{"id":401221,"date":"2026-01-11T14:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T14:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/401221\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T14:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T14:55:10","slug":"on-this-day-in-2023-we-lost-the-six-stringed-warrior-and-one-of-the-greatest-guitarists-in-rock-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/401221\/","title":{"rendered":"On This Day in 2023, We Lost the \u201cSix-Stringed Warrior\u201d and One of the Greatest Guitarists in Rock History"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeff Beck, the rock guitar virtuoso who got his start with early Led Zeppelin iteration the Yardbirds<\/a>, died on this day (Jan. 10) in 2023 after a bout with bacterial meningitis. He was 78 years old.<\/p>\n

After news of Beck\u2019s death broke, tributes began pouring in immediately, and the names read like a Who\u2019s Who of rock and roll history. \u201cThe six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions,\u201d founding Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page wrote <\/a>of his former bandmate. \u201cJeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, \u201cNo one played guitar like Jeff. Please get ahold of the first two Jeff Beck Group albums and behold greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heartbreaking news to report the late, great Jeff Back has sadly passed. No one played guitar like Jeff. Please get ahold of the first two Jeff Beck Group albums and behold greatness. RIP. pic.twitter.com\/3qnPOCyhUj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) January 11, 2023<\/a> <\/p>\n

Jeff Beck Was a Reluctant Celebrity<\/p>\n

Although Jeff Beck could decidedly go toe to toe with contemporaries like Page and Eric Clapton, he never quite attained the same level of superstardom as them. And that was perfectly OK with Beck.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Led Zeppelin made it so big, I was jealous, absolutely jealous as hell,\u201d he said in 1986.<\/a> \u201cBut I\u2019m glad I carried on as I was. I personally couldn\u2019t have put up with that mass adulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born June 24, 1944, in Wallington, Surrey, England, Geoffrey Arnold Beck\u2019s destiny was sealed <\/a>at 6 years old when he heard Les Paul play \u201cHow High the Moon\u201d on the radio.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mum said it was an electric guitar\u2026 She fascinated me by saying, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s all tricks,\u201d Beck later recalled. \u201cAnd I said, \u2018That\u2019s for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Replacing Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds in 1965, Beck added an entirely new dimension to songs like \u201cHeart Full of Soul\u201d and \u201cShapes of Things.\u201d After leaving the Yardbirds, he formed his own band, the Jeff Beck Group, featuring then-unknown singer Rod Stewart and bassist Ronnie Wood.<\/p>\n

[RELATED: Jeff Beck Almost Became the Guitarist for Two Iconic Bands in the 1970s]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cJeff Beck was on another planet\u2026 He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond,\u201d Stewart said in a statement<\/a> after his death.<\/p>\n

In addition to his solo albums, Beck also made cameos on Mick Jagger\u2019s album 1987 album Primitive Cool and Roger Waters\u2019s Amused to Death in 1992.<\/p>\n

Featured image by Larry Hulst\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images<\/p>\n