rung him up, and I wish I had, to be a proper friend.
“But Jeff Beck was so unique, so influential on every guitarist I've ever met in my life. The loss is incalculable. It's so sad not having him in the world anymore. I still can't quite compute it in my head.”
