Credit: Far Out / Allan Warren
Talent alone is not enough for an artist to climb to the top. There are various other contributing factors, and none are more important than luck. As Rod Stewart can attest, being in the right place at the right time is the most crucial ingredient to success, and taking advantage of a big break when it arrives is crucial.
Stewart’s entire adult life has revolved around music, and in all likelihood, if he’d never hit the big time, he’d have still devoted his weekends to performing in clubs. Fortunately, it didn’t resort to that. As a fresh-faced teenager, he embroiled himself in London’s bustling rhythm and blues scene, quickly earning a reputation for his soulful vocals.
Before being recruited to front the Jeff Beck Group in 1967, Stewart had attempted to forge a solo career and even performed on national television, but much to his frustration, it failed to take off. He then joined Shotgun Express alongside the Fleetwood Mac duo Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood. However, despite their individual talent, it didn’t work out.
Thankfully, shortly after their demise, Jeff Beck came to the rescue and changed the trajectory of Stewart’s ailing career. The first incarnation of the Jeff Beck Group also included Ronnie Wood, with who Stewart would go on to build a formidable partnership in the Faces.
Beck had already established himself as a mighty guitarist during his tenure with The Yardbirds, and naturally, his flock of flans followed him to his next venture.
Credit: Far Out / Alamy
While the original line-up only enjoyed two years together before moving onto pastures new, it was a formative period for everybody involved and a steep learning curve in a million ways. Without this opportunity, Stewart likely would have never grown close to Wood and formed the Faces, which set him up for a hugely successful solo career.
Part of what made the Jeff Beck Group so influential, despite its relatively short lifespan, was the combustible chemistry between its members. Beck’s explosive and inventive guitar playing collided perfectly with Stewart’s rough-edged soul vocals and Ronnie Wood’s loose, groove-heavy style, creating a sound that bridged blues rock, hard rock and early heavy metal.
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Although commercial success was limited compared to some of their contemporaries, the band’s raw intensity would later prove hugely influential on groups ranging from Led Zeppelin to Aerosmith.
The experience also toughened Stewart and Wood before their rise with Faces and Stewart’s eventual solo superstardom. Living hand-to-mouth while touring America gave both musicians a firsthand understanding of how precarious life in the music industry could be, even for artists attached to respected names.
That struggle likely made their later success feel even more meaningful, while Stewart’s reflections on Beck show he never lost sight of who first opened the door for him internationally. Although Stewart was unhappy with some aspects of his tenure with the Jeff Beck Group, such as Beck’s business acumen, the singer had nothing but respect toward the guitarist on a human level.
During a conversation with Classic Rock in 2023, Stewart explained his financial predicament while fronting the Jeff Beck Group despite their success. The frontman admitted, “Jeff was a great guy, but he wasn’t a great bandleader. I mean, you have to look after your band. I remember when me and Ronnie were staying in New York, and we never got a per diem, we just got our money every week, and sometimes that money would be very late in coming.”
Stewart said it was “not necessarily Jeff’s fault, but his manager”. However, the singer and Wood were left to shoplift in order to eat while in New York because they weren’t getting paid, which partially explains why they eventually walked away from the band.
Nevertheless, they stayed close over the years, and when Beck passed away, Stewart was beside himself with grief. He was aware that his life would look incredibly different if they had never crossed paths, but most of all, the vocalist was in awe of Beck’s talent, sharing, “Jeff Beck was on another planet. He took me and Ronnie Wood to the USA in the late ’60s in his band, the Jeff Beck Group, and we haven’t looked back since.”
Stewart continued: “He was one of the few guitarists that, when playing live, would actually listen to me sing and respond. Jeff, you were the greatest, my man. Thank you for everything.”
The entire rock landscape was united in mourning following Beck’s sad passing, but few had the opportunity to know him on a comparable level with Stewart, and his emotional tribute represents the strength of their bond.
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