Jimi was such an innovative rock guitarist that folks sometimes forget his great contributions to the blues lineage…. As electric as his blues are, he really captured the feel of those deep blues that came out of the delta swamps and the cottonfields.
Hard to say as he never released an all blues LP. But his assimilation of blues into his music can not be denied, Red House, Hear My Train gives him some ranking.
Yep, great blues guitarist, but he was SO much more, too. Man, he was just starting to realise what he could become musically when he passed.
I actually prefer Cream "Spoonful" which was recorded in September of 1966, but Hendrix was more than a blues rock player. Hendrix used feedback like it was a classical instrument.
I guess it all depends on how one is going to define blues. Undoubtedly Hendrix was a master, and he certainly had blues in the mix, but it's hard for me to classify him as a blues guitarist
Exactly. B.B. King was asked if he thought Jimi was a Blues musician. He said "I think he was a great musician. Period."
Jimi Hendrix Experience "Red House" 1967 I notice similarities to Led Zeppelin "You Shook Me" but this is before Led Zeppelin.
I always wondered what Jimi would have sounded like without a Trio.If he had gone down to Memphis and Stax Records or Muscle Shoals to record with the great musicians from those studios. Of course he was already playing Blues and R&B way before the Experience. This is such a great performance here from 1965 and probably with Curtis Knight and this is not the same performance from Georges Club release. Jimi sounds so good here with this funky band
None other than BB King acknowledged that Jimi ‘played the blues and played them well’. Jimi is/ was untouchable with blues, rock, and soul guitar playing. He was not human.
Jimi was a great blues player, but he makes a guitar sound like symphony on his own. He was heading toward funk rock before he passed.
I have no doubt Jimi could have done great work with a big band, but part of what made him stand out was the sonic freedom afforded by the three piece. There are fewer harmonic limitations when playing with just a bass and drums
He was a fantastic blues player, but it was only one aspect of his artistry, and he extended the form beyond the basics. I think comparisons to white players are moot; Jimi was a blues original while Clapton and co were merely imitators. I also think he superceded most of his African American inspirations - the three Kings etc. could only do one thing, Jimi could do all their things and added more on top .
The soul element of Hendrix often gets overlooked and it's a big part of him. He was very influenced by Curtis Mayfield.
For me, Jimi is the greatest blues artist, even though his great blues songs can probably be counted on two hands. Its not only Jimi sounded like he (his heart) truely had the blues (great vocalist); but he weaved a narrative/told a story with this solos like no other. Examples of great Jimi blues are: * Bleeding Heart [Royal Albert H * Red House [New York Pop, Randa * The Jimi Hendrix Experience- Hear My Train a Comin' (from Winterland) * Once I Had A Woman
As a big blues fan, I wholeheartedly dissagree. I feel many other artists from the genre fit that description as well as him, if not better. Of course, it is all up to personal opinion.
Very, very high IMHO. Beneath the feedback, distortion, sustain, sound effects, hype……a fine, fine blues player. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), for one, is maximum Delta. Would make a great Mississippi-swamp-evening-back-porch acoustic number. The long version is …….blues.
He was great--but he was no virtuoso. The Guitarist Most Often Erroneously Referred To As A Virtuouso?
One of the blues greats? Nowhere. I mean, he was a great performer of the blues. But I don't really think he was a major figure in the development of the blues, unless one wants to parse blues-rock as part of the lineage of blues history, which is fair, and then in the context of the development of blues-rock he was a pivotal figure. He contributed to the development of the fusion of blues and psychedelic and post-psychedelic art rock that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s and has been a continual thread in rock music since then (not that blues wasn't always part of rock and roll). In terms of "contribution to the lineage" -- which to me is an historical question more than an aesthetic one -- that's where his major contribution lies. Very significant if one values blues-rock as an important development in the blues lineage.
Jimi doing this on film (partially; why do they keep edited this film?): The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Bleeding Heart - live at The Royal Albert Hall | The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Bleeding Heart - live at The Royal Albert Hall personnel: Jimi Hendrix...guitar Noel Redding....bass & Mitch Mitchell...drums | By studio BEEFacebook
Of course, unless you are unable to change your mind, none would help. Art is a subjective thing, as I said. It is not my duty to agree with you. Nor is it your to agree with me. None of our opinions are absolute truths - you prefaced your opinion by saying "to me" - that is the key here.
