Mr. Weedon was an early rock-and-roll guitar star in Britain in the
late 1950s, with a series of instrumental hits that included “Guitar
Boogie Shuffle,’’ “Apache,’’ and “Nashville Boogie.’’ But when his
instructional book was first published in 1957, he became something of a
spiritual godfather to a generation of would-be guitar heroes.
Its
title - “Play in a Day’’ - offered the hope of instant musical
gratification. The lessons began at the most basic level, with an
illustration of how to hold a guitar. Weedon taught novices how to get
through many rock-and-roll songs with three basic chords and included
pointers on how to play a few basic tunes.
His guide, which was
updated through the 1980s, sold millions of copies, leading Britain’s
Independent newspaper to call
Mr. Weedon “the man who taught the world
to play the guitar.’’
Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Keith Richards,
the Who’s Pete Townshend, and three of the Beatles - George Harrison,
John Lennon, and Paul McCartney - studied Mr. Weedon’s book.
“I like to think that I’ve helped in some way to make the guitar the most popular instrument in the world,’’ he said in 1997.
Herbert Maurice Weedon was born in London on May 10, 1920. His father was a subway driver and amateur singer.
Mr. Weedon was 12 when he bought a secondhand guitar. He wanted to learn to
play jazz, but his first teacher - an elderly music-shop owner -
refused to teach him anything but classical music.
“He picked up
his guitar and played Chopin’s Prelude No. 7,’’ Mr. Weedon told London’s
Daily Mail newspaper in 1995. “I had never heard anything so beautiful
in my life. I sat transfixed and he said: ‘That’s what I’m going to
teach you.’ And I said: ‘Yes, please.’ ’’‘
By 14, Mr. Weedon was performing in dance bands. He was a featured soloist before World War II.
He
volunteered with rescue units during the London bombing blitz and,
after the war, replaced Django Reinhardt in a group led by Grappelli, a
prominent jazz violinist.
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As a member of a BBC band in the 1950s,
Mr. Weedon was known for his ability to sight-read any style of music.
He was the host of children’s television shows and performed with many
acclaimed singers, including Sinatra.
“He asked me if I’d like to
go and play guitar in America,’’ Mr. Weedon recalled in 1995. “He was
the greatest pop singer in the world and I was immensely flattered. I
thanked him very much, but I told him no. I said I’d rather be a bigger
fish in a smaller pond.’’
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Mr. Weedon recorded well into the 1980s,
and one of his albums from the 1970s, “22 Golden Guitar Greats,’’
reached No. 1 on the British charts, knocking Led Zeppelin out of the
top slot.
His first marriage, to Doris Weedon, ended in divorce. He leaves his wife of 53 years, Maggie Weedon; and two sons.
The New Yorkers Interpol will open the show on 10 June. In the late evening the headliner Italian band Negramaro will bring the festival's second day to an end.