At Andrea Bocelli’s recent concert series in Italy, Johnny Depp joined the world-renowned tenor on stage to pay tribute to the late guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck. The three-day series, celebrating Bocelli’s 30-year musical career, took place in his hometown of Lajatico at the Teatro del Silenzio open-air amphitheatre.
During the performance, Depp and Bocelli collaborated on “En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor,” a track they had previously played with Beck in 2020. The recording of that performance was integrated into their recent tribute, allowing them to honor Beck’s contribution to the piece.
Tom Zutaut, a renowned A&R executive, recently shared his early impressions of Johnny Depp’s musical talent, recalling that Depp’s initial attempts at guitar playing left much to be desired. Zutaut described Depp as the worst guitarist he had ever encountered at the time, despite his undeniable charisma.
He suggested to Depp’s manager that while Depp might not make it as a musician, his star quality could be better utilized in TV or film.
A decade later, Zutaut was surprised to encounter Depp again, this time as a major actor. He attended a performance by Rock City Angels at the Coconut Teaszer nightclub in Hollywood, where Depp was playing guitar. Though Depp was still not the best guitarist, Zutaut noted his massive improvement, attributing it to Depp’s dedication to learning the instrument during his acting career.
“I thought that Johnny Depp wasn’t going to be a rock star… You know, Johnny Depp auditioned for me twice. This is a funny story. I go to a rehearsal, the manager’s a friend of mine, and he goes, ‘I got this band from Jacksonville, they’re great.’ I go see ’em, and they were terrible. Johnny Depp was the worst guitarist I’d ever seen — but his charisma was insane, you know?”
“Afterwards, I look at his manager, and I said, ‘Listen, buddy, he can’t make it, but you should get this kid an agent and put him in TV or on a movie; this kid’s a star. But the songs suck, and musicianship is terrible.'”
“Johnny Depp pops up again in my life, 10 years later. He’s, like, the biggest actor in the world. And I get a phone call. Somebody goes, ‘Hey, there’s this band playing the [Hollywood nightclub] Coconut Teaszer tonight. They’re great. They’re from Jacksonville, and they got a famous guitar player, but I’m not gonna tell you who it is. Just come.'”
“So, I go, and I see fucking Johnny Depp up on the stage, and the band is Rock City Angels… And he was not the greatest, but he’s doing it. He finally learned how to play, I guess. When you’re born on the set, you can teach yourself to play guitar when they’re filming everybody else’s scenes.”
https://x.com/deppbrazilfc/status/1813701324489572863
Aerosmith also stole from Jeff Beck before his death.
