Innovator or inventor? Jeff Beck was both, and so much more

Whenever there is a new list ranking rock 'n' roll's greatest guitarists, you'll often find the usual suspects among the rankings.

There will always be names like Jimi Hendrix. Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page. The funny thing is, every one of those guys would probably laugh and say, "Oh, you obviously haven't heard Jeff Beck."

Jeff Beck was an interesting musician for many reasons, one being his ability to enjoy a prolific career while remaining understated and out of the proverbial spotlight. Yet nearly every single guitar player who's picked up the instrument holds a deep love and respect for Beck.

This was evidenced by the enormous amount of tributes, photos and stories that flooded social media, following news of his death last week. His death is the loss of one of the world's great artists, innovators and inventors, with a playing style that still keeps even the greatest of musicians wondering, "How did he do that?"

It was never about playing 1,000 notes per second or a bunch of mindless shredding over blues riffs. For Beck, it was about achieving the right tone, from the effects and amplifiers down to how he plucked and bent the strings. He was also one of those great artists who released a ton of albums, with each one being a different kind of experience.

Beck was also a well sought after session musician, collaborating with far too many artists across all genres to even count, most recently teaming up with Johnny Depp. That was another thing people respected, that it didn't matter who the artist was or what style the music, as long as the melody and composition were well-crafted and inspiring.

Beck is probably most synonymous as one of the three great guitarists (the others Page and Clapton) to make their mark as a member of The Yardbirds. The Yardbirds have always been an interesting band, because while it wasn't the greatest music these guys ever recorded, it was a launching pad for so many great things to come after.

Diving into Beck's solo career can be somewhat of a daunting task, given each album has its own flavor and style, though the classics "Blow by Blow" or "Wired" are worthy go-to records for newcomers. My favorite era of Beck's career, however, came before all of that with The Jeff Beck Group.

This was the band that introduced Rod Stewart to the U.S., and the albums "Truth" and "Beck-Ola" remain two of the man's best. Though once you're in the thick of it, every album is a new discovery into what can be accomplished on the guitar done by one of the greatest pickers to ever pick up the instrument.

I like to group Beck with other prolific artists like Prince or Frank Zappa, the ones who were constantly in the studio creating, even if it was not meant for a wide release. When those guys died, it was revealed that they had almost a warehouse-size worth of unreleased material.

I can only imagine that Beck falls into that same category, because as long as I've been aware of the guy, he's always been working, touring and exploring new styles. One can only wonder what he had left in him, and if he too has a wealth of archival material we might get to see one of these days.

One can only hope, but in the meantime the world continues to mourn the loss of one of the greatest, most-respected guitar players that's ever lived. But like I always say when there is a major loss in the music community, their music will live on forever, and now is the perfect time to explore and rediscover what made them so great in the first place, and Beck is no exception.

Jay Powell is a reporter for The Daily Herald. Contact him at jpowell@c-dh.net or follow him on Twitter @JayPowellCDH.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Innovator or inventor? Jeff Beck was both, and so much more