Jimi Hendrix: The Most Influential Guitarist Of All Time?
Published January 03, 2004
It can and has been argued, ad nauseum, that he wasn't really that good of a player, that there are others faster, cleaner,etc. This may or may not be. It is a matter of personal taste and to argue it is a moot point. What is undeniable though, is the fact that no one else has been so widely copied,admired, covered and name checked by so many different guitar players from so many different points in the musical spectrum. From Rock to Reggae, Punk to Funk, Hillbilly to Hip Hop, Heavy Metal to Jazz his influence shines through to this day.
I'm not trying to convince anyone here that he is the best guitarist of all time (he isn't even MY favorite, I'm kinda partial to Earl Hooker, Ira from Yo La Tengo, Lou Reed, Hubert Sumlin and Johnny Guitar Watson as far as favorites go) and I'm not trying to take away any accomplishment from the many talented players past or present. I'm just hoping to show, with some degree of clarity and conviction, that Hendrix's influence has been felt by more people, in more disparate genres than anyone else has up to this point in time.
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- Jimi Hendrix: The Most Influential Guitarist Of All Time?
- Published: January 03, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Classic Rock and Oldies
- Writer: HW Saxton
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Comments on this articleComments
I adore Jimi, but I don't think that "most influential guitarist of all time" is necessarily a good thing.
You may be right David.I was really just
trying to come up with an angle on Jimi
that hasn't been driven into the ground.
I dig his playing alot and listen to him
often,but I don't neccessarily think he
is the best player ever.Certainly,Jimi
mops up about 90% of the competition but
I don't really think that there is any
such a thimg as THE BEST guitarist ever,
since it all based on personal taste and
taste is relative and all that jazz.
Everybody's always talking about who is
the best player,fastest,etc.I take this
all into consideration when I'm judging talent but for me the longevity and the
depth of their influence is just as,if not maybe more important than their chops are.
Thanks for reading,much appreciated.
I saw Hendrix on film way back in the late '60's. 75% of the time his back was to his audience while he played to his amplifier. I know that he knew his way around a guitar,but I am not convinced he was the greatest player of all time. As has been said, it boils down to personnel taste. In my opinion, one of the greatest and most influential guitarist's of the 20th century was Les Paul, without a doubt.
Chet Atkins was no slouch, and if you wanted speed, Roy Clark would give anyone a run for their money! Of course, there was also Stevie Ray Vaughan.
If you were to ask all the "OTHER" guitarists named - and many not named (like Pete Townsend or Duane Allman) - I strongly suspect that they would capitulate to Jimi (I've heard MOST of them do so) - IF that's way it goes down, and I fervently believe it's so, SUBJECTIVE judgment aside - IF THEY humbly admit to Jimi's excelling supremacy, who are we to refute THEM - sure we are allowed OUR opinions but I think you'd agree, theirs holds more weight - and "I" submit THEY would ENTHUSIASTICALLY yield.
Jimi Hendrix had something designed in his DNA (NOT GOD), but GODlike, at least in his guitar playing prowess. His inspiration, and influence will live, live on, in the souls of countless musicians to come and perhaps so on 'ad infitem.'
Ah...here's a point for you to totally disregard. It is all
a matter of taste. As HW Saxton so righteously proposed. How to you quantify, qualify or even
define ART. Hendrix IMHO, was the greatest. But, that's just my opinion. See now, hear now...speed doesn't make you the greatest. Tone doesn't make you the greatest. Your influences don't, Its an amalgam all
all these parts, but overshadowed by the "song" or the
"muse" itself. And like him or not, Hendrix was influenced a great deal by Dylan. So there was the songwriting aspect as well. Frankly, there was a point where I got tired of Hendrix. Oversaturation on radio and TV (the twenty/thirty year anniversaries...this and that. But sometimes, now
"Wind Cries, Voodoo, Crosstown etc..." will pop up
on the radio, and just go "Hmm...that guy was really
fantastic, And it still sounds fresh. There are by far faster, cleaner and more "studied players" and many different geners. And I dig lots of them. But
so far, Hendrix is the high-water mark when referring to electric guitar playing in the context of popular music. There's No throne to be knocked of. Lets hope he and his disciples continue to influence future generations.
(see also Eric Johnson, Angus Young, Pete Townsend, "Keef" Richards, Karl Lubbering (who...you'll find out!!!) They all have distinct attributes to offer.
Jimi Hendrix expanded the range and vocabulary of the electric guitar into areas no musician had ever ventured before. Many would claim him to be the greatest guitarist ever to pick up the instrument. At the very least his creative drive, technical ability and painterly application of such effects as wah-wah and distortion forever transformed the sound of rock and roll. Hendrix helped usher in the age of psychedelia with his 1967 debut, Are You Experienced?, and the impact of his brief but meteoric career on popular music continues to be felt.
Jimi Hendrix is the best guitarist of all time.
1. pedro...thats from the official Jimi hendrix website and 2. hendrix is the most influential guitarist of all time, any band that uses harder distortion and fuzz are in one way or another linked to hendrix in one way or another
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very nice HW, thanks!