The first time I consciously listened to a Jimi Hendrix song, I was sitting on the floor of my family’s living room, holding a guitar of my own—my brand new, predominantly plastic guitar that my parents had purchased for their aspiring rock star daughter. Our family friend, Ari, had so graciously offered to teach me, an eight-year-old at the time, guitar lessons in turn for a homemade dinner every Wednesday evening. And on one specific Wednesday night, Ari had brought along a mix CD of songs that were simple enough for me to learn: “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution,” by Tracy Chapman, “Ants Marching,” by Dave Mathews Band, “Wild Thing,” performed by Jimi Hendrix, among many others; yet, the only song I paid any attention to was that by Jimi Hendrix. And so I sat on the living room floor, working far longer than my young attention span had previously lasted, in hopes of learning to play the chords A, Dsus2, and E, in coordination with the recording of Jimi Hendrix’s ominously soulful voice. Ever since that Wednesday evening, though the rest of Hendrix’s guitar playing has been far near impossible to emulate, I have been utterly fascinated by this extraordinary musician.

I am not the only one who has been so captivated by Jimi Hendrix, as he is frequently contended to be the greatest rock and roll guitarist to grace America’s music scene. But why does this young musician carry such a glorified title? Hendrix rapidly became known for his experimentation with musical ideas and techniques; infusing jazz and blues into an electronic-style of guitar playing, the likes of which had never been heard before. This young, innovative musician was producing music that was not previously thought to be a possibility, especially performed on a basic string instrument. Distinguished by his confident, charismatic attitude and bold performances, Hendrix brought a fresh attitude to the American rock and roll scene—both on, and off stage. The unique style and attitude that Jimi Hendrix exhumed during his brief stint in the American spotlight has long survived his own lifetime; impacting not only the way that musicians approach the electric guitar and rock and roll, but also the culture that has accompanied said genre. This criterion embodies the contention that Jimi Hendrix is the greatest American guitarist in rock and roll history.

Born into a Seattle-based family—as Johnny Allen Hendrix—on November 26 of 1942, Hendrix endured a childhood strewn with neglect, as a byproduct of his his mother, Lucille’s, partying tendencies. Hendrix’s father, Al, was eventually honorably discharged from the military in 1945, with full intent of taking full custody of his son, whom he would rename James Marshall, the following year. Though the years to come were scattered with brief stints of motherhood from Lucille, as well as the birth of both of Hendrix’s younger brothers, Leon and Joseph, Al remained as the primary guardian. At age 15, Hendrix was deeply affected by his mother’s death—a result of her excessive drinking habits—and at 19, when given the choice between prison and the military, the young musician enlisted himself to the 101^st Airborne Division.

Hendrix’s inconsistent childhood clearly had implications—both good, and bad—upon his long-term personality. In his novel, Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy, Henry Shapiro explains his stance on the topic:

“All this disruption and insecurity meant Jimmy grew up quiet and introverted. In his formative years, he had not been allowed to form strong emotional attachments. No sooner did he get used to somebody than they were snatched away from him. This pinball experience among family and friends, however unavoidable and however much he loved, made him ultimately aloof and fearful of emotion commitment—an attitude sometimes rationalized by the adult Jimi as ‘freedom.’ At the same time he was desperate to find people to trust, whom he could talk to and who would listen to what he had to say” (Shapiro 1991, 28).

As Shapiro touched on, Hendrix was—without a doubt—an inherently shy character. Insecure about not only his voice, but his appearance as well, the young musician had minimal amounts of confidence when it came to both his personal life as well as his performances. In recalling one of his first public gigs, Hendrix recalls, “It was so hard for me at first. I knew about three songs, and when it was time for us to play onstage I was all shaky, so I had to play behind the curtains” (The Guardian 2015). And though he rarely showed it late in his career, those insecurities persisted; which accounted for his extremely humble nature.

But often overshadowing this reserved nature was an extremely charismatic, kind aura. An ex-girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham, recalls a story in which Hendrix spent what little money he had at the time of a gift for a friend’s newborn baby (BBC 2015), while the mother of Noel Redding—of the Jimi Hendrix Experience—describes that Hendrix “had something special about him. When Jimi was there, you wouldn’t look at anybody else…you could feel his presence…there was always this warmth” (Shapiro 1991, 132). Nearly everyone who had the opportunity to interact with this guitarist were very drawn to the charismatic energy that surrounded him, making Hendrix a dear friend, and an admired individual, to many in the music industry.

What was so special about this rock star’s genuine personality was that it did not deteriorate until the very end of his career: until immense drug experimentation began to take its toll. Within an industry strewn with entitled musicians, Hendrix stood at the very top; and though he was often in a “semi-dreamworld of science fiction…he was very centred, aware of the world around him and, rare for a musician, made public statements about sensitive issues” (Shapiro 1991, 499). This guitarist truly recognized the position that he was standing in as a world-renowned rock star, and rather than letting it get to his head, Hendrix pounced on the opportunity: using it as an outlet to share any and all music he had hoped to create, as well as a platform for social commentary and change. During a performance, Hendrix once announced to an audience that, “I am the bus driver, you are my passengers” (Shapiro 1991, 499), exemplifying his perspective on providing his music as a service to his listeners—as well as a personal joy—rather than a privilege. It was clear throughout his career that music was not simply about gaining fame, instead, that fame was a byproduct of his blossoming creativity and immense love for his instrument.

Hendrix’s immense love for the guitar was something that he truly carried with him, throughout the course of his entire life. After a childhood of listening to blues music and swing music and jazz music and building his own makeshift instruments—while admiring real ones from afar—the aspiring musician was finally given his first acoustic at the age of 15, immediately following his mother’s death. Left-handed, Hendrix taught himself to play by stringing the instrument upside down: idolizing blues and jazz musicians such as B.B. King and Muddy Waters, and viewing them as his greatest mentors. Hendrix reflected that his playing was, “Some sort of blues—that’s all I’m singing about. It’s today’s blues” (Welch 1973, 92), in fact, Hendrix made the claim that rock n’ roll was just another form of blues, in and of itself (Henderson 1994, 214). Miles Davis, a leader in the world of jazz-rock fusion—as well as one of Hendrix’s mentors and collaborators—recalls that “Jimi was just a great natural musician—self-taught…he picked up things quick…he influenced me, and I influenced him” (Davis 292-93). Frequently utilizing the seventh chord with a sharp ninth, or an augmented ninth chord, Hendrix incorporated distinctly blues-inspired components within his work (van der Bliek, 343). These bluesy tones can most clearly be heard in Hendrix’s well-known works: both “Purple Haze,” “Red House,” as well as “Voodoo Chile.”

As well as incorporating the blues into the new realm of rock and roll, Hendrix truly pioneered the use of the guitar as “an electric sound source,” as he “unleashed noise with uncanny mastery” (Kemp 2015). And that’s just what it was: noise, but noise that had never been done before. A medley of conventional and nonconventional guitar sounds, whammy bars, feedback, and distortion; Hendrix weaved together these individual notes in terms of viewing them as colors, allowing himself to see these varying sounds as different shades and hues (Danneman 1995, 110).

The most well-known representation of Hendrix’s innovational and untouched style of guitar playing is his rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which he performed on the final morning of Woodstock. Hendrix’s fiancé, Monika Danneman, recalls that, “Jimi started playing the melody quite in keeping with the original. Then suddenly he broke out, tearing it to pieces by introducing sounds of raging warfare, of rockets and incoming artillery shells, explosions, and the anguished cries of people caught in the terror of conflict” (Danneman 1995, 108). Hendrix was literally making his guitar speak: recreating the sounds of war that he so successfully conveyed to that dwindling audience, as well as to everyone who has had the opportunity, since.

After years of working to reach the top of the music industry: playing as a pickup guitarist, playing behind musicians such as Little Richard and Tina Turner, working the club circuit, crossing the pond to London with his manager Chas Chandler—of the Animals—and returning to the United States, Hendrix finally had the means to produce the album that truly peaked his stint in the music industry: Electric Ladyland. Released in 1968, Electric Ladyland was recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, exemplifying a massively full sound, despite the decision to remain as a three-pieced band—made up of Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, and Jimi Hendrix, himself. This album was not only an example of incredible musicianship, but also marked the beginning of in-studio production, as many tracks were used throughout each song, providing an even fuller sound—coming to the aid of the three-piece band. Including songs such as “Voodoo Chile,” “1883… (A Merman I should Turn to Be),” and a rendition of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” Electric Ladyland exhumed the great breadth of styles and skills that Hendrix, as well as the Experience, had to offer to the music industry. In regards to this album, Hendrix stated, “I call that expression music. It wasn’t just slapped together; every little thing you hear there means something” (Perry 2004, 11).

Hendrix’s performances were where his unique personality and his immense talent on the guitar were able to merge together. In regards to the musician’s performance style, a Finnish musicologist once wrote that, “many people who have seen live performances of Jimi Hendrix have been amazed by this unity of musical content and visual appearances and at the feeling of mastery and freedom that was conveyed just by watching him play. What we were seeing was a direct manifestation of pure creative energy” (Shapiro 1991, 499). Hendrix was known for enjoying his performances; for jamming out, rather than simply following a set list. And that is what drew audiences in: his charismatic energy paired with this style of performance made for a much more intimate setting, allowing for the complete captivation of audience members.

Hendrix’s infamous performance at Monterey could very truly be his most well-known performance, as it encompassed who he was as a person, as a musician, as well as a performer. Being Hendrix’s first concert—with the Experience—upon his return to the United States, he played a wide variety of his own music, as well as covers of other greats. Recordings show Hendrix playing effortlessly, as he plays behind his head, with his teeth, and leaning into the speakers—utilizing that feedback and distortion throughout his set. As he is wrapping up the final song of his set— “Wild Thing”—Hendrix bends over his guitar, dousing it with lighter fluid and setting it afire; prior to smashing it, as a back-handed testament to the Who’s performance, the set before. And throughout all of this, Hendrix looks as if he is having the time of his life: enjoying every second of this performance; just as the audience was completely and utterly captivated by this performer: unable to take their eyes away. Without a doubt, this destructive; yet, beautiful scene has remained as one of the most memorable performances in rock and roll history, and an exemplification of Hendrix’s stylistic attributes.

So returning to the question mentioned at the very beginning of this essay: why should Jimi Hendrix be contended to be the greatest guitarist in American rock and roll history? If not for the way that Hendrix kept his head as he was rushed to the top of the industry, or the way he developed his own style of playing through a genuine love for the instrument, or the way in which he captivated his audiences through performance, he deserves this title for the legacy that has long survived his premature death at age 27. Igniting endless impersonators, books, films, tributes reworks albums, and a multitude of hopeful musicians following in his footsteps, Hendrix’s brief stint in America’s spotlight has had quite the impressive impact.

And since his death, Hendrix has received immense recognition: he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, given a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2005, and being regarded by Spin, Time, as well as Rolling Stone, and a multitude of prominent musicians and critics, as—truly—the greatest guitarist of all time. As written in Rolling Stone upon this declaration, “Jimi Hendrix exploded our idea of what rock music could be: he manipulated the guitar, the whammy bar, the study, and the stage” (Morello 2015). Completely shifting the way our society looks at rock and roll guitarists, this young musician undoubtedly deserves this title as the “greatest”; as his influence has endured the test of time, and carrying the breadth to reach and deeply influence even the most novice of eight-year-old guitar players.

Works Cited

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Dannemann, Monika. The Inner World of Jimi Hendrix. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.

Davis, Miles, with Quincy Troupe. Miles: The Autobiography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.

Henderson, David. "Jimi Hendrix Deep Within the Blues and Alive Onstage at Woodstock-25 Years After Death." African American Review. 2nd ed. Vol. 29. 1994.

Hendrix, Jimi. Starting at Zero. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013.

"Jimi Hendrix Biography." Rolling Stone. Accessed December 8, 2015. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/jimi-hendrix/biography.

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Perry, John. Electric Ladyland. New York: Continuum, 2004.

Price, Charles Gower. "Got My Own World to Look Through: Jimi Hendrix and the Blues Aesthetic." Journal of American & Comparative Cultures: 442-46.

Jimi: All Is by My Side. Directed by John Ridley. Universal Pictures, 2015. Film.

Shapiro, Harry, and Caesar Glebbeek. Jimi Hendrix, Electric Gypsy. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.

"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum." The Jimi Hendrix Experience Biography. Accessed December 8, 2015. https://rockhall.com/inductees/the-jimi-hendrix-experience/bio/.

Welch, Chris. Hendrix: A Biography. New York: Flash Books, 1973.