Beck Biography

Fast Facts

• His first majorly successful album, 1996's "Odelay," was certified platinum and named album of the year by Rolling Stone, Spin and the Village Voice
• After its official release, "Loser" peaked at No․ 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1994
• His father, music composer and conductor David Campbell, has worked on hundreds of albums like Carole King's "Tapestry" and Evanescence's "Fallen," as well as on films like "Brokeback Mountain․"
• Developed his song "Loser" during casual recording sessions with Tom Rothrock, owner of Bongload Records, and it became so popular on Los Angeles' KROQ radio station that it led to bidding wars among major recording labels
• Got his start performing at coffee shops in Los Angeles with other underground acts like That Dog and Ethyl Meatplow
• Quote: "[on the success of "Loser"] "It's like if a friend took a stupid picture of you at a party on their phone, and the next thing you knew, it was on every billboard․""
• Alternative rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose hit songs include "Girl" and "Loser․"
• Launched Beck's Record Club in 2009, which gathers together likeminded musicians like MGMT and Devendra Banhart to record cover versions of whole albums
• In 1998, he arranged a traveling art exhibition that combined his own visual artwork with some by his late grandfather, Al Hansen, who was a founder of the avant-garde Fluxus movement