Jason Becker
A guitar virtuoso whose technical brilliance was matched only by his profound resilience, continuing to compose complex music after ALS took his ability to play.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American guitarist and composer·Birthday: July 22·Generation X
Biography
Jason Becker's story is one of meteoric talent and unbreakable spirit. As a teenager in the late 1980s, he was a wunderkind of the shred guitar world, forming the influential duo Cacophony with Marty Friedman and releasing a solo album, 'Perpetual Burn,' that remains a benchmark for technical guitar. His skill earned him the ultimate rock gig: replacing Steve Vai in David Lee Roth's band. But at the peak of this ascent, Becker was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Doctors gave him years to live; he defied them by decades. Though the disease eventually paralyzed him completely, taking his voice and movement, he never stopped composing. Using a system of eye movements to communicate musical notes to his father, Becker has crafted a series of deeply emotional, complex albums, transforming his narrative from one of loss into a powerful testament to the creative will.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jason was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jason Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Jason's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Released the seminal instrumental guitar album 'Perpetual Burn' at age 19, influencing a generation of musicians.
- Joined David Lee Roth's band as lead guitarist, recording the album 'A Little Ain't Enough.'
- Composed and released multiple full-length albums of original music after becoming paralyzed by ALS, using eye-tracking technology.
Did You Know?
His composition 'End of the Beginning' was used in the 2004 film 'The Great Raid.'
Becker's life and work are the subject of the documentary 'Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet.'
He continues to compose music by communicating note-by-note with his eyes via a system developed by his father.
“I have a great life. I am surrounded by love.”
