Contrary to popular belief, Jimi Hendrix did not pioneer the possibilities of the electric guitar; in fact his idiosyncratic style, which combined pedal effects, feedback, and distortion, was derived from the experiments of bluesmen Earl Hooker (cousin of John Lee Hooker) and Buddy Guy. However, Hendrix brought their experiments with electricity and tone color, along with the flamboyant performing styles of Charlie Patton, Howlin' Wolf, and T-Bone Walker, boldly into the arena of rock and roll, and amplified their effects with studio wizardry and extremes of volume.
Hendrix grew up in Seattle and was raised on a steady diet of Chicago blues and R&B. When rock and roll emerged he took a fervent interest in the music and played along with the radio by strumming a broom. In 1958 his father bought him a secondhand guitar, and shortly thereafter Hendrix formed his own band, the Velvetones. In 1961 he joined the army and served as a paratrooper until he was injured in a jump. By then he had developed a solid guitar technique and began working as a session guitarist under the name Jimmy James. By the end of 1965 he had played with Ike and Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, the Isley Brothers, and Little Richard, and formed his own band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. While working in New York Hendrix met Chas Chandler, the bassist for the Animals, who convinced him that his blues-drenched style would be well-received in London, where a psychedelic blues scene was beginning to emerge.
In London, Hendrix reputedly caused a sensation. Word of the amazing young guitarist spread quickly, and the emerging blues rock guitar gods all flocked to see if the rumors were true. When he was playing one of his gigs at the Marquee, the premiere jazz and blues club of mid '60s London, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones warned people at the intermission to be careful up front, as the floor was wet "from all the guitarists crying." Hendrix pulled together a group with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding (who had actually never played bass, but was a fine rhythm guitarist) and began making the rounds. Chandler convinced him to record "Hey Joe," a song that was popular among folk players in San Francisco; the song raced up the UK charts and established Hendrix as a hit-maker in Britain. However, it wasn't until Hendrix returned to the United States to perform at the Monterey Pop Festival in California that he became an international rock star.
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Earl Hooker, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, T-Bone Walker
Must Haves:
 "Hey Joe"
"Foxy Lady"
"Little Wing"
"Castles Made of Sand"
Joe Satriani, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Vai, Robin Trower, Lenny Kravitz
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