Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitarist

I'm just not in the mood for wading through the entire Billy Gibbons vs. Terry Kath - What Did Hendrix Really Say? » thread at the moment, so perhaps we could get a Cliff Notes version here.

The reason I bring it up is that I was perusing the Wikipedia entry on Redbone and found this: "Hendrix also stated that Lolly Vegas was his favorite guitar player, Pat his favorite bassist, and the brothers as his biggest influence in music"

That Jimi sure had a lot of favorite guitarists:

1. Billy Gibbons
2. Terry Kath
3. Phil Keaggy
4. Buddy Guy ("Heaven is lying at Buddy Guy’s feet while listening to him play guitar")
5. Lolly Vegas

Hope I didn't leave anybody out. Was anybody else Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitarist?

 

Johnny Winter?

 

It's not official unless Jimi is quoted as saying it somewhere on the internet

 

He may have had a kind word to say about many guitar players, but if we go by what he actually said himself in interviews, it was:

Albert King
BB King
Elmore James
Albert Collins
Muddy Waters
Steve Cropper
Otis Rush
Clapton

The rest is all undocumented hearsay.

 

"Djork is my favorite guitarist." - Jimi Hendrix

 

He also said Rory Gallagher was better than he was.

 

At the Isle Of Wight show (after Taste had played), Hendrix was asked "how it felt to be the world's greatest guitarist?" by a reporter.
Hendrix replied "why don't you ask Rory Gallagher..."

 

Source?

 

Source? .

 

See previous post. I believe this was recounted in the liner notes for the Taste Live at Isle Of Wight dvd.

 

So, hearsay, if it's not in a Hendrix interview or on video.

 

I believe it was also published in NME or Melody Maker at the time, IIRC...

 

O.k. technically...

 

Maybe someone can track down the interview. It would sure clear up a lot of speculation.

 

Frankly, I would be surprised if Hendrix didn't appreciate Rory Gallagher. Especially if he had just seen the show Rory played.
Better in some ways than Hendrix too (imo).

 

Technically it's almost certainly a false quote, as there is no record of Hendrix saying that. I don't think we need to go on a wild goose chase.

 

And look for the Lolly Vegas source while you're at it

Always hoped he'd put out an album called Hello, Lolly!

 

Wow, o.k. We don't have to believe it.

 

I am pretty sure almost any guitarist (or musician for that matter) he ever met got a kind word from Jimi, he was just that sort of guy, nice, gracious and humble, and really appreciated other musicians. It is impossible to know who, if anyone, was his actual "favorite", he didn't excatly sign a binding document. He must have said things like that about countless players, and unless there is aural evidence we can't be sure what he really said. As I mentioned recently in that other thread, the rumour about Billy Gibbons being mentioned in one of Jimi's Dick Cavett appearances is obviously a myth, he wasn't, that is the only thing I know for certain.

I don't see the point of this...

 

Certainly at IoW 1970...Jimi was (mostly) dreadful at that gig. The Who, Tull, Taste, hell even the Doors blew Jimi away at that gig.

 

Well, ok then, that settles it. Since *you* say it's false, no need for anyone to research it to determine once and for all if that's the case. It's a good thing you're here to be the arbiter of such things!

 

Wow, I beg to differ . It wasn't his best performance, but no one in the other bands was close to Jimi's level of playing even on a bad gig.

 

Hendrix was sloppy sometimes.

 

Hendrix at IoW was, save for a few songs, pretty soupy.. The Who blew him away even though it wasn't THEIR best gig (it was still tremendous). Jimi was just worn out physically and mentally by that show.

 

Google is your friend pal; why do the work that others have unsuccessfully already attempted?
I will add that I have listened to every existing recorded Hendrix interview and contributed as translator to Hendrix scholar Ben Valkhoff's extensive book series of all known Hendrix print interviews and articles published in his lifetime, so my opinion might be worth more than a bitchy reply, you know?

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