Jeff Beck was one of rock’s greatest guitarists. But two live blues albums left him in awe

Jeff Beck, the influential guitarist who died in 2023, named two live blues albums among his favourites: B.B. King’s *Live at the Regal* and Muddy Waters’s *At Newport 1960*. His choices show how even a celebrated virtuoso drew inspiration from other performers, and highlight the lasting influence of blues on rock music.

Beck said he discovered King’s 1965 recording around 1963, praising its electrifying guitar playing and King’s command of the microphone. He admired Waters’s rich, expressive singing on the 1960 Newport performance, particularly on “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man”, and said Waters could sound great even with a poor guitarist.