The two guitar icons, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix, may never have built a close friendship, but it was known that they appreciated each other’s works. Actually, Beck felt such an admiration for Jimi that the late musician’s tribute to him on the song ‘Freedom’ became one of his most treasured memories, as he revealed in a recent appearance on SiriusXM.
“He did, that means, I can die happy,” replied Jeff Beck when asked about whether Jimi Hendrix used his riff in ‘Freedom.’ Speaking on their shared memories, Beck said, “There is not one single photo of Jimmy and me on this planet. There is not one single photo of us together unless somebody out there has got one.”
“There is one picture which was taken with me on bass off out of the shot, and Ronnie Wood is peering behind a screen, so I know I was playing bass because why he was behind the screen,” the guitarist continued. “He was looking around, and Jimi was there with my Les Paul upside down. So I know that I was on stage, but why did the guy only take him? I know I’m ugly, but there is a limit.”
In his previous interviews, Jeff Beck had revealed that he had encountered Jimi Hendrix at occasional moments, but he never had the chance to get to know him well. However, there was one night they shared the same stage while the musician was playing with his Jeff Beck Group. Jimi came up and played Beck’s guitar, resulting in Jeff handling the bass. It is apparent that the two highly-skilled guitarists inspired each other and enjoyed playing together.
Below, you can watch the video from the interview and listen to the song.
