Beck ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone and other magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists. He was often called a "guitarist's guitarist". Rolling Stone describes him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock". Although he recorded two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck did not establish or maintain the sustained commercial success of many of his contemporaries and bandmates.
Beck earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and Best Pop Instrumental Performance once. In 2014 he received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a member of the Yardbirds (1992) and as a solo artist (2009).
Beck was born on 24 June 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck at 206 Demesne Road, Wallington, England. As a 10-year-old, Beck sang in a church choir. He attended Sutton Manor Schoo and Sutton East County Secondary Modern School.
Beck cited Les Paul as the first electric guitar player who impressed him. Beck said that he first heard an electric guitar when he was 6 years old and heard Paul playing "How High the Moon" on the radio. He asked his mother what it was. After she replied it was an electric guitar and was all tricks, he said, "That's for me". Cliff Gallup, lead guitarist with Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps, was also an early musical influence, followed by B.B. King and Steve Cropper. Beck considers Lonnie Mack "a rock guitarist [who] was unjustly overlooked [and] a major influence on him and many others."
As a teenager he learned to play on a borrowed guitar and made several attempts to build his own instrument, first by gluing and bolting together cigar boxes for the body and an unsanded fence-post for the neck with model aircraft control-lines and frets simply painted on.
Upon leaving school, he attended Wimbledon College of Art, after which he was briefly employed as a painter and decorator, a groundsman on a golf course and a car paint-sprayer. Beck's sister Annetta introduced him to Jimmy Page when both were teenagers.
Beck stopped regular use of a pick in the 1980s. He produces a wide variety of sounds by using his thumb to pluck the strings, his ring finger on the volume knob and his little finger on the vibrato bar on his signature Fender Stratocaster. By plucking a string and then 'fading in' the sound with the volume knob he creates a unique sound that can resemble a human voice, among other effects. He frequently uses a wah-wah pedal both live and in the studio. Eric Clapton once said, "With Jeff, it's all in his hands".
Along with Stratocasters, Beck occasionally played Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul models as well. His amplifiers were primarily Fender and Marshall. In his earlier days with the Yardbirds, Beck also used a 1954 Fender Esquire guitar (now owned by Seymour W. Duncan, and housed in the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) through Vox AC30s. He also played through a variety of fuzz pedals and echo units along with this set-up and has used the Pro Co RAT distortion pedal. The pickup was based on a Gibson pickup rewound by Duncan and used in a salvaged Telecaster dubbed the "Tele-Gib" which he had constructed as a gift to Beck. Scott Morgan of the Rationals, who at one point shared a dressing room with the Yardbirds, recalls how Beck amplified his lead guitar through a Vox Superbeetle while using banjo strings for the unwound G string on his guitar because "they didn't make sets with an unwound G at that point."
During the ARMS Charity Concerts in 1983 Beck used his battered Fender Esquire along with a 1954 Stratocaster and a Jackson Soloist. On Crazy Legs (1993) he played a Gretsch Duo Jet, his signature Stratocaster and various other guitars. In 2007, Fender created a Custom Shop Tribute series version of his beat-up Fender Esquire as well as his Artist Signature series Stratocaster.
Described by Rolling Stone as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock", Beck cited his major influences as Les Paul, the Shadows, Cliff Gallup, Ravi Shankar, Roy Buchanan, Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Steve Cropper and Lonnie Mack. Of John McLaughlin, Beck said: "[he] has given us so many different facets of the guitar and introduced thousands of us to world music, by blending Indian music with jazz and classical. I'd say he was the best guitarist alive."
According to musicologist and historian Bob Gulla, Beck is credited for popularising the use of audio feedback and distortion in rock guitar. Prior to Beck's arrival, guitar playing generally conformed to the "clean, bright, and jangly" sounds of early-1960s British Invasion bands or the bluesy aesthetic of 1950s African-American performers like Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley. During his short time with the Yardbirds, Beck's experimentation with feedback, distortion, and "fuzz" tone "pushed the band into directions that would open the door for psychedelic rock" while "jolt[ing] British rock forward", according to Gulla. While Beck was not the first rock guitarist to experiment with electronic distortion, he nonetheless helped to redefine the sound and role of the electric guitar in rock music. Beck's work with the Yardbirds and the Jeff Beck Group's 1968 album Truth were seminal influences on heavy metal music, which emerged in full force in the early 1970s. Gulla identifies one of Beck's characteristic traits to be his sense of pitch, particularly in exercising the whammy bar to create sounds ranging from "nose-diving bombs to subtle, perfectly pitched harmonic melodies".
According to guitarist and author Jack Wilkins, Beck is regarded alongside Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton as one of his generation's greatest guitarists, receiving praise for his technical skill and versatile playing. Stephen Thomas Erlewine finds him to be "as innovative as Jimmy Page, as tasteful as Eric Clapton, and nearly as visionary as Jimi Hendrix", although unable to achieve their mainstream success, "primarily because of the haphazard way he approached his career" while often lacking a star singer to help make his music more accessible. On his recorded output by 1991, Erlewine remarked that "never has such a gifted musician had such a spotty discography", believing Beck had largely released "remarkably uneven" solo records and only "a few terrific albums". In Christgau's Record Guide (1981), Robert Christgau essentialised Beck as "a technician" and questioned his ability to "improvise long lines, or jazz it up with a modicum of delicacy, or for that matter get funky", although he later observed a "customary focus, loyalty, and consistency of taste".
In 2015, Beck was ranked No. 5 in Rolling Stone' magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists". In an accompanying essay, guitarist Mike Campbell applauded Beck for his "brilliant technique" and "personality" in his playing, including a sense of humor expressed through the growl of his wah-wah effects. Campbell also credited Beck with expanding the boundaries of the blues, particularly on his two collaborations with Stewart.
Come Dancing
Jeff Beck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know someone great has gone
The sweetest swinging music man
Had a Porkie Pig hat on
A bright star
In a dark age
When the bandstands had a thousand ways
Of refusing a black man admission
In those days they put him in an
Underdog position
Cellars and chitlins'
When Lester took him a wife
Arm and arm went black and white
And some saw red
And drove them from their hotel bed
Love is never easy
It's short of the hope we have for happiness
Bright and sweet
Love is never easy street!
Now we are black and white
Embracing out in the lunatic New York night
It's very unlikely we'll be driven out of town
Or be hung in a tree
That's unlikely!
Tonight these crowds
Are happy and loud
Children are up dancing in the streets
In the sticky middle of the night
Summer serenade
Of taxi horns and fun arcades
Where right or wrong
Under neon
Every feeling goes on!
For you and me
The sidewalk is a history book
And a circus
Dangerous clowns
Balancing dreadful and wonderful perceptions
They have been handed
Day by day
Generations on down
We came up from the subway
On the music midnight makes
To Charlie's bass and Lester's saxophone
In taxi horns and brakes
Now Charlie's down in Mexico
With the healers
So the sidewalk leads us with music
To two little dancers
Dancing outside a black bar
There's a sign up on the awning
It says "Pork Pie Hat Bar"
And there's black babies dancing
Tonight
The song "Come Dancing" by Jeff Beck is a moving tribute to the jazz musician Lester Young, also known as "Pres", and his relationship with his friend and fellow musician, Charlie Parker. Young was known for his virtuosic saxophone playing and fluid improvisation, as well as his signature pork pie hat. The lyrics describe the difficulties that Black musicians faced in the era of segregation and Jim Crow laws, including being denied admission to bandstands and being relegated to playing in underground venues like chitlin' circuits and cellars.
The song also touches on Young's relationship with his white wife, which caused controversy and backlash from some members of society. The lyrics acknowledge that love is never easy, and that in the face of racism and opposition, it can be particularly challenging. However, the song ends on a hopeful note, acknowledging the progress that has been made in racial equality and celebrating the unity of all races and cultures in enjoying music and dance together.
Overall, "Come Dancing" is a powerful tribute to the musical legacy of Lester Young, as well as a poignant commentary on the ongoing struggle for equality and understanding in society.
Line by Line Meaning
When Charlie speaks of Lester
Charlie is talking about Lester.
You know someone great has gone
Lester was a great musician who is no longer with us.
The sweetest swinging music man
Lester was a fantastic musician.
Had a Porkie Pig hat on
Lester wore a unique hat that resembled Porkie Pig's.
A bright star
Lester was a shining star in the music industry.
In a dark age
Lester lived in a time when it was difficult for black musicians to gain acceptance.
When the bandstands had a thousand ways
There were many ways that black musicians were denied access to performance opportunities.
Of refusing a black man admission
Black musicians were often not allowed to perform because of their race.
Black musician
Lester was a black musician.
In those days they put him in an
During that time period, black musicians were often discriminated against.
Underdog position
Being a black musician meant being in a disadvantaged position.
Cellars and chitlins'
Black musicians often had to perform in undesirable venues.
When Lester took him a wife
Lester got married.
Arm and arm went black and white
Lester, a black man, and his wife, a white woman, were together.
And some saw red
Some people were upset about Lester's interracial marriage.
And drove them from their hotel bed
Lester and his wife were forced to leave their hotel because of their marriage.
Love is never easy
Love can be difficult at times.
It's short of the hope we have for happiness
Love doesn't always live up to our expectations for happiness.
Bright and sweet
Love can be wonderful.
Love is never easy street!
Love is not always easy.
Now we are black and white
Lester and his wife were an interracial couple.
Embracing out in the lunatic New York night
Lester and his wife were together in New York at night.
It's very unlikely we'll be driven out of town
It is unlikely that they would be forced to leave town because of their relationship now.
Or be hung in a tree
They are not in danger of being lynched.
That's unlikely!
That would be very unlikely to happen.
Tonight these crowds
The crowds tonight
Are happy and loud
The crowds are happy and making noise.
Children are up dancing in the streets
Children are dancing in the streets.
In the sticky middle of the night
It is late at night.
Summer serenade
The music is like a serenade for the summer.
Of taxi horns and fun arcades
The sounds of the city are adding to the music.
Where right or wrong
Regardless of whether it is right or wrong
Under neon
The light of the signs adds to the atmosphere.
Every feeling goes on!
All kinds of emotions can be expressed through the music.
For you and me
This moment is special for us.
The sidewalk is a history book
The sidewalk holds a lot of history.
And a circus
The streets are like a circus.
Dangerous clowns
There are both good and bad things happening around us.
Balancing dreadful and wonderful perceptions
Our experiences are both good and bad, and we have to find a balance.
They have been handed
These experiences have been given to us.
Day by day
Every day.
Generations on down
These experiences have been passed down through the generations.
We came up from the subway
We emerged from the subway station.
On the music midnight makes
The music is like something the midnight hours have created.
To Charlie's bass and Lester's saxophone
We followed the music of Charlie's bass and Lester's saxophone.
In taxi horns and brakes
The sounds of the city were adding to the music.
Now Charlie's down in Mexico
Charlie has gone to Mexico.
With the healers
He might be there for medical treatment.
So the sidewalk leads us with music
The music is leading us down the sidewalk.
To two little dancers
We found two young dancers.
Dancing outside a black bar
The dancers were outside a black bar.
There's a sign up on the awning
There is a sign hanging above the door.
It says "Pork Pie Hat Bar"
The bar is called the Pork Pie Hat Bar.
And there's black babies dancing
There are young black children dancing.
Tonight
It's happening tonight.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind