Herbert Maurice William Weedon,
OBE (10 May 1920 – 20 April 2012) was an English guitarist whose style of playing was popular and influential during the 1950s and 1960s. He was the first British guitarist to have a hit record in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, in 1959, and his best-selling tutorial guides, ''Play in a Day'', were a major influence on many leading British musicians, such as
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
,
Brian May
Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...
and
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
.
[ He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for his "services to music".][
]
Biography
Weedon was born in Burges Road, East Ham
East Ham is a district of the London Borough of Newham, England, 8 miles (12.8 km) east of Charing Cross. East Ham is identified in the London Plan as a Major Centre. The population is 76,186.
It was originally part of the Becontree Hun ...
, Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
(now part of the London Borough of Newham). He began learning classical guitar at the age of 12, and decided to become a professional musician. In his teens during the 1930s, he led groups such as the Blue Cumberland Rhythm Boys, and Bert Weedon and His Harlem Hotshots, before making his first solo appearance at East Ham Town Hall in 1939.[ He worked with leading performers including ]Stephane Grappelli Stephane may refer to:
* Stéphane, a French given name
* Stephane (Ancient Greece), a vestment in ancient Greece
* Stephane (Paphlagonia)
Stephane ( grc, Στεφάνη) was a small port town on the coast of ancient Paphlagonia, according to Arr ...
and George Shearing
Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 t ...
, and performed with various big bands and orchestras, including those of Ted Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...
and Mantovani
Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (; 15 November 1905 – 29 March 1980) was an Anglo-Italian conductor, composer and light orchestra-styled entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature.
The book ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' stat ...
.[
He joined the BBC Show Band directed by ]Cyril Stapleton
Cyril Stapleton (31 December 1914 – 25 February 1974) was an English violinist and jazz bandleader.
Biography
Born Horace Cyril Stapleton in Mapperley, Nottingham, England, Stapleton began playing violin at the age of seven, and played on lo ...
in the 1950s, when he began to be featured as a soloist.[ Biography on official website]
Retrieved 20 April 2012 He also worked as a session musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
on many early British rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
and other records for artists such as Adam Faith
Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. A teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK Singles Chart with " What Do You Want?" (1959) and "P ...
, Billy Fury
Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known as Billy Fury, was an English singer, musician, songwriter, and actor. An early star of rock and roll, he equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s and spent 332 we ...
and Tommy Steele
Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.
After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...
and worked as an accompanist to visiting American singers such as Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
, Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
and Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...
. It is estimated that he performed on over 5,000 BBC radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
broadcasts.["Bert Weedon obituary".]
''The Guardian''. London. 20 April 2012. He was also seen regularly on British television in the 1950s, including some of the most popular children's television programmes.[ In 1959 he was asked by ]Top Rank Records
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...
to make a record as a solo guitarist.[ He became the first British guitarist in the ]UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, with "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" in 1959,stars
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...
, including Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
, Brian May
Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...
, Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
, John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
, Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
, Sting, Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the ba ...
, Robert Smith, Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
, Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...
and Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
.[
As well as his hits and TV appearances at a crucial time in modern music history, Weedon's best-known contribution to British guitar style is his tutorial guide ''Play in a Day'', first published in 1957,]["Bert Weedon".]
''The Daily Telegraph''. London. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012 which many stars claim was a major influence on their learning and playing. It sold over one million copies.[ He also wrote a follow-up, ''Play Every Day''. His playing style focused on both rhythm and ]melody
A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...
, and was influenced by the jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
guitarists of the 1950s, notably Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype ...
. Weedon placed a lot of emphasis on control of tone, and wanted to make the guitar the star of his music. The style became best known through the music of the Shadows
The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
, especially Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the ba ...
. The Bonzo Dog Band mentioned Weedon in their song "We are Normal" on their album, '' The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse'' (1969). In November 1976, Weedon made number one, for one week, in the UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
with ''22 Golden Guitar Greats
''22 Golden Guitar Greats'' is a compilation album by guitarist Bert Weedon released in 1976 on the Warwick label. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart in November 1976 making Weedon the first solo guitarist to have a number one album. ...
'', a compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
of guitar solos released on the Warwick label.[ According to Clapton, "I wouldn't have felt the urge to press on without the tips and encouragement Bert's book gives you. I've never met a player of any consequence that doesn't say the same thing."][McCormick, Neil (21 April 2012)]
"Farewell Bert Weedon, the man who helped make stars of John Lennon and Paul McCartney"
''The Telegraph.'' London. Retrieved 21 April 2012. Brian May stated: "There's not a guitarist in Britain from my generation who doesn't owe him a great debt of gratitude."[
]
Personal life
Married to Maggie Weedon, he had two sons, Lionel and Geoffrey, eight grandchildren and a great-grandson.[ As a Water Rat, Weedon was highly active in charity work and ]fundraising
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
, especially for children and the disabled, and was elected King Rat in 1992.[ He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for his services to music.][ Weedon died on 20 April 2012, following a long illness.
]
Legacy
Neville Marten, editor of ''Guitar Techniques'' magazine, commented that Bert Weedon's contribution to the guitar world cannot be overstated:
"With 'students' that number Eric Clapton, Brian May, Sting, Pete Townshend, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and countless others, Weedon could well be described as the most genuinely influential guitarist of all time."[
]
Discography
Chart singles
Releases
Albums (Top Rank label)
* BUY026: ''Kingsize Guitar''
* 35/101: ''Honky Tonk Guitar''
Fontana 6438 031 Rockin' at the Roundhouse 1970
Singles (all labels)
* DB 3264: "April In Paris" / "Everything I Have Is Yours" With Max Jaffa"78 (Columbia: 1953)
* DB 3343: "Dancing Duck" / "Golden Violins" With Max Jaffa"78 (1953)
* DB 3484: "Petite Ballerina" / "Sally" With Max Jaffa"78 (1954)
* R 4113: "Stranger Than Fiction" / "China Boogie" 78 (Parlophone: 1956)
* R 4178: "The Boy With The Magic Guitar" / "Flannel Foot" 78 (1957)
* R 4256: "Theme From ITV’s 64,000 Question" / "Twilight Time" 78 (1957)
* R 4315: "Soho Fair" / "Jolly Gigolo" 78 (1957)
* R 4381: "Play That Big Guitar" / "Quiet Quiet Shh!" 78 (1957)
* R 4446: "Big Note Blues" / "Rippling Tango" 78 (1958)
* SAG 2906: "Fifi" / "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" As The Rag Pickers"78 (Saga: 1959)
* JAR-117: "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" / "Bert's Boogie" 7"/78 (Top Rank: 1959)
* JAR-121: "Sing Little Birdie - Quickstep" / "The Lady is a Tramp - Quickstep" 7"/78 (1959)
* JAR-122: "Petite Fleur - Slow Foxtrot" / "My Happiness - Slow Foxtrot" 7"/78 (1959)
* JAR-123: "Charmaine - Waltz" / "It's Time to Say Goodnight - Waltz" 7"/78 (1959)
* JAR-136: "Teenage Guitar" / "Blue Guitar" 7"/78 (1959)
* JAR-210: "Jealousy - Tango / "Tango Tango" 7"/78 (1959)
* JAR-211: "Stardust - Slow Foxtrot" / "Summertime - Slow Foxtrot" 7"/78 (1959)
* JAR-221: "Nashville Boogie" / "King Size Guitar" 7"/78 (1959)
* JAR-300/TRS-1523: "Big Beat Boogie" / "Theme from a Summer Place" 7" (1960)
* JAR-360: "Twelfth Street Rag" / "Querida" 7" (1960)
* JAR-415: "Apache" / "Lonely Guitar" 7" (1960)
* JAR-517: "Sorry Robbie" / "Easy Beat" 7" (1960)
* JAR-537: "Ginchy" / "Yearning" 7" (1961)
* JAR-559: "Mr Guitar" / "Eclipse" 7" (1961)
* JAR-582: "Ghost Train" / "Fury" 7" (1961)
* JKP3008: "Weedon Winners" EP
References
External links
Bert Weedon official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weedon, Bert
1920 births
2012 deaths
English pop guitarists
English blues guitarists
English jazz guitarists
English male guitarists
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People from East Ham
Top Rank Records artists
Fontana Records artists
Parlophone artists
Polydor Records artists