It was 40 years ago today, when the (arguably) greatest guitarist in the world, and perhaps the greatest raw musician in the world, was found dead in a London flat.
I felt like doing this tribute thread for him.
As many reading this, I wasn't alive to get to see him perform live and in person (and that pisses me off), but I remember the first time I sat down and REALLY listened to him, about 13, 14 years ago. I heard a couple songs before then, but on that particular summer day, while sitting in a parked car with a few friends, passing a couple fat j's around, with the summer sun setting on the horizon, my friend had the cd "Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience" playing on high volume.
I'm not a guitarist, I'm a drummer, and I was impressed by Mitch Mitchell's wild drum technique, drum fills, etc. (listen to Manic Depression) - but there was something about the sound of the 3 as a whole, and yes of course Jimi most of all. I'm sure guitarists have an even higher appreciation for his playing, but even just as a music fan...wow.
He found yet more dimension when he ditched The Experience and formed Band of Gypsies.
It's unbelievable. The dude didn't know how to read music. He couldn't talk to you about notes, measures, technicalities.
Most people who CAN do those things could still never do half of what he did. They don't have the creativity. And Jimi probably did it first anyway.
Ok, this has become a bit long-winded, so...
Check out this article on Jimi Hendrix.
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/music/2010/09/17/15387521.html