Les Paul tribute from Jeff Beck and the Imelda May Band

Les Paul

Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck with Imelda May and her Band will pay homage to guitar icon Les Paul with a “Rock And Roll Party” concert tribute in Les Paul's home state of New Jersey. 

Concerts East and State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey will present Jeff Beck and the Imelda May Band on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 8pm. Tickets range from $40-85.

Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Beck, will mesmerize the audience with a tour de force performance of classics Paul recorded with Mary Ford: “How High The Moon,” “Vaya Con Dios,” and “Mockin’ Bird Hill,” along with such rock and roll standards as “Twenty Flight Rock” and “Walking In The Sand.”

This special performance is an extended celebration of Beck’s recent June 9th concert special “The Celebration to Honor Les Paul.” That night, Beck paid fitting tribute, celebrating what would have been the guitarist’s 95th birthday, by playing his friend and mentor’s music along with classic tunes from the era. The New Jersey setting is fitting since Les was a longtime NJ resident and has been inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame along with fellow music masters as Frank Sinatra, Count Basie and Bruce Springsteen.

Imelda May, who joined Beck on stage at the 2010 Grammy® Awards for a spot-on rendition of Paul’s “How High The Moon,” will join Beck once again to recreate the June 9th tribute concert.

About Jeff Beck
Growing up in Wallington, England, four-time Grammy® Award-winner Jeff Beck was inspired by music at a very early age. It wasn’t long before Beck picked up a guitar and began playing around London. In 1965, he replaced Eric Clapton as the Yardbirds’ lead guitarist and then left the band in 1967 and formed The Jeff Beck Group, which featured Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on bass. The band released two albums, Truth (1968) and Beck-Ola (1969), that became musical touchstones for hard rockers in the years to come. Stewart and Wood left to join the Faces and Beck disbanded the group until 1971 when he formed a new version of the band and recorded two albums, Rough and Ready and The Jeff Beck Group. Beck again dissolved the group and formed a power trio with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, which released Beck, Bogert and Appice (1973).

Veering away from hard rock, Beck created two landmark jazz-fusion albums, Blow By Blow (1975) and Wired (1976). The all-instrumental albums shattered people’s preconceptions of what a rock guitarist was supposed to sound like. The albums, both a critical and popular success, remain two of the top-selling guitar instrumental albums of all time. These days, Beck continues to record and tour, recently embarking on a major world tour to support his latest album, Emotion & Commotion.

About Imelda May
Born in Dublin, Imelda May is unmistakable both in her music—a fusion of surf guitars, blues and rockabilly—and her style. Her debut album Love Tattoo, which she recorded and released on her own label, went Triple Platinum in Ireland. She has shared a stage with Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry, David Gilmour, Sharon Shannon, Shane Macgowan, Kirsty McCall, Van Morrison, Lionel Richie, Wanda Jackson, Paul Brady, and Meatloaf.  Her new album Mayhem shows May’s continued development of her uniquely modern fusion of classic musical genres and showcases her exceptional songwriting abilities.

For tickets or more information, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm; Saturday 1pm to 5pm; and at least one hour prior to curtain on performance dates. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 517.

"How High The Moon" performed by Imelda May