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• Official Beck Website
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About Beck

Beck Hansen was born on July 8, 1970, in Los Angeles, CA. He was influenced artistically early in life by his father, who was a musician, and his mother, an artist; his maternal grandfather was also an artist. Growing up in Los Angeles, Beck was also exposed to many different genres of music, from Latin to hip-hop. During the mid-80s, Beck dropped out of high school and traveled to Europe, where he would play in public for money; he also spent time with his grandfather in Germany. After his time in Europe, Beck found himself in New York City in the late 1980s; he also became involved in the punk-influenced anti-folk music movement that was taking place at this time.

In the early 1990s, Beck moved back to Los Angeles, where he worked a series of low-paying and dead-end jobs all while living in a shed. Beck concentrated heavily on his music and continued to play for money on the streets. It was also during this time that Beck befriended Presidents of the United States of America founder Chris Ballew; the duo performed on the streets together for a while before Beck was signed to Bong Load Custom Records. Beck went on to record his hit "Loser," and it was picked up by a Santa Monica area college radio station. "Loser" was such a big hit that it led to Beck doing a live performance and left many record labels knocking on his door. Beck eventually decided to go with Geffen Records because even though Geffen offered him the least amount of money, they offered him the greatest amount of creative freedom.

Beck's debut album on Geffen entitled Mellow Gold led to mainstream success. Around the same time, Beck also released independent albums, Stereopathetic Soulmanure and One Foot in the Grave. In 1994, shortly after the releases, Beck set out on tour and even performed on the main stage of the 1995 Lollapalooza tour. After the release of Mellow Gold, many people criticized Beck and speculated he would be a one-hit wonder, but to their dismay, Beck released another album in 1996 entitled Odelay. With the catchy single "Where It's At," he proved those critics wrong.

Beck continued to show his musical talent through other albums he has released over the years including Mutations (1998), Midnite Vultures (1999), Sea Change (2002), Guero (2005), and The Information (2006). Beck's latest album, entitled Modern Guilt, was released on July 8, 2008.