Give Hendrix Some Respect.

This post is another go out and find it for yourself post.

Now the title might be a bit misleading. First of all, I don't entirely condone and push for the heavy drug use Hendrix found infamy from.

That being said, if there's one genre I see pretty under represented in music, it's definitely blues and heavy vamped music. In the 60s' through 80's the blues had an explosive revival. If you know it, you know it, the big names; Clapton, Otis Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and of course Hendrix. Any history of rock'n'roll 101 course will get you through this. The art of vamping on the guitar in almost every style, country to metal, in a specific chord progression. Lyrics sung in the same styles. It was sweet, it was the state of the country, the blues.

Hendrix, a drop out of high school teenager, from a troubled home, honorably discharged from the army, found sweet sanctuary in his music; teaching himself guitar from the early blues and rock'n'roll he listened too and found comfort in. For him, it seemed life was his guitar (aside from the drugs and fame it brought him). Stories of Hendrix having sold his soul to the devil to have such great work swept the nation and he brough on thousands with his performances with guitar. He started to change rock'n'roll with this passion found in the guitar, many claiming it was if he wasn't even touching the guitar; a pure energy straight from his soul.
What did Hendrix do for us? The wah-wah pedal started to reach more fame, use of "space" on a cd, new ways of playing a guitar to add atmosphere to music, his unique style and voice stretching into almost every genre of music itself (hitting artist such as Led Zeppelin, and almost every blues and rock album you hear now you can seem to find traces of Hendrix himself).

I'm not claiming this man is god himself playing guitar. I am not claiming that he was a good man. I am not claiming his use of heavy drugs and alcohol is the only way to play a guitar.

What I am saying is that you do have to find that Hendrix was a man, whose love of the guitar and music itself, pushed modern rock'n'roll/Blues, to the place it is now. A man dedicated heavily to his guitar. A man dedicated heavily to experimenting with music. Love heavily within music, his passion on fire, along with his guitar, and coming through the speakers. His vamping and smart guitar playing wasn't just a one hit wonder.

So today, go out and listen to some Hendrix. I'm not saying fall in love with the man or worship him, but give some respect to why there are thousands of posters of him. Give respect to what he could do with a guitar. Realize that great music comes from within. Just like Jacques Cousteau is synonymous with Marine Biology, Jimi Hendrix is synonymous with music. He both loved and respected music, was partially a slave to it, but lived it too.

-Minimal foX

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