"Black Dog" was one of nine covers included on Hart's recently released studio album, A Tribute to Led Zeppelin.
She had a chance to work with Jimmy Page in the early 2000s, but it didn't work out. Instead, she soon landed an equally impressive gig, writing and touring with Jeff Beck, beginning in 2006. (Excerpt from UCR)
Hart as she prepared for the next leg of her tour in April. She discussed with UCR on why she didn't get the gig with Page, the experience of working with Beck, and the new music she's been working on.
Jason Flom had originally given me a hookup to Jimmy Page, Beth recalls. My DVD had gone to him. His wife at the time, I guess was pretty frickin’ jealous. She said, “No frickin’ way, are you working with that girl.” So then it went to Jeff Beck. But when he got it, he didn’t get [my live DVD at the] Paradiso [in Amsterdam] at first. He got me singing “I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues,” the Billie Holiday [song] with Toots Thielemans – who is a pretty famous harmonica player – on one of his albums.
My first working experience with [Beck] was just as a writer. We got together and wrote together. I didn’t know who Jeff Beck was, so I wasn’t freaked out and nervous – whereas, my husband and my manager, they were trippin’. I said, “Why the fuck are you guys trippin’?” They’re like, “Because you’re about to work with the most innovative guitarist of all time.” So I’m like, “Uhhh, okay!” I get in there to write and while I’m writing, I start getting nervous – because I start hearing someone play like I’ve never heard anyone play.
Jeff leaves the room and I talked to the engineer and I’m like, “Dude, what the fuck? This dude’s insane!” He’s like, “Dude, this is like one of the greatest guitarists ever.” I’m freaking the frick out. Anyway, we leave and the next thing I know, I get a phone call. I don’t know, it was a couple of weeks or a month later. Jeff’s like, “I want you to be my singer, for the first tour I’ve done in the United States since Rod [Stewart] back in the ‘70s,” He also said, “I want you to learn some stuff.”
Jeff Beck is a humble motherfucker. He works his ass off. Three hours a day on the guitar, every day. Then nine hours on his cars. About "Purple Rain" live. I was really nervous about that one. I’m always nervous when I work with Jeff, because I want to do such a good job for him. I also know how incredibly important every show is to him – every show – and how nervous he gets. So I was pretty nervous on that one. I wasn’t [worried about] “I’d Rather Go Blind,” because I’d been doing it for a while – but I’d never sung “Purple Rain.” I didn’t know “Purple Rain” So, literally right before I went out, I was still studying it backstage and listening, over and over and over. That was a little nerve-wracking.
