McCartney and May pay tribute to Bert Weedon
Written by admin on April 21, 2012 – 9:46 pm - |
Guitarist and author, Bert Weedon, died on Friday (April 20) at his home in Beaconsfield aged 91.
Weedon was best known for creating the “Play In A Day” tutorial that many generations of guitarists used to get started on the instrument, including Eric Clapton, Brian May, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon. |
Weedon was born on May 10, 1920 in Burges Road, East Ham, London, and began his lifelong love affair with the guitar at age 12. He was classically trained on the instrument and after leading his own bands in his teens would go on to play with big bands in his 20s, including those of Mantovani and Ted Heath. This was followed by a period as a featured soloist with the BBC Show Band in the 1950s, and then a popular solo career in the late 1950s/early 1960s which saw him sell millions of records with hits such as “Nashville Boogie,” “Guitar Boogie Shuffle,” “Big Beat Boogie,” and “Apache”. Weedon actually recorded “Apache” before The Shadows, but his version was released after they hit big with it.
“Guitar Boogie” – Bert Weedon
Weedon’s mastery of the instrument meant that he was also in demand as a session player, featuring on tracks by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Cliff Richard, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Billy Fury and many more.
The “Play in a Day” book for which Weedon is so well known was first published in 1957 and has sold more than one million copies. Eric Clapton once said of the book:
| “I wouldn’t have felt the urge to press on without the tips and encouragement that Bert’s book ‘Play in a Day’ gives you. I’ve never met a player of any consequence who doesn’t say the same thing.” |
In 2001, Bert Weedon received an OBE for his services to music.
Brian May and Sir Paul McCartney have led the tributes to Bert Weedon:
| “He will be so sadly missed by all his friends because he is one of the most generous and giving people I have ever met in my life. He was always teaching people, privately and publicly. You know, he didn’t have any secrets from anyone and he was so supportive to us all. There’s not a guitarist in Britain from my generation who doesn’t owe him a great debt of gratitude.” – Brian May |
| “From early childhood throughout our lives he was Britain’s Mr Guitar. He seemed to be the first person we saw on television showing us how to play and he left a lasting impression on us. We use to joke about how he played a thousand notes a minute but we were always impressed with him. Like us, he loved the guitar and communicated that passion to many generations. Bert, we’ll miss you.” – Sir Paul McCartney |
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Posted in Obituaries |
