Jeff Beck: Guitar player interview

A flash from the past, Originally appeared in the October, 1968 issue of Guitar Player Magazine.:

Will you give us a little background on your early years?

I was born in 1944, and educated in a private school in England until I was 11 years old. Then, I went on to a junior art school.

It seems that a lot of English guitarists started in art school. Is this the thing to do now?

It wasn’t normal to go to art school when I went, but since Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton went, everyone is becoming an instant art student. I used to go there because they had good meals, and then I dropped out at 18, and took up the guitar, earning about $9 a night.

Did you have any musical training?

Yes, I did have some. My mother used to force me to play piano about two hours a day, but that was good, because it made me realize that I was musically sound, and that I was playing material not my own. My other training consisted of stretching rubber bands over tobacco cans and making horrible noises.

Who do you think influenced your guitar playing the most?

I think the biggest influence was rock and roll records.

How did you happen to join up with the Yardbirds?

full interview