THE 1969 CAR CRASH THAT NEARLY ENDED JEFF BECK'S MUSIC CAREER
By ALLEN MCDUFFEE
History - Science
The Jeff Beck Group’s success, and turning down Woodstock, were hardly the most eventful moments for bandleader Jeff Beck in 1969. In December of that year, after declining to join the Rolling Stones, Beck had a car accident that nearly ended his career as he suffered a skull fracture that was so serious that he took a year off of music to properly recover.
In his book “Beck 01: Hot Rods and Rock 'n' Roll,” Beck wrote about the accident, “After the crash, it took me a while to get back into music but it did prompt the second Jeff Beck Group. At this point I'd had a bash to the head and a fractured skull. I don't know what happened to my brain, but I couldn't stand loud noises at all, let alone the thought of cymbals crashing around.”
The 1969 crash was hardly Beck's last car-related accident, as he once smashed his thumb under a car while working on it and he burned holes in his hands while sandblasting a chassis. Given how much his work relies on his hands, some may question risking his career over cars; however, Beck told GQ, “If I worried about my fingers, I'd never pick up a pair of pliers.”