Bert Weedon Dies: Guitarist Who Inspired Eric Clapton

BERT WEEDON has died, aged 91, the UK Press Association reports. The influential guitarist, who created the enduringly-popular 'Play in a day' series of guitar tutorials, passed away at his home in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. He had been ill for a while, according to the report. His friend, John Adrian, confirmed to the press that Weedon had passed away and said "He had been poorly for a while but, even so, this was sudden. He was one of my dearest friends."

Bert was born in London in 1920 and bought his first guitar from Petticoat Lane market when he was just twelve years old. He became known as 'Mr Guitar' and he started out playing with the popular Ted Heath band, before seeking solo success and selling millions of records, including the hit 'Guitar Boogie Shuffle' and 'Nashville Boogie.' With the arrival of rock and roll, Weedon quickly became a sought-after session musician, lending his skills to the likes of Cliff Richard, Adam Faith and BILLY FURY. In 1957, he published his first 'Play in a Day' book, which went on to influence many infamous guitarists.

Eric Clapton once said that he had "never met a player of any consequence" who had not learned from BERT WEEDON's books. The DJ Mike Read has also paid tribute to Burt, saying "Bert didn't have his first hit until he was in his 40s so he had paid his dues but he was too late to be one of those guitarist heartthrobs. But when guys like Tommy Steele wanted a guitarist on their records it was Bert that they wanted."