Two of the greatest guitarists of all time are Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Without the two, the sounds of Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmour, Brian May, Kurt Cobain, Slash, Ace Fraley, and nearly every notable guitar that came after them would be entirely different. That is just how essential their influence is on not just rock and roll, but on the instrument in general.
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Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page’s relationship started in the early 1960s after Beck’s sister introduced them. Thanks to their deep affinity for one another, Page inducted Beck into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 before his passing in 2023. Prior to Beck’s induction and following their initial connection, the two actually played in the same band for a short period of time. That band was the iconic Yardbirds, which didn’t just produce Beck and Page, but also Eric Clapton.
Following Clapton’s departure from The Yardbirds, the lineup started to become a bit ever-changing. Consequently, Page and Beck got the opportunity to play together in the band for just a few months, and that is because the partnership brewed up some competition between the two friends.
Irons Sharpens Iron: Why Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck Only Lasted a Few Months
Many of us have likely had friends that we’ve dearly loved, but at the same time also wanted nothing more than to beat them at whatever endeavor we were both pursuing. It’s not criminal to feel that way, as it’s human nature, and that is precisely what happened between Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page during their time in The Yardbirds together.
Recalling the competitive nature of the two while in the band, Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty stated in Led Zeppelin: The Biography, “It was fascinating to watch, but it was also unhealthy.” Chris Deja, the bassist, added, “I personally don’t think Jimmy ever went out on stage with the intention of trying to blow Jeff off the stage. But with Jeff, I think, it got to be a ‘my-balls-are-bigger-than-yours’ sort of thing.”
Iron does, in fact, sharpen iron, but as you’d probably guess or maybe even experienced firsthand, a band isn’t the place where this should go down. As a result and for other reasons, Jeff Beck was let go from the band in 1966. Concerning the competition with his friend, Jimmy Page, Beck stated in the book, “In the end, we were just on opposite sides of the stage, glaring at each other and blowing all night.”
Friends will be friends, competitors will be competitors, and sometimes they will be both at the same time.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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