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Born Johnny Allen Hendrix, in November 1942 here in the Seattle area, this young self-taught guitarist, had his roots founded
in classic R&B music. His father changed his name to James Marshall, but of course, we all know & love him as the
legendary, Jimi Hendrix.
Jimi is best known for his blazing guitar riffs & solos. One of his most famous solos
being, "The Star Spangled Banner." One of the more interesting things about his guitar playing is the fact that
as a left handed guitar player, instead of restringing his guitar, he simply played it upside down. This is no easy task
as all instruction manuals are made for right handed players, so imagine how difficult it would be to have to play the exact
opposite. But Jimi excels at guitar work & could jam with the best of them, in my opinion.
Of course the most
unique thing about Jimi at his time, was the fact that his popularity would pave the way for future black artist. What was
unique, was that era of history was embroiled here in the United States in the war of civil rights. I have wondered sometimes,
how many blacks of his time looked up to him, & how many whites respected him.
But, today, I think Jimi is respected
in the rock world because of his musical talent & fantastic guitar work. Perhaps some would not credit him as one of
the fancy guitar hero's, but I think it can be said that his style paved the way form many blues-rock guitarists. Much of
his influence can be heard in the likes of Jimmy Page or even David Gilmoure.
Rock music lost a great musician &
man far too early. Who knows what he could have achieved if he had lived longer?
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