Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is the most known, talented, celebrated and  influential guitarists of all time. As if his rumored 400-guitar-strums-per-minute fingers weren't enough to bewitch an audience, he is also know for his wild stage acts, and he once set his guitar on fire during a performance. He quotes "The time I set my guitar on fire was a sacrifice. You sacrifice things you love. I love my guitar.". After experimenting with several bands during the early 60's, in 1966 he created his own band;  "The Jimi Hendrix Experience". Keith Richards, a member of the Rolling Stones, wanted to help him with his musical career and recommended his name to several record label companies. Famous singer-songwriter Eric Clapton comment on one of his shows "He walked off the stage... And my life was never the same again."; an emotion clearly share with many others, based on his success. Even as a child Hendrix clearly demonstrated his unusual musical talent and by the time he was 19, he could play guitar at such an advanced level he taught himself to play with his teeth, later to become a trick commonly shown at his performances. His most famous songs are "Purple Haze" and "Foxy Lady", and "Purple Haze" is often considered to be the greatest song of all time. Even though I never got to experience Jimi Hendrix performing live on stage, YouTube videos were as close as I got and the moment I first saw Jimi playing guitar the way he did, my life was, like Eric Clapton's, changed forever.

-Gabriella Hall

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