Grammy-winning guitarist Jeff Beck has inspired millions during a career spanning more than four decades, playing a wide variety of blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and electronica. After picking up the guitar as a child, Beck joined the famed guitar group The Yardbirds in 1965. By 1967, he decided to form The Jeff Beck Group -- featuring Rod Stewart and Ron Wood -- which became a model act for hard-rock aficionados. Before long, Beck was widely considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time; in 2009, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
That year was big for Beck: He sold out a world tour and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, successes he followed with a return to the studio. Seven years after the release of his award-winning album Jeff in 2003, he began compiling songs for his new album Emotion and Commotion. Backed by a new band featuring Jason Rebello, Rhonda Smith, Narada Michael Walden and a 64-piece orchestra, Beck plays his guitar like never before. The virtuoso's intriguing mix of rock and classical covers ranges from "Over the Rainbow" to Mahler's Symphony No. 5.
This World Cafe segment originally aired on April 16.
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