Jason Becker facts for kids

Jason Eli Becker (born July 22, 1969) is an American musician and composer. He is famous for his amazing guitar skills. When he was just 16, Jason joined a band called Cacophony with his friend Marty Friedman. They released two albums together.

After Cacophony, Jason started his own solo music career. He released many albums, starting with Perpetual Burn in 1988. He also played with the famous singer David Lee Roth.

Sadly, Jason was diagnosed with a serious illness called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 1989. This illness slowly made it impossible for him to play guitar or even speak. But Jason is incredibly strong. He now communicates using his eyes. He also continues to compose music with the help of a computer. He has released several albums since his diagnosis, showing his amazing spirit.

Jason Becker's Early Life and Music Career

Growing Up and Discovering Guitar

Jason Becker was born in Richmond, California, on July 22, 1969. His parents were Gary and Patricia Becker. His grandfather was the actor Wayne Heffley. Jason grew up surrounded by music. Both his father and uncle played the guitar.

He listened to many different types of music from all over the world. Jason learned from these styles and mixed them into his own playing. Some of his early guitar heroes included Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen.

Joining Cacophony and Starting Solo Music

Jason Becker began his music journey playing with Marty Friedman. They formed a duo called Cacophony. They released two albums: Speed Metal Symphony and Go Off!. The band toured in Japan and the U.S. While they were not huge in the U.S., they were very popular in Europe.

In 1989, Jason joined David Lee Roth's solo band. Before that, in 1988, he had already released his first solo album, Perpetual Burn. Marty Friedman later joined the band Megadeth. Jason has since released many more solo albums. These include Perspective, Collection, and Triumphant Hearts. He also released two albums of demo songs, The Raspberry Jams and The Blackberry Jams.

Facing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

In 1989, Jason Becker joined David Lee Roth's band. He was working on the album A Little Ain't Enough. During this time, Jason noticed a weakness in his left leg. Soon after, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This disease is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Doctors told him he might only have a few years to live.

Jason bravely finished recording the album. He used special techniques to make it easier to play with his weakening hands. Even though he finished the album, he could not join the tour. His illness made it impossible for him to perform on stage.

Over time, ALS made it impossible for Jason to play guitar. He also lost the ability to walk and, eventually, to speak. But Jason's mind remains sharp. His father developed a system that lets Jason communicate using only his eyes. With the help of a computer, he continues to compose music. In his Perspective CD case, Jason wrote, "I have Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It has crippled my body and speech, but not my mind." His health has been stable since 1997.

How Jason Composes Music Now

In 1996, Jason released his album Perspective. He had started writing this music before ALS completely affected his body. He used his guitar, and later a keyboard, to compose as his illness progressed.

When he could no longer play a keyboard, his friend Mike Bemesderfer helped him. They used a special computer program. This program reads Jason's head and eye movements. This amazing technology allows Jason to keep creating music.

Raspberry Jams and Blackberry Jams

Later, Jason released Raspberry Jams (1999) and Blackberry Jams (2003). These albums contained many unreleased demo songs. They also had different versions of songs that appeared on other albums.

Many guitarists have created tribute albums for Jason Becker. These albums are called Warmth in the Wilderness I and Warmth in the Wilderness II. Famous guitarists like Steve Vai and Marty Friedman played on them. The money from these albums helps Jason with his medical costs.

Collection and Other Albums

On November 4, 2008, a new Jason Becker album called Collection was released. This album included three new songs. It also featured some older recordings, some of which had never been heard before. Other famous musicians like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai were featured on the album.

In 2012, Jason released an album called Boy Meets Guitar. This album featured music he recorded when he was a teenager. His most recent album, Triumphant Hearts, was released on December 7, 2018. Fans helped fund this album, raising over $100,000.

Jason Becker's Musical Style

Jason Becker is known as a guitar virtuoso. This means he was incredibly skilled at playing the guitar. He was considered one of the best players of his time. He studied the works of the famous violinist Niccolò Paganini. Jason even performed Paganini's 5th Caprice in a guitar video.

Jason's songs often feature very fast guitar parts. These parts include quick scales and arpeggios. These were common in his "shred" style of playing. He used advanced techniques like sweep picking and tapping. Jason was a leader in the technical shred guitar style of the 1980s. Many musicians still respect and honor his playing today. The song "Serrana" from his Perspective album shows his amazing sweep-picking skills.

Influence on Other Guitarists

Many guitarists say Jason Becker's playing influenced them. Some of these famous guitarists include Nita Strauss, Guthrie Govan, and Herman Li.

Media and Documentaries

Jason Becker has appeared on the covers of many music magazines. These include Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Guitar Player. He was also interviewed for a book about speed guitar players.

A full-length documentary film about Jason Becker was released in 2012. It is called Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet. The film includes interviews with Jason, his family, and friends. It also features musicians he worked with, like Marty Friedman and Steve Vai.

Jason Becker's Guitars and Equipment

Jason Becker used many different guitars and amplifiers throughout his career. His first guitar was an acoustic one. Before joining Cacophony, he played a Fender Stratocaster guitar. He used this guitar to record the album Speed Metal Symphony.

For his next guitars, Jason used Hurricane brand guitars. He said they were like Strats but "beefier." He recorded his solo album Perpetual Burn using a white and black Hurricane guitar. For clean sounds, he plugged directly into the recording equipment. For a distorted sound, he used a Marshall amplifier with a Boss Super Overdrive pedal.

Later, for the second Cacophony album, Jason switched to Carvin guitars. He used two Carvin DC Series models. These guitars had double cutaway bodies and special tremolo systems. He used these until his ALS diagnosis in 1989.

During the recording of A Little Ain't Enough with David Lee Roth, Jason used many different guitars. These included Carvin, Ibanez, ESP, and Valley Arts guitars. He also used a Les Paul and a Gibson acoustic guitar.

Today, Paradise Guitars USA has released a special Jason Becker signature guitar. It looks similar to a Peavey guitar he once used. It has colorful numbered fret inlays. The guitar features special DiMarzio pickups in yellow, red, green, pink, and blue. These colors match the inlays, giving the guitar a rainbow look.

In 2012, Carvin also created a JB200C Jason Becker Tribute guitar. This guitar is based on the original Carvin DC200 model Jason used. Later, in 2015, Kiesel Guitars released another tribute model called the JB24 "Numbers" guitar. This is the third version of his "Numbers" guitar design.

Jason typically used Dean Markley and SIT guitar strings.

Discography

Cacophony

• Speed Metal Symphony (1987)
• Go Off! (1988)

Marty Friedman

• Dragon's Kiss (1988)
• Inferno (2014)

Solo

• Perpetual Burn (1988)
• Perspective (1996)
• The Raspberry Jams (1999)
• The Blackberry Jams (2003)
• Collection (2008)
• Boy Meets Guitar, Vol. 1 of the Youngster Tapes (2012)
• Triumphant Hearts (2018)

David Lee Roth

• A Little Ain't Enough (1991)

Joe Becker

• Short Stories (2005)

Other works

• Richie Kotzen (1989, producer)
• Daydream by the Hudson on Steve Hunter's 2013 The Manhattan Blues Project

Compilations

• Guitar Masters, 1989, Roadrunner Records
• Metal Guitars – High Voltage Instrumentals,1998, Disky Communications
• Shrapnel's Super Shredders: Neoclassical,2009, Shrapnel
• This is Shredding, Vol. 1, 2009, Shrapnel
• This is Shredding, Vol. 2, 2009, Shrapnel

Tribute

• Warmth in the Wilderness: A Tribute to Jason Becker, 2001, Lion Music
• Warmth in Wilderness 2: Tribute Jason Becker, 2002, Lion Music
• Jason Becker's Not Dead Yet! (Live in Haarlem), 2012, Primal Events

Instructional

• Hot Licks – The Legendary Guitar of Jason Becker
• In The Style Of Jason Becker, feat. Max Dible. DC Music School

Films

• Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet (2012)
• One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das (2012)

See also

In Spanish: Jason Becker para niños