Jeff Beck

One of Britain's greatest guitarists credited with introducing fuzz, feedback and distortion into rock music, Jeff Beck learned to play as a teenager, originally building his own guitar from cigar boxes. His career began in the 1960s as a session guitarist and, on the recommendation of Jimmy Page, was recruited as Eric Clapton's replacement in The Yardbirds, playing a key role in some of their biggest hits such as Heart Full Of Soul, I'm A Man and Shapes Of Things. In 1967 Beck recorded his most famous solo song, Hi Ho Silver Lining, which was never a major hit but became an obligatory ingredient of late 1960s clubs and parties. His first Jeff Beck Group included Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood when Beck's increasingly ambitious experiments with guitar technology paved the way for heavy metal, while producing two albums Truth (1968) and Beck-Ola (1969). Internal disputes led to the group's split in the summer of 1969 after which Beck formed a new band adopting a more soulful style, including bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice. The three of them subsequently formed the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice who became a major live attraction before splitting in 1974. Ill-health limited his subsequent work, although he still made sporadic recordings and live shows which proved his groundbreaking skill remained undiminished, while he made guest appearances on other artists' records, including Morrissey.