kevin statham photo By Steve Newton I can barely believe the shocking and terrible news. I just heard that Jeff Beck died yesterday after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis. That is surely one of the most profound losses the music world has ever suffered. Jeff Beck’s guitar playing spoke to me more than any other player. … Continue reading Jeff Beck, the world’s greatest rock guitarist, dead at 78
By Steve Newton Over the past 40 years or so I’ve seen hella concerts in the Vancouver area, either at clubs, soft-seat theatres, arenas, or stadiums. But I’ve also enjoyed the odd memorable gig outside Metro Vancouver. Back in the mid-’80s I was fortunate enough to see both Midnight Oil and Angel City play club … Continue reading That time I told Jeff Beck that the first time I ever saw him was with Aerosmith on the Rocks Tour in ’76
By Steve Newton Ever since hearing the sad and shocking news of Jeff Beck‘s death last Tuesday (January 10) I’ve been thinking of how huge a loss his passing was. By all accounts he was an incredibly fine person, above and beyond being the greatest rock guitarist who ever lived. I’ve been recalling some of … Continue reading That time Long John Baldry told me that Jeff Beck’s wife wouldn’t let him join Baldry’s band back in ’64
By Steve Newton Man, was 1975 the best year for guitar-based rock or what? That’s the year I graduated high school, and spent countless hours cramming my head with riffs from LPs like Thin Lizzy‘s Fighting, Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, Bad Company‘s Straight Shooter, Heart‘s Dreamboat Annie, and the self-titled debuts by Ian Hunter, the … Continue reading That time Joe Satriani told me that Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow was just the kind of music his generation wanted to hear
Brass Camel plays the WISE Hall By Steve Newton FRIDAY: Vancouver punk-rockers the Black Halos play the Rickshaw Theatre, with guests the Spitfires and Alien Boys. Billy Hopeless in da house! FRIDAY: Vancouver rockabilly trio Cousin Harley, featuring guitar wizard Paul Pigat, plays White Rock’s Blue Frog Studios. SOLD OUT. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY: Grammy-winning violinist … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend, Jan. 13-15
Steve Newton Sad news for music fans today. Peter Green, the British guitarist who made a name for himself with his stunning work in the Bluesbreakers and Fleetwood Mac, has passed away at the age of 73. Long before the pop-minded duo of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham put their radio-friendly stamp on Fleetwood Mac, … Continue reading Peter Green shunned the guitar-hero status of Clapton, Beck, and Page, but Mick Fleetwood says “he was the guy”
By Steve Newton Oh man, was 1975 ever a great year for rock. Maybe the greatest. Of course, it helped if you turned 18 in ’75. I mean, just to name a few, the LPs released that year included Led Zeppelin‘s Physical Graffiti, Thin Lizzy‘s Fighting, Queen‘s A Night at the Opera, Aerosmith‘s Toys in … Continue reading Gordon Lightfoot’s Gord’s Gold was the only folk album I ever bought as a teen
By Steve Newton Jennifer Batten is an astounding guitar player, as anyone who’s seen her perform with Michael Jackson or, later on, Jeff Beck will attest. I interviewed Batten in 2002, a year after seeing her play with Beck at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on his You Had It Coming tour. Before that show … Continue reading That time Jennifer Batten told me that she thought Jeff Beck was the greatest guitarist who ever lived
Geez, even Jimi knew Johnny ruled. By Steve Newton Back in September of 2010 Gibson.com posted what it felt were the 50 greatest guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it. Most conspicuous by his absence is Texas blues-rock legend Johnny Winter. I for one am getting sick and tired of … Continue reading Gibson picked the top 50 guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 29, 1994 By Steve Newton The death of blues guitarist Albert King in December of ’92 was a real downer for anyone who had followed the stellar career of the big bulldozer operator and master of the Flying V. King’s influence on the likes of Jeff Beck, Eric … Continue reading Album review: Little Jimmy King, Something Inside of Me
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 18, 1984 By Steve Newton “I always liked the Yardbirds when I was a kid,” says metal guitar-hero Gary Moore. “I was always into Jeff Beck and everything. And apart from the fact that I like the song and the guitar, the lyrics appealed to me as well because they fitted … Continue reading Gary Moore talks covering the Yardbirds and scoring with metal while opening for Rush
By Steve Newton Buddy Guy is one of the most influential guitar players of all time, having been a major inspiration for the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. When I did my first interview with Guy, back in August of 1991, he had just released his album Damn … Continue reading That time I asked Buddy Guy why he was such a huge influence on Clapton and Beck
By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed slide-guitar master Derek Trucks three times so far, including back in 1999 when he was only 20 years old. We had our second conversation 13 years later, when he was touring with his wife Susan and their 11-piece band, Tedeschi Trucks. Four months earlier Trucks had performed for Barack Obama … Continue reading That time Derek Trucks told me about watching a hip Barack Obama mouth Howlin’ Wolf lyrics
