The most iconic, profound, inventive, masterful and downright best guitar
player in the history of music. No
one came close to playing
guitar like he did. It was never about how fast or how well he played (even though he played exceedingly well). It was about the
special connection he made through his
guitar and his listeners/audience. In effect, the
guitar was to Jimi what Excalibur would have been to King Arthur - A profound expression of the power within
one individual. Hendrix did many things that made his music so meaningful. Amongst these he helped to popularize
guitar feedback... a technique which was previously undesirable at the time, not to mention playing it with his teeth, executing mind- bending solo's, and even evoking a personality within the instrument itself: for example during his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, where his
guitar echoed the harsh nature of the Vietnam War through sound alone. He created a style of music which even to this day has remained unparalleled, and gave us one of the most awe- inspiring forms of music ever. Some of his most famous songs include Purple Haze, Voodoo Child, and his rendition of All Along the Watchtower. There will never be anyone like him again... and even if you did reach his playing standard, you still wouldn't obtain the expressionism, mind or
soul he channelled into every performance. Long live Hendrix... we really could do with another time like yours in this day and age :/
Go watch Jimi Hendrix's version of the Star Spangled Banner on
Youtube... and if those last few notes
don't send shivers down your spine, then you might as well have no
soul...