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Hendrix was an ingenius songwriter/guitarist and lyricist who re-invented the blues for an audience that was whacked out on drugs.

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i was too young to get the hendrix influence first hand, but reading some Joe Satriani early interviews, i got to recognize the little "hendrixian" things he described in his playing, things that led me to listen very closely to the Jimi hendrix tunes .... and apreciate the innovative playing Jimi really had. thanx Joe, thanx Jimi.

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In as much as I appreciate and marvel at Hendrix's lead playing and sonic explorations, the thing I love the most about his playing is the thing that I tend to believe too many ignore: his rhythm guitar playing. Jimi Hendrix was a peerless rhythm guitarist. The man was utterly brilliant. He completely understood what it took serve the song. For me, that is a very large part of his magic and his "mojo."

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With the exception of the people who have studied Jimi's life , I think what's really overlooked about Jimi,is that he had an incredibly hard childhood. He was on his own at a very early age, and because he didn't have a stable home life he really didn't fit 'in' to regular society . Jimi was a high school dropout. Which in a strange way cultivated his strong
Individuality . Jimi's love of music and science fiction were his refuge from his harsh upbringing. Discovering and really taking to the guitar was a way for Jimi to fit into the world. It was all timed perfectly for Hendrix. His immense talent combined with the beginning of the 60's drug culture set the stage for Jimi to explode into the 'stratosphere,which he did at Monterey Pop . It's interesting to wonder what would have happened if he hadn't been 'discovered' by Chas Chandler( leave it to the British to not be jaded). The psychedelic era fueled Hendrix right up to the day he died. Just like Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison there was no way Hendrix could sustain his lifestyle. There are obvious parallels between Jimi and Charlie Parker. His memory will live on through his incredible music which sounds as fresh as the day it came out. Every-time I play my guitar at some point I inevitably think of Hendrix. The stars aligned perfectly to create the unique gift of Jimi Hendrix.

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What listening to Jimi Hendrix has taught me more than anything is: play with every bit of energy, fire, and passion that you have. People feel that and respond to that. That is what made him great, not just his technical skills, but his passion. Listen to all those live bootlegs: He burns down the house every night! He'd play an amazing solo on an out-of-tune guitar(all that string bending,you know?)! Even though I love his studio albums, I feel his live material is just so primal and immediate and passionately played, it's generally what I listen to. It inspires me so much...

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I was luck enough to see Hendrix live 5 times. And every time it was magic. He was doing things, that seemed impossible. Back then as far as amps and peddles, it was the stone age. His style of painting the picture with his playing will never be duplicated. Jimi was and for ever will be the only TRUE ELECTRIC GUITARIST. All the rest of us are just amplified.

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I was in elementary school in the late 1960's when I first heard the name Jimi Hendrix. I thought it sounded like a special name but I didn't really understand the feeling. My parents did not listen to rock so the only song I clearly remember from that time was the Star Spangled Banner. Years later, at about 15 or 16 during 1977, I really heard Purple Haze for the first time. Then it hit me what Hendrix was about. It was so raw, elemental, and real compared to most of the rock of the late 70's. Then I began to dig deeper and learned that Hendrix was so much more than Purple Haze. The digging continues to this day. I still think the Jimi Hendrix is a special name. A powerful name. He has driven my playing since I started guitar 35 years ago.

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Doesn't Frank Marino have this one sewn up?

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Jimi is physically dead. However, he´s at the same time "everlasting." In other words, his music and art will NEVER be forgotten for the great, magnificient artist he was. I wish I had had the priviledge to see and hear him perform alive, like Mama Cass, John and Paul, Mick and Brian, Eric Johnson and many others. He´s left us more than 40 years ago. But, like Elvis, He STILL lives in our hearts, minds and memories. LONG LIVE JIMI´s MUSIC!...

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Jimi died when I was eleven, so I never got to see him perform live. I began playing guitar at age 12 and listening to his songs on the radio. To me Jimi was a human being who was "music". By this I mean he was pure deep emotion through his guitar or a song. For instance "The Star Spangled Banner" our national anthem written during a war about a war doesn't sound like a war. Then Jimi played it and it became emotional, bombs heard, screams, helicopters, more screams. He made it emotional. Brilliant. We were living during a war, the Vietnam war, and he served in the military, and he showed the true colors of our anthem. The way it should be played. "All Along the Watch Tower", a Dylan masterpiece, about war, and then Jimi put in a solo that permeated your brain so you can still hear it played his way. Just pure emotion. When I think of Jimi Hendrix I think of the absolute greatest guitarist in 70 years. He was an emotional player first. No one sets their guitar on fire who isn't emotional. A Jackson Pollock artist. Advant Garde and aren't we all better for it. He gave us timeless, emotional music, which won't be forgotten. He's like Shakespeare to me.

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the First time I heard Jimi Hendrix I was over a friends house hanging out with him and his older brother who was such a genius but was a little different. He kept interrupting us with this conversation about this African American guitar player who was the best ever.

I just remember seeing this photo of Jimi on stage on his knees with his guitar on the stage and thinking freak!!

Anyway, as I got a older and actually learned how to play guitar I realized what was going on.

In fact, the first time I experienced acid me and a friend were driving back from a camp site and on a local radio station the sounds of "Voodoo Chile" , Sunshine of you love, and Whole Lotta Love played consectutively over the air and changed my life instantly.

KIds do not do drugs, just learn a lot of Hendrix!!!!

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I was born in '72, so obviously I missed the chance, but growing up my dad had ALL the original vinyls of 60's rock.. from duane eddie to mothers of invention to janis, the beatles and especially Jimi.
I was a sax player early on as thats what the music teacher at school wanted, but dad was always a guitar player and always had an acoustic sitting around.
I alwasy had enjoyed looking at the Hendrix albums.. the fire, the freaky clothes, the double sleeve goodness of ladyland, and had certainly heard my share of clasic rock growing up.. but one day out of the blue when I was bored and babysitting my little brother, I for some reason decided to put on foxey lady and really give a listen..
it just flored me and this one particular night in around 10th grade I decided to pick up my little brothers ukelele and see if i could pluck out that "boom boom Wha! boom boom wha!" riff from the song. I'd never really played dads guitar at all since it "hurt my fingers" or so he tells me I said.. but after figuring it out on the Uke, I soon picked up his acoustic and had it pretty much figured out by the time dad got home. I literally never put the guitar down again, to this day. it all started with foxey lady.. the bend/lick he does right after he says ooh.. foxey lady.. and right before the solo.. my head still tries to create that moment, that power surge of those few notes, every time I pick up a guitar.
It grew so much more than that, to loving the man himself, dead two years before I was even alive.. a sense of cosmic connection.. Jimis beautiful voice, his jazziness, his blues, his arranging.. his utter recklessness in pursuit of a note or sound or emotion. you can almost feel his frustration at times.. just pushing so hard.. always pushing further..
I have played in bands for twenty years now, and got good to the point where my dad was actually inspired by me to go back and take lessons for a while there.. after saying in my youth he was "as good as he'd ever get" strumming cowboy chords etc. not true.
Hendrix a thing he and I share closely to this day.. its one of our biggest things together.
Thank you Jimi for that alone.. my musical connection to my dad.
I only wish Monica Danneman had hd some sense to do CPR or something and save him instead of whatever it was she WAS thinking.
Imagine, we could all be hearing him to this day playing with Billy Cox.. or even Buddy Guy..
Anyhow, he will certainly live forever. when I see his gentle smile and demeanor, he reminds me the true star is the music itself, not the idol worship or popularity, but the very notes coming out of the guitar that are the real salvation. and its limitless.

thanks to the man!

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Seymour Duncan's remembrance resonated with me. Jimi epitomized the great musicians I admire today. The ones, like Satriani, Vai, Petrucci, Bonamassa, Wylde and others who are willing to give openly and share what they have learned. They are open because they are confident in their own abilities and know that what they do is more than technique. Its funny. Many people have channeled Jimi's technique, but Jimi is unique. That isn't bad, it just confirms that we all have our own voice and just have to discover it. Jimi had huge technical chops, but what made him unique was the ability to translate the images of sound in his head into something audible through his guitar. It's as if there was a direct link from mind to finger. It was primal but elegant.

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My brother left an 8-track version of "The Cry of Love" in my room back in '74. At the time I was 12 years old and listening to Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, the usual. It blew me away - I played that tape over and over until even a match book wedged in the play slot couldnt make that stretched out tape work. That tape transformed my attitude about music, what was possible. The more I explored Hendrix' other recordings it completely liberated my guitar playing as well, introducing me to the blues, R&B, MoTown, etc.

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Hendrix - star, icon, meaning, word...

I'd only heard his music in passing when he died. I was still too young to know him, but I started playing guitar the following year.

Now, with 40 years of playing under the belt, things have changed... a bit. There are things we have in common - being left handedness, having a cultural mix, a love of recording and new soundscapes, an occasional Fender Stratocaster in the hands.

But he's been gone for 40 years now - calling his name endlessly won't being him back!

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Electric Ladyland has been and will forever be my desert island album.

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I met Jimi when I was 16. My brother's friend band was working with his management. We were sitting downstairs in a club called Generation that would become Electric Lady Studios on 8th street in NYC. Jimi walked in with Mike Jeffries his sly mananger who wasn't very nice. But Jimi came over to where we were sitting, (5 of us) to ask for a joint. I was sitting frozen in star shock, with a bag of weed in front of me, Jimi asked if we would share some, I nodded and he rolled some. He sat down next to me, and he was the nicest, easiest going guy I ever met. He hung out making me feel at ease, while Mr. Jeffries kept telling him "we should go Jimi" Jimi said sit down, relax, but he didn't. Jimi hung for a while listening to my friends band and digging it, smiling having a good time with us for an hour. He changed my life, had tickets sent to me when ever he was in town and gave me a life time of guitar playing inspiration that's still with me today.

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JIMI HENDRIX is still reigning and still so exciting He is the story of the electric guitar. Before Jimi Hendrix the guitar was used as a powerful voice but when Jimi exploded on the scene with ''Purple Haze'' and so other songs. All of us understood here was a music beyond anything ever heard before. A sonic universe beyond mere notes and rhythm issued from Jimi's wailing Stratocaster. I was 18 years ago

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I first heard Jimi when I was just 15 or 16 years old and first heard and saw him live at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium when he was billed, believe it or not under The Monkees. I had lived in the area at the time and one of my friends had bribed one of the pinkerton cops to look the other way while my friends and I climbed over the fence to get in to see Jimi. Compared to the Mokees, Jimi was night and day and you could hear The Experience loud playing all through the neighborhood of Forest Hills. Well, that was it for me and I was instantly hooked on Jimi's unorthodox and very unique guitar playing. No one sounded like that or ever made an electric guitar sound the way that Jimi did. Jimi Hendrix has been a major inspiration ever since then. He had a huge impact on my guitar playing from then on. Later, I saw him at the historical Filmore East show on New Years Eve of 1969/70 in N.Y.City and he performed Machine Gun, Hear My Train a Comin' and others. That show completely blew my mind and continues to do so to this very day. There will never be another Jimi Hendrix. He changed how guitar would be played forever.

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I was about 12 years old when I bought my first Hendrix album. He became my hero. I decided then to become a guitarist. I remember having dinner with my family at around 5:00pm in Los Angeles when it was announced on the evening news that Jimi had died in his London apartment. Filled with grief I excused myself from the dinner table and went to my room and cried. Since then I have tried to find and release my pain and sorrow on the fretboard.

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What can I say...that hasn't been said by MILLIONS of others.
Jimi (along with disciple Robin Trower) is the reason why I have chosen the Fender Stratocaster as my weapon of expression/destruction.
Jimi creeps into every aspect of my playing. His songs haunt me.
His technique scares the shit out of me!! It frustrates me to no end...knowing I'll never be that amazing; and yet inspires me to keep playing....to keep searching for that illusive lick!
I was a wee tot when Jimi shook the world; but in 1976, upon my discovery of his music....he shook mine!

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I only saw Jimi once, at Winterland, 1968. I was 18. The thing that sticks in my memory, besides the incredible music and the whole experience of sharing the moment with a couple of thousand co-ecstatics, standing crunched together for a couple of hours and loving it, was what he said about Dylan. It was along the lines of "People say we don't have any more great poets. Well, we do." The he went into "Like a Rolling Stone". Wow. I've been a believer ever since.

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Jimi,
Wow, far out. The best ever. When I was 16 i hung out in the east village, went to the Fillmore East many, many times, saw eveyone from Hendrix to CCR, Butterfly. But Jimi stood out among the group, still does. I he was alive today he would be on the cutting edge of tech's music. He was a soft spoken, humble man. I really doubt he would embrace hip hop or rap, but he surley would take what cool about it and put it whatever he was doing.
Kids today could learn alot from Jimi. He was a real peace guy, in every sense of the word. Shooting and crimmial life style wasn't his bag. Soft spoken and wild on stage was jimi...
We could use his life style today.. Young people, check out his story, you will see what I mean,
BOB

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When I was younger, my dad would play Hendrix as it is supposed to be played, REALLY LOUD. Not being a guitarist yet, his music would irritate me. I had no understanding of it, no appreciation. Whe n my parents bought me my first guitar, that changed. I then began to understand and appreciate what was so great about his music. His feeling His soul that he would channel through his fingers onto the neck of the guitar. His music continues to revolutionize the way we play guitar and our approach to the instrument.if he was still alive i think he would be teaching us not how to play the guitar but how to find our individual voice as he did. Jimi Hendrix is not dead, Just press play.

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I was 16 when I "discovered" Hendrix. I couldn't hear enough of him. Along with the many jazz influences I stumbled upon, Jimi Hendrix would prove to be the giant in my musical realm. I revisit his music regularly and his message to me will continue.... "express yourself, be free and be true!

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I remember back in the early 70's hearing some odd music coming from my older sisters room...I had to know what that sound was. Of course it was Jimi playing Voodoo Chile Slight Return. I was around 12 yrs old. That was the turning point for me. My mother would say I went to the dark side :). When I got my first car I had to have an 8 track player so I could listen to Hendrix while cruising with friends. I used to play Electric Ladyland every day til I wore out the tape. In fact I still have it on 8 track packed away in my atic. I think I went thru 3 copies. Now I'm in my 50's and still listen to all the great Hendrix stuff. I have an old Strat that I pick up now and then and try my hand at playing some of Jimi's licks. A friend of mine gave me a great deal on an old Lab Series L5 amp, and I picked up an old Dunlop Cry Baby too. Just added a Digitech Delay and a Modtone Speedbox a couple months ago. Still trying to find the right combo of settings but I'm enjoying myself while experimenting. I have to say that Hendrix is the reason I started playing guitar, even tho I didn't start playing til about a year ago, we have had a Strat hanging in the den for some time. It belonged to a relative that passed away about 12 years ago I originally hung it because I saw it as art. Now it has a new life, not sure my neighbors are happy tho :)

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I would just like to add to my earlier comment of 04/25/2012 that, to me and so many others Jimi Hendrix continues to this day to be the most influential guitarist to ever grace the fretboard. He not only was responsible for changing how guitar would be played from then on, but, he has also had a huge impact on many other genres of music aside from rock. Such as the blues, free form jazz, orchestral, etc and I have even heard classical interpretations of Hendrix' compositions. Jimi's music has certainly had a lasting impact on my own musical life and guitar playing and continues to inspire many of the starting young guitarists of today. I can only imagine how far Jimi Hendrix would come and how much more
progressed his playing technique would be today had he lived into the present days. Jimi Hendrix still remains today a guitarist performer who was truly way ahead of his time.

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I'm in my sixties, so I remember Hendrix as being quite a good guitar player, but mostly as a good showman, albeit a little over the top. I can't help but think that the reason that Guitar Player is so gaga over him (Church of Jimi?, oh come on) is because he's dead.

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Hendrix came along just as I was coming of age as a teenager, probably around 14 years old. The first time I ever heard the name was when I was working a summer job raking blueberries. There were a couple of older kids from the "big city" were talking about music and when they engaged me in conversation about what I liked I told them I was into the Beatles and the Stones. They asked me if I had ever heard of Hendrix to which they got a blank stare. One of them then asked me if I had even heard of Cream which I had so I didn't come across as a total square.
Afterwards I went to a Record store to check it out and maybe buy an album. I looked but didn't buy. The first time I heard him was probably a few months later when one of my friends put The Monterey Pop Festival album on the turntable. In addition to The Who and Otis Redding whom I was familiar with, there was Jimi Hendrix. To say the least it was like nothing I had ever heard. What I recall is being slightly underwhelmed but intrigued by all those strange sounds coming from his Stratocaster. I did go out and buy "Are You Experienced?" and after a few spins on my record player I started to get it! I was then a fan and remain so to this day.

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Jimi was the major reason I started playing guitar. The first time I heard "Are You Experienced" I was sold. His early passing was a major shame to the music industry. I still listen to his music to this day in my 50's and I'm awed. What a player...

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We've had 40+ years to pour over his licks and tunes and even though technolgy has advanced enough that we can play the same notes we'll never have the tech to add his vibe. Besides his monumental musical influence what hits me the hardest about Jimi was that he before his tragic end he was just cool. Jimi was great friends with and loved by people of all colors. I've run across wild racists that are white, black and beyond who suddenly forget all of that mess when you play Jimi's music or talk about him. To me that's his legacy, he was so damn good that even people with nutty agendas couldn't resist. Perhaps instead of trying to be perfect and inevitably failing we can get along by aking WWJD? where the J stands for Jimi. Move over Rover!

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He's the hardest guy to emulate. Just when you think you've copped his notes, rhythm and phrasing you realize you're way off. There's something both universal and elusive about Jimi, and that's just how it should be.

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I was 9 years old and had about worn out my oldest brother's copy of "Smash Hits" when out of the blue my oldest bro called from LAX saying that he had a 5-day pass and had flown in from VIETNAM. (Was he nuts?! He was an Army Infantryman and it had just taken him 2 days to get home!) A few of my brothers, sisters, and I hopped into my sis' hot red '68 Mustang and took off to the airport, so glad he was home safe, even if just for a bit.
I will always remember this day as one of those "Everybody remembers where they were at when..."
On the radio a news bulletin broke in and said, "Acid-rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix has died, presumably from a drug overdose."
My family knew I was already a Jimi Hendrix fanatic. (I had begged my oldest sister to take me with her to see Jimi earlier that year, at the LA Forum. I threw a fit, and it didn't work.) My family could see I was crushed.
After we met my Bro and gotten into the car for the drive home, I told my Bro, "They just announced that Jimi Hendrix died." Then I started snivelin' a bit.
I won't ever forget the look on my oldest brother's face when I told him. Just a blank look of sadness. Despite all he had seen in war, there was my Idol on Earth shedding a tear for Jimi. That was September 19th, 1970.
I've been a professional musician, (with a day job!), for 30+ years. Despite being a bassist, Jimi not only is my biggest influence but my favorite musician ever, period. I have more Jimi music than any other artist and it just never gets old. Jimi taught me to play with fire and passion. He taught me how to make a song into a journey with little subtle variations, abrupt dynamics, and just basically picking your spots to shine and not throw in the kitchen sink right off the bat. There's just too much to list, how much he has touched me and even "spoken" for me.
May I end on a bit of a sour note? Jimi is so precious, to sooo many millions, none more than myself. Am I alone in feeling ill when I see Hendrix impersonators or some guy with a Strat "do Jimi"? Even the best ones fall sooo short and look and sound AWFUL!! Please stop! It hurts!

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Hendrix passed away before I was of the age to go to concerts etc. I got into guitar player magazine because of the articles about contemporaty players and discovered Hendrix thru GP articles about him and also from other articles mentioning him as an influence. The articles really helped me understand the man behind the music as much as one can I suppose. When I went to college and had a roomate heavy into Hendrix and Cream mainly I really started to dig in. Hendrix was a huge influence on my playing at the time and still is. Even if you are not playing in his style, his total dedication and integrity and seemingly limitless creativity are something we should hold up to ourselves everytime we pick up our axes. I posted an old tape of 1980 vintage of 2 college kids taking inspiration from his style. I hope no one takes offense at me putting the link here, I've been a GP subscriber since I was a teen, it's just a snapshot of how he had inspired me at the time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycTNi2IOcEI Thanks GPM for giving me the fast track to so many players over the years.

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I saw Jimi at the Carousel in Framignam MA on his first US Tour with Van Morrison and The Soft Machine. Now that was an odd concert line-up. I was blown away. I was close enough to see Jimi was smoking Newports and sticking them b/w his B and E string on the headstock b/w songs. I was in 8th grade and my dad waited in parking lot reading mystery books. My first show and the sound was ridiculously wonderful. I came out dazed and babbling.

The next show was at the now defunct/improved Boston Garden. Jimi was already sick of screwing his amps and flicking his tongue at the audience in his oral sex simululation. What I remember most, was his request to the audience to allow him to slow things down and just play the blues. He then came out with a beautiful, long, and completely extemporaneous version of Redhouse. I don't think I had yet heard it on Smash Hits. I was slayed! Rick Derringer opened with the McCoys and Johnny Winter followed (in retrospect this was obviously the tour where Winter and Derringer first realized how their skills were sympatico).

What amazed me about Hendrix was how great his live sound was that night again and how poorly it has always been captured on tape. Pick any live recorded performance. Nothing came close to hearing him in a venue live. Whether this was due to the limitations of the technology or the cheapness of his management in paying for a quality set-up, they never captured the depth and excitement of his shows. The closest is Live at The Fillmore, but even that pales in comparision to Jimi when he first hit the states from Experience to Axis.

And yes, now that I am almost 59 he is still Numero Uno and I too wonder where he would have gone. Probably somewhere with a Methane Sea trying to talk Mitch Mitchell out of killing himself too...

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I was 18 in 1967 when I first started practicing guitar. I was a folkie, playing songs by Dylan, Peter Paul & Mary, Judy Collins, stuff like that. Then one night I was in the dorm sweeping the stations on an AM radio, when suddenly a new song shocked me and intrigued me. The DJ said it was "Fire" by a Hendrix guy.
This was my first introduction to rock and blues. I went out and bought Hendrix, Santana, Procol Harum records and never looked back.

I'm somewhat intrigued to this day why people are so fascinated by Hendrix's playing. The guy was strung out on drugs, sometimes played sloppy or out of tune, had a brief career, and there are now dozens and dozens of "technically superior" players (faster players, with more accurate tuning and phrasing), but to this day Hendrix is still considered the best. I think it's because of his soulful playing and originality.

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I was 18 in 1967 when I first started practicing guitar. I was a folkie, playing songs by Dylan, Peter Paul & Mary, Judy Collins, stuff like that. Then one night I was in the dorm sweeping the stations on an AM radio, when suddenly a new song shocked me and intrigued me. The DJ said it was "Fire" by a Hendrix guy.
This was my first introduction to rock and blues. I went out and bought Hendrix, Santana, Procol Harum records and never looked back.

I'm somewhat intrigued to this day why people are so fascinated by Hendrix's playing. The guy was strung out on drugs, sometimes played sloppy or out of tune, had a brief career, and there are now dozens and dozens of "technically superior" players (faster players, with more accurate tuning and phrasing), but to this day Hendrix is still considered the best. I think it's because of his soulful playing and originality.

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Well Jimi and I both share a condition called synesthesia. In one interview, he said that he played colors instead of notes (I'm paraphrasing, of course), but that's one of the things that's what synesthesia is about. Since we both had "paintings" of how each song should be like, it's interesting to see how someone was willing to go over the standard to play what he saw.

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Jimi was the original "Guitar Hero" and all these years later his music still sounds fresh and innovative. He had the right hand of God and was a reference as to what great tone was all about. Fuzz, Univibe and Wah were the technology of the day and he maximized them fully. I think his love of the blues is what appealed most to me and we cover several of his tunes in my band. He was an innovator-not an imitator!

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Too much music today is overrun by perfection. Vocals must be perfect, guitars must be perfect, beats must be perfect ... what Jimi stood for (among many others of his time) was FEELING. So much music from the 1970s was about conveying a message. Whether that message was about free love, about standing against the government or about "freeing your mind," there was always a message inside of the music. Music from those times was about experimentation, expression and soul. Much of that is lost on musicians of today. It is a shame we lost Jimi and many of those artists so soon. So few of them exist today. It seems the last refuge of these kinds of artists is the live rock show. There people can fully express themselves as they break free from the mold of perfection created by pop music. We salute you Jimi!!!

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To put it simply, Jimi opened the door for all of us.

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JIMI HENDRIX-the greatist guitarist of all time! Guitarplayer no.1

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Hendrix's genius was mixing the feel of the blues with the explosivness and color of psychedelia. It's hard to guess what he would have become, but he was definitely meant for his time. His showmanship set the bar for all who came after. He showed that a passionate artist can have a personal, almost sexual relationship with his instrument. That's what his live performances projected. How could any player not be hugely influenced by him?

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I had the chance to be on the same tour as Jimi in 1967 - the Hendrix/Move tour in the UK - where I was doing the sound for Pink Floyd, who were also on the bill (9 bands twice nightly - those were the days!) This meant that I was in the wings and very close to the Experience. The fact that Noel (Redding) was also a childhood friend helped...

OK, a lot has been said already but some of the points that I think are really relevant to Hendrix are that the guitar was the vehicle for his music - it wouldn't have really mattered what instrument he played, it was just a means to an end. The other thing was that he was totally in control of a guitar rig that, in any other hands, would have been unusable. Whereas in the late 60's era many guitarists were been 'played' by the gear, with Jimi, he was the boss! Another point was dynamics - it was not a continuous flood of sound: he could go from out-and-out mayhem with "Foxy Lady" to the ultra-sensitive "Wind Cries Mary" like a smooth crossfade.

For the equipment-minded, on that tour it was the three Strats (including the beat-up 'throwing away' guitar that he used to end the set with "Wild Thing"), a Marshall stack, a Sound City stack and Wah-wah, Fuzzface and Octavia pedals.

I learnt an awful lot over those 3 weeks and even got a souvenir - the 'Tone' knob from the 'Wild Thing' Strat :-)

RIP Jimi

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i'm just a modest guitarist from nowhere, but in my little bar venues, hendrix has given me a sure path to follow. that's the point: he was a genius , and he wrote world hits, but his music is full of examples very useful for us down to earth: hendrix's music speaks to everyone, from the skilled to beginner,there's always something ready to use. The way to play chords, or hit a note, with hendrix's lesson can be always fresh and hip. Even if painted like a freak , hendrix has a natural efficiency to play the right note at the right time. Some people has the luck to meet him in person.I had just a pale remeber when i was a child of a new from my Black and white TV about the death of a man with big hair...Endless thanks, master.

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Jimi said it all, and I still listen to his words:
"Rainy Day, dream away ... ... let it groove ...."

I listen to his words, an still dream away.

What a gift for us to ride on his waves!

Thank you, dear Jimi!

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Hendrix helped to popularize use of the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock, which he often used to deliver tonal exaggerations in his solos, particularly with high bends, complex guitar playing, and use of legato. Thanks.

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i was like 14 years old I've heard of and heard Jimi was the gratestest guitarrist of all times. It was the CD era and finding a Jimmi Hendrix's CD in Colombia was quite difficult, take into account that I didn't even had a CD player! When I finally could get a cassette tape and heard him I was seaching for the Satriani style soloing and I said....what isthis all about? ...until i listened to little wing? Is this man really singing at the same time? After twenty years I haven't found a cooler guitar playing and singing...

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Hendrix is the greatist guitarist of all time.

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There is plenty of information, and, unfortunately, a lot more misinformation regarding the Village and the many folk singers and entertainers who made their way through the hallowed venues of Bleecker and MacDougal back in the day. As a fairly clueless 15-year-old just up from Baltimore, I first arrived in the Village and made the acquaintance of Dino Valenti backstage at Manny Roth's Cock 'n' Bull (now The Bitter End) coffeehouse in September 1960. In the months that followed, I became a regular at the Village cafes, particularly the Cafe Wha? on MacDougal Street, which was also owned by Manny Roth. Many of the entertainers, as you know, worked for very little money, frequently "passing the hat" to earn enough for their evening meal or a hotel room. The entertainers I saw perform were Fred Neil, Karen Dalton, Bob Dylan, Lou Gossett, Len Chandler, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton, Tim Hardin -- just to name a few.

I first heard the song "Hey Joe" performed by Dino in the winter of 1961 at the Cafe Wha? I never knew the origin of the song, but Dino was the only one I ever saw perform it. Although people constantly shared and reinterpreted one another's material, and jammed together as they worked their way from cafe to café -- and, later, into the early hours at some convenient crash pad -- each maintained their own unique style: Fred Neil's mournful baritone, Karen Dalton's broken wail, Tim Hardin's plaintive whimper.

Dino Valenti was a popular Village entertainer who had a very unusual style of strumming, which greatly influenced Richie Havens, as Richie will freely admit. I saw Richie perform some of Dino's early "train songs" as late as the mid-1990's at The Knitting Factory in Soho. Richie credited Dino anecdotally during his performance for inspiring him, and did so in a very loving way. Dino's strum was strong and built to a powerful climax,. He often strummed very hard, lifting the guitar over his head and breaking a few strings in the process. He held audiences spellbound with his sexuality and rebellious spirit, and had many followers during the folk revival era.

Dino left for California in 1962. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with him the summer before he left. In fact, I visited his sister up in Lewiston, Maine with him before he finally left for the Coast in the fall. I later heard that he played in Sunset Boulevard clubs like the Troubador, and that in San Francisco's North Beach, he worked with Jimi Hendrix at the Old Spaghetti Factory before joining up with Quicksilver Messenger Service. It is my belief, due to the similarity of Jimi and Dino's interpretations of "Hey Joe," that Jimi might well have picked the song up from Dino at that time. Dino was a close friend of David Crosby, who also had an interest in recording the song, and Crosby did an early recording of Dino's "Get Together," as well. I have heard Tim Rose's version of "Hey Joe," as well as Billy Roberts', and there is no doubt in my mind that Dino was the inspiration for Jimi's version. While that may be subjective on my part, in fact, Dino Valenti is credited on the original "Are You Experienced" as the songwriter. Dino had more influence than he is often given credit for. He brought "Green Green Rocky Road" to the Coast, where it was became "Green Green, It's Green They Say"...just an example of the way music evolved in the clubs at that time.

We each have our own point of view on history, but given my personal knowledge and experience on the folk scene in the early sixties, I believe that it was Dino who introduced the song to Jimi on the West Coast. I am not sure that Jimi was even performing that song in 1966, as he was doing mostly blues and Top 40 in the Village at that time.

Guide to guitar

Jimi was and will be the best player in the World for his will and ideas to create such wonderful, complex and simple music. It's tough to learn his style without understanding his technique, but that't why we remember and love him.

Hendrix - Legend still living in our hearts.

For me Jimi is best guitar player of all time, while Clapton and Page are guitar Gods, Jimi is just beyond that, he could do with his guitar whatever he wanted. He is my idol alongsides with Clapton, Page, Slash and Santana. Although he is dead (RIP), from 1970, he still lives in our hearts. I belive he died only becouse God needed a guitar lesson. There is no other guitar player that can do so many tricks and still play guitar, even Slash isnt that good. Jimi could play as fast as he wanted, still keeping the rythm of the song (example: Johny B Goode.). He could play songs slow and fast, and his words came out of his soul, rather than written by someone in a dark room, to keep the sale records.

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To me, Hendrix is truly one of the greatest artists who ever sat foot on this planet. An artist, in my opinion, is a person who has the ability to see/catch things which the rest of us do not see and then express it. As he said, "You hear the sound in your head or your heart, and you send a message to your fingers. That's my technique - - on a good night it works!" Mostly it worked, and I am grateful that we have recorded a lot of his music, because an artist like him comes only once in the history of the world.

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Hendrix was and is for me true Genius. With a smile I heard him play. It's like he created a new sound for the rest of us. His playing seemed to be from outer space and brilliant chord melody -Just listen to "Little Wing". I loved hearing the stories of his childhood and his musical journey. He made it clear you could come from adversity and
reinvent yourself.

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I think of Hendrix every single time I pick up the guitar and start to lay out a new solo !

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I saw Jimi in the Fall of 1967 in White Plains, NY at The County Center. Before I saw Jimi, I was playing in bands doing The Beatles and The Stones, having fun but not taking it too seriously. After seeing Jimi, I wanted to be a GUITARIST. That show literally changed my life. The effortless way he played and his onstage charisma have seldom, if ever, been matched.

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"Are You Experienced" was the first album I ever bought for myself. It changed everything.

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Jimi was my most important musical inspiration. Although I was trained in classical music he remained the biggest role model regarding individualism, self expression, feeling the vibe of the world around you and expressing it through music.
Thank you Jimi!

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On this date the world change.
On this date Jimi reminds the world what his influence has done to the world of electric guitar. So many great guitarist were influenced and inspired by Jimi. I am still being inspired everyday, I am still trying to understand it all. Gods name was Jimi. ';o) It was a good when jimi arrived and is still affecting and influencing
millions today. ;o) A History making day. Rock n Roll

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Jimi remains proof that whatever sound you're hearing in your head, you can only be true to yourself when you pursue that sound until you hear it coming from the speakers.

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I was lucky enough to see Jimi several times. The things he could do with the equipment he had was beyond belief. He was a great guitarist, writer, musician and his loss was the guitarist's loss. I have never seen such a creative guitarist before or since. Maybe Gilmour, Clapton or Bonamassa come close but Jimi tops them all.