Beck
Beck | |
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Beck performing in 2006 |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Bek David Campbell[1][2] |
Born | July 8, 1970 (age 42) Los Angeles, California, United States |
Genres | Alternative rock, anti-folk |
Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician, producer |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, harmonica, percussion, sitar, banjo, slide guitar, twelve-string guitar, glockenspiel, vocoder, kalimba, melodica, beatboxing |
Years active | 1988–present |
Labels | DGC, Interscope, Geffen, XL, Bong Load |
Associated acts | The Flaming Lips, Devendra Banhart, Charlotte Gainsbourg, The White Stripes, JSBX, Thurston Moore |
Website | www.beck.com |
Notable instruments | |
1449 Silvertone Danelectro |
Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, July 8, 1970[3]) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck.
The four-time platinum artist rose to underground popularity with his early works, which combined social criticism with musical and lyrical experimentation. He first earned wider public attention for his breakthrough single "Loser", a 1994 hit. Beck is known for creating musical collages of a wide range of styles.
Two of Beck's most popular and acclaimed recordings are Odelay (1996) and Sea Change (2002).[4][5][6] Odelay was awarded Album of the Year by the American magazine Rolling Stone and by UK publications NME and Mojo. Odelay also received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Both Odelay and Sea Change appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Early life
Beck was born in Los Angeles, California, to David Campbell, a Canadian musician, and Bibbe Hansen, a visual artist and former Warhol "star". His father is of Scottish heritage and his mother is half Norwegian, a quarter Jewish and a quarter Swedish.[7] His maternal grandfather is Al Hansen, a visual collage artist of the Fluxus school of art. Beck's paternal grandfather was a Presbyterian minister. When his parents separated, Beck stayed with his mother and brother in Los Angeles, where he was influenced by the city's diverse musical offerings—everything from hip hop to Latin music and his mother's art scene—all of which would later reappear in his recorded and published work.[8]