Beck Biography

The American musician Beck David Campbell was born into a creative family in Los Angeles. His father was a conductor and string arranger, his mother an ex-Warholian actress and his grandfather a key Fluxus artist.

Dropping out of school in tenth grade, he began playing acoustic blues and folk music as a street busker, and dabbling in poetry-slams.

After trying to make it in New York, he was discovered in 1991 by Bong Load label, who convinced him to place some hip-hop beats behind his folk music. Recording with Karl Stephenson and Calvin Johnson, he released ‘MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack’ in 1992. Beck followed this with ‘Loser’, a 12-inch single, which became an instant local radio hit - Bong Load even had trouble printing enough copies to meet demand.

Signing to Geffen on a non-exclusive basis, he continued to release independently, with ‘Western Harvest Field By Moonlight’ in 1994. That year, ‘Loser’ was released nationally, and became a generational anthem. The album, ‘Mellow Gold’, went platinum.

’Stereopathetic Soul Manure’ and ‘One Foot in the Grave’ saw Beck switch between lo-fi noise and acoustic folk, and he embarked upon his first major tour in 1995.

Made with the Dust Brothers, ‘Odelay’ was released in 1996, to massive acclaim, and popular success for singles such as ‘Devil’s Haircut’, ‘Jack-Ass’ and ‘The New Pollution’. Beck also picked up two Grammys that year.

The mellow follow-up, ‘Mutations’ disappointed some and his next, ‘Midnite Vultures’, divided opinion with its Prince-style party funk. Nonetheless, Beck won another Grammy in 2000, dueted with Emmylou Harris and appeared on Air’s 10,000 Hz Legend.

In 2002 Beck released ‘Sea Change’, promoting it with an acoustic tour, before adopting The Flaming Lips as his backing band.