Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born on 24 June 1944, in Wallington, Sutton, England, and is a rock guitarist, best known for having played with The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group, and Beck, Bogert & Appice. He played sounds that mixed a lot of genres such as jazz fusion, blues rock, and hard rock. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Jeff Beck? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $18 million, mostly earned through a successful career in the music industry. He’s worked with a lot of artists including Tina Turner, Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Les Paul, and ZZ Top. He’s also ranked fifth in the Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. All of these have ensured the position of his wealth.
Jeff Beck Net Worth $18 million
When he was 10 years old Jeff sang in a church choir, and as he grew older started to learn how to play the guitar. He first heard Les Paul play the electric guitar which led to him learning the instrument. He attended Wimbledon College of Art and then worked various jobs before meeting Jimmy Page.
During the 1960s, Beck performed with various bands and then had his first regular band The Night Shift. He recorded his first single with the band but then left a year later to join The Tridents. He then moved to the Rumbles for a short period, before in 1965 being recruited by The Yardbirds to succeed Eric Clapton. Despite staying with the band for only 20 months, they were able to produce a lot of hit songs and release the album “Roger the Engineer”. After problems concerning his attitude, he was fired and then made a few songs as a solo artist. He then formed the Jeff Beck Group which produced two albums “Truth” and “Beck-Ola”; both albums were well-received, but after a few personal incidents the group decided to dissolve in 1969, and Jeff then joined the “Music from Free Creek’.
He formed a new Jeff Beck Group in the 1970s and they had a significantly different sound than the original band. They recorded “Rough and Ready” and would release the album “Jeff Beck Group” the following year. A lot of their songs had a jazz and soul influence, promoted by touring around the country until 1972. Afterwards, Beck started collaborating and performing with other artists, eventually creating the group Beck, Bogert & Appice. A lot of people recognized their musical talents, but their album was not well received. After various performances, he then released a solo album “Blow by Blow”, and it would become Beck’s most successful commercial release. He toured in the US, and in 1976 released another album, “Wired”. He stayed in the US as a tax exile, and returned to the UK in 1977.
In 1981, he made live appearances with Eric Clapton to perform for several benefit concerts. They were soon joined by Jimmy Page, and then Beck released “Flash” which featured various vocalists. He took a break for four years, and then released the instrumental album “Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop”. In the 1990s, he decided to make more music, but also helping other artists with their albums. He also recorded “Frankie’s House” and “Crazy Legs” during the early 90s. In 1999, he released his first electronica based album “Who Else!”
In the 2000s, he would win his third and fourth Grammy Awards for his performances, and would then accompany Kelly Clarkson in a 2007 episode of “American Idol”. In 2009, he would go on tour, and was later inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. In 2010, he released another album “Emotion & Commotion” which featured a mix of original songs and covers. One of his latest performances was touring with musician Narada Michael Walden.
For his personal life, it is known that Jeff married Sandra Beck in 2005; he was previously married to Patricia Brown(1963-67). He’s also been a vegetarian since 1969; he has an interest in classic Ford hot rods. He currently resides near Wadhurst.
Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Original Television Music, Cause We've Ended as Lovers, Beck's Bolero, I Put a Spell on You, C...
Music Groups
Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, Kita Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, Cause We've Ended as Lovers, Beck's Bolero, I Put a Spell on You, The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group, Beck, Bogert & Appice, Cactus, The Honeydrippers, Upp
Nominations
Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Cause We've Ended as Lovers, Beck's Bolero, I Put a Spell on You, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, Kita Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Movies
Twins, Jeff Beck: Rock 'N' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul, Jeff Beck: Live at Ronnie Scott's, Rock Prophecies, B.B. King: Live by Request, The Story of the Yardbirds, Sunshine Superman: The Journey of Donovan, MusiCares Presents: A Tribute to Brian Wilson, Hard Rock Treasures, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, K...
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Trademark
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Sleeveless (usually white) top, neckerchief and boots when performing
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Tortuous guitar whammy bar action
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Fender Stratocaster
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Quote
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[his comment on Keith Moon and Moon's possibility of leaving the Who, circa 1966] What he was doing was giving a two-fingered gesture to The Who.
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[on refusing to record with The Rolling Stones in 1974] There was no precision ... that was the secret of their sound. Like, hello, Jeff! You're not going to get James Brown tightness, but I was heavily into James Brown and Motown. I just couldn't see myself doing it.
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[on the stardom of his contemporaries in the 1970s] I thought, 'So that's the way it's going, is it?' That frightened me. I did not want that. I withdrew from the parade and found that I was more comfortable outside it.
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[he dates his enthusiasm for electronica all the way back to the early 1960s, when he and Jimmy Page heard an EP by the Dutch synth pioneer Tom Dissevelt] It was just fantastic. Pete Townshend was the only other person I ever met who'd heard it, and he couldn't believe that we had. It's like other-world music, white noise and heavy bass lines... it screwed my head up for good.
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John McLaughlin 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. When the band I had with Rod Stewart broke up, I was left wondering what to do. While the charts were full of stuff like "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep", I became aware of this underground music scene. And what hit me right between the eyes was John's playing on Miles Davis's "A Tribute to Jack Johnson". That changed everything. After that, a new chapter of rock music was formed, with his blistering performances with The Mahavishnu Orchestra and everything else. And John's been at it ever since. He's a hard one to keep up with!
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You can do a lot more with bare fingers than with a plectrum. You don't get that clunking sound on a heavily amplified guitar. It's also a more personal sound, with more control.
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Hank (Hank B. Marvin) has such a dangerous tone, which is only safe in the hands of a master. You can see why he spends so much time tuning up because, when you play the way he plays, you simply cannot make any mistakes. There's no bullshit runs - it's always straight-ahead, simple solos, every one a beauty.
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I'm weird, I really don't play a lot. Most people think that I probably go home to some guitar shop in the sky and practice all day.
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Fact
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David Bowie said that when he first heard Mick Ronson play, he thought "that's my Jeff Beck".
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Released his solo album in February. Has been on tour since. [December 2001]
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Was once romantically-linked to Mary Hughes, during his stint with The Yardbirds - she is mentioned twice in one of the few "Yardbirds" songs sung by Beck, "Psycho Daisies" (1966).
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Elected to the rock and roll hall of fame as a solo artist in 2009.
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He was awarded the 1990 Joseph Jefferson Award Citation for Musical Direction for "Methusalem" at the New Crime Productions Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
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Played guitar on the Cyndi Lauper track "Above The Clouds" from the 2005 Album "The Body Acoustic".
Unlike most of his contemporaries, Beck does not use a guitar pick to coax licks from his instrument. Instead, he uses a combination of his thumb and fingertips to pluck his guitar strings.
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Sustained permanent facial scarring after a car accident in 1969 for which he had to be hospitalized
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Played session guitar on Stevie Wonder's 1973 album "Talking Book".
$18 Million
