BBC News - Influential guitarist Bert Weedon dies

Influential guitarist Bert Weedon dies



Bert Weedon is credited with helping some of the best-known guitar stars learn the instrument
Influential guitarist Bert Weedon, best known for creating the popular tutorial manual Play In A Day, has died aged 91.
Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and Brian May are among the stars who learned to play guitar from his books.
Born in east London, in May 1920, he had been ill for some time and died at his home in Beaconsfield, his friend John Adrian said.
He was awarded an OBE in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Music.
Aged 12, Weedon picked up his first guitar after convincing his father to buy him a second-hand one from a London market.
As a child, he studied classical guitar - a grounding which later enabled him to play any genre of guitar music at sight.
He began his career in showbusiness working with Ted Heath, Mantovani and The Squadronnaires, before becoming a featured soloist with the BBC Show Band show.
As a solo guitarist, he created many hits, including Guitar Boogie Shuffle, Apache and Nashville Boogie. In 1976 he became the first solo guitar player to top the Official Top 40 Album charts with 22 Golden Guitar Greats.
He was later in great demand with stars such as Sir Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele.
Weedon also accompanied artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole and Judy Garland.