Bert Weedon

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Bert Weedon OBE (born 10 May 1920, East Ham, Essex, now Greater London) is an influential English guitarist and composer during the 1950s and 60s.

Weedon began learning the guitar at the age of twelve. The first British guitarist in the UK Singles Chart, with "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" in 1959, he was an influence on many of today's big names, including Eric Clapton, Brian May, Mike Oldfield, The Shadows and The Beatles.

As well as his hits and TV appearances at a crucial time in modern British music history, his best-known contribution to British guitar style is his tutorial guide "Play in a Day", which many stars claim was a major influence on their learning and playing.

His playing style focuses on both rhythm and melody, and is itself influenced by the jazz guitarists of the 1950s, notably Les Paul. Weedon placed a lot of emphasis on control of tone, and wanted to make the guitar the star of his music. He won, and his name was synonymous with the guitar for a whole generation of young music fans.^{[citation needed]}

Modest, gentle and unassuming, he is a far cry from the modern guitar hero. The later 1960s generation of underground rock performers satirised him as too mainstream, the Bonzo Dog Band singing the line "We are normal and we dig Bert Weedon" in 1968.

Married to Maggie Weedon with two sons by marriage, Lionel and Geoffrey. Grandchildren Jeremy Weedon, Colin Weedon, Nicholas Weedon, Jim Weedon, Annie Weedon, Matthew Weedon, Oscar Weedon and Theo Weedon.

A Water Rat, he is highly active in charity work and fundraising, especially for children and the disabled, and was elected King Rat in 1992. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001 for his services to entertainment and charities.

His playing style is best known nowadays through the music of The Shadows, especially Hank Marvin.

[edit] Selected discography

Releases on the Top Rank label

BUY026 Kingsize Guitar LP
35/101 Honky Tonk Guitar LP
JAR117 Guitar Boogie Shuffle / Bert's Boogie 7"/78
JAR121 Sing Little Birdie-Quickstep / The Lady is a Tramp-Quickstep 7"/78
JAR122 Petite Fleur-Slow Foxtrot / My Happiness-Slow Foxtrot 7"/78
JAR123 Charmaine-Waltz / It's Time to Say Goodnight-Waltz 7"/78
JAR136 Teenage Guitar / Blue Guitar 7"/78
JAR210 Jealousy-Tango / Tango Tango 7"/78
JAR211 Stardust-Slow Foxtrot / Summertime-Slow Foxtrot 7"/78
JAR221 Nashville Boogie / King Size Guitar 7"/78
JAR300 Big Beat Boogie / Theme from a Summer Place 7"
JAR360 Twelfth Street Rag / Querida 7" (As Bert Weedon & His Honky Tonk Guitar)
JAR415 Apache / Lonely Guitar 7"
JAR517 Sorry Robbie / Easy Beat 7"
JAR537 Ginchy / Yearning 7"
JAR559 Mr Guitar / Eclipse 7"
JAR582 Ghost Train / Fury 7"
JKP3008 Weedon Winners EP