If Hendrix had never existed

[Jimi75]

Puhhh, I know this is a tough one, but this morning the thought of "what if Jimi Hendrix had never existed" came to my mind and it made me feel uncomfortable. I could praise Jimi for days without stopping (which could be another thread) and he is definitely the player who has influenced me the most, but how would the scene be without him?

I do not expect any comments on this thread, but I bet that if you spend a minute thinking about it and spin the story a little further taking into consideration the influence he had on other famous players, music styles and the Fender Strat, pedals etc. you will feel that there would be a huge, if not the hugest gap possible if he hadn't been here.

I'm getting a coffe right now and then I will listen to the Band Of Gypsies 'cause I am alone in the office today!

[Robert]

We would all be screwed if it wasn't for Jimi.

[Big_Rob]

We would all be screwed if it wasn't for Jimi.

sustained!

[SuperSwede]

Fender would have dropped the Stratocaster if it werent for Jimi, and we would all be playing surf music on our Jaguars.

[sunvalleylaw]

Seattle would not have a really, really cool guitar and music museum. (Expericence Music Project: http://www.emplive.org/exhibits/index.asp?categoryID=19) Whereas the grunge guys were popular for a while, their legacy would not have caused the civic donations of Paul Allen Microsoft mogul, who headed up the Hendrix project due to his passion for Hendrix.

[Tone2TheBone]

Maybe someone else would have started something similar?

[sunvalleylaw]

True, maybe Allen would have done something similar. But I wonder who would have inspired it?

[Jimi75]

Maybe someone else would have started something similar?

Best joke of the day! :)

[Tone2TheBone]

Seriously. Not to discredit Jimi at all don't get me wrong!..but for the sake of this discussion, in this big world there had to have been others that were exploring techniques and tones similar to the direction he was going. If everyone copped each other back then like they do now I think maybe someone might have eventually been lucky enough to get the full credit for that type of playing and sound. I think things just happen and people who make them happen are along for the ride. I think it's happenstance......sometimes. ;)

[Big_Rob]

True, we would have still had Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and others.

[Jimi75]

True my friends, I think all great players like Clapton etc. would have left a big void if they hadn't existed.

I bet that also others were on the same trail as Jimi was, but his persona was so damn special and his talents...man!

Honestly, I could not imagine a good session without a rendition of Red House or Little Wing, wah wah playing without Voodoo Child Slight Return, being in love with octavias and vibes...machine gun.......

As I said, this thread was not to praise Jimi Hendrix, I just discovered how pale everything could have been without this boy from Seattle!

[ShortBuSX]

"Imagine theres no Hendrix...its easy if you try..."

I really think people give Hendrix too much credit.

[Robert]

Too much credit? I respectfully disagree - Hendrix had a kind of "magic" about him that I feel not many others have/had.

[snarph]

R&b and Bluse in particular were the things that Jimi based his stuff on .

And if you listen to just about any of the "Hendrix Clones" they all have a bluse base that they pull the rabbit out of the hat from.

True Jimi was an innovator that parts highly individualized.

But I don't think it would not have happened if he had not come along.

Sure glad we had his contributions but some body would have taped in to that same vain

[Spudman]

Seriously. Not to discredit Jimi at all don't get me wrong!..but for the sake of this discussion, in this big world there had to have been others that were exploring techniques and tones similar to the direction he was going. If everyone copped each other back then like they do now I think maybe someone might have eventually been lucky enough to get the full credit for that type of playing and sound. I think things just happen and people who make them happen are along for the ride. I think it's happenstance......sometimes. ;)

I tend to agree. There were people pushing the envelope before and during Jimi's time on earth. Most of us just haven't heard of them and they didn't come to prominence. Jimi was very charismatic and that is something that works in show business. Many players as you well know are very shy and reclusive. Hence they don't get discovered by the masses or Chas Chandler. Jimi was one of a kind and we are lucky to have his inspiration, but if he didn't exist somebody else would have gotten us to where we are today. It is our destiny.

[Oldslowhand]

We would not know about him so any changes he helped to make we could not possibly know about, but I suspect things would probably more or less were they are now.The Blues are still here, Prog rock, Jazz, Funk etc, happened other artists always take up the baton. Also would rock music be the same if he had lived ? Would he have continued to be the force he was....? After all there have been other artists that commanded as much respect now and were just as respected then who now longer are at the cutting edge......Clapton for example.Who knows ? I've had the same interesting argument about Buddy Holly & SRV.

[ShortBuSX]

Too much credit? I respectfully disagree - Hendrix had a kind of "magic" about him that I feel not many others have/had.

Ive often heard Santana had that "magic"...I dont get him either, but I realize my feelings arent popular.

Disagree? Thats okay...but had Jimi's daddy pulled out instead...wed still have the Stones, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Chuck Berry, all the blues greats, Eric Clapton...and Buddy Guy.

[marnold]

Ive often heard Santana had that "magic"...I dont get him either, but I realize my feelings arent popular.
Tastes in music are quite subjective. There really is no right or wrong . . . unless you like Air Supply. Then you are wrong. Dead wrong. Ooooooh so wrong.

I realize that this would make for a different thread, but I believe the bigger question is "What if Hendrix had lived?" Would he have headed down the road he was beginning to travel with the Band of Gypsies? What would an 80s-metal-era Hendrix album have sounded like? Would everyone be covering "Voodoo Chile," etc.?

[Mark]

We are forgeting someone very pivotal here. Hendrix or no Hendrix we did have Don Ho:eek: ...Purple haze=Tiny bubbles?;) I think Im on to something here.
Anymore brown acid left that was good...:DR

[sunvalleylaw]

His influence was substantial. Would a person hear as much Hendrix in SRV's stuff if Jimi had lived? or if he had not lived at all? I think Jimi did add new ground, and being unique, was a huge influence in his own right. Of course standing on the shoulders of other, but he added a lot on his own IMHO. I had not listened to Hendrix all that much before the Dogtown soundtrack and picking up guitar. I have for much of my adult life been listening to a lot of music influenced more by Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, the early Beatles, and the like. Shorter songs with not that much screaming solo work. But the question as I understand it was not whether you like his work that much, but more related to his influence and what if he had not been here. I think he did have large influence.

[Jimi75]

His influence was substantial. Would a person hear as much Hendrix in SRV's stuff if Jimi had lived? or if he had not lived at all? I think Jimi did add new ground, and being unique, was a huge influence in his own right. Of course standing on the shoulders of other, but he added a lot on his own IMHO. I had not listened to Hendrix all that much before the Dogtown soundtrack and picking up guitar. I have for much of my adult life been listening to a lot of music influenced more by Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, the early Beatles, and the like. Shorter songs with not that much screaming solo work. But the question as I understand it was not whether you like his work that much, but more related to his influence and what if he had not been here. I think he did have large influence.

:) :) :) exactly!

[ShortBuSX]

But the question as I understand it was not whether you like his work that much, but more related to his influence and what if he had not been here. I think he did have large influence.

Since I feel like the only one who doesnt bow to the alter of Hendrix...and for the record, I never said I didnt like him, I like him just fine...but what I did say was that "people give him too much credit", as if he invented rock n roll, as if he invented feedback or the screaming guitar solo, as if heavy metal wouldnt have existed, as if musicians would have never picked up an instrument...that life as we know it would have ceased to exist without him. Everybody bashes the "Hendrix clones" anyways...what good is influence if emulation doesnt flatter his fondest fans, that I really dont get...and in my opinion SRV was 10x the player and he did it quite cleanly with almost sergical perfection...AND with more melody, which in my opinion made HIS music more listenable.


"What if Hendrix had lived?"
Was his "music" getting better? Was it more listenable? More palatable? Was Band of Gypsies a sucsess? Were new albums increasing his fan base?
In my opinion, if hed lived...he had nowhere to go except into obscurity...strictly fringe. It was a "timely" death.

[Justaguyin_nc]

Imagine.. if you try... good words... Imagine.. goto the fifties.. find a good looking white guy with a pelvis that swings and start moving the blues into it...call it rock..(sorry chuck.. although your better..it's to soon) now... move on to the sixties... finally it's acceptable... A Black man comming out of the sixties who has served his country.. (remember the times).. standing out in a near all white Hard Rock(based on blues) Arena.. even if ten white guys had the sound.. this was the sheeets.. This black man has such a sound.. such a force on stage.. then spin the guitar over and place it in his Left hand... dress him in white..... tie a flag to his head.. wow.. we can sell this!! The birth of Rock comes from the blues.. You now have "The man" that pushes Hard Rock full tilt.. you have a god on stage... and for that.. he was.. right time and right place.. with licks no one had heard before at these settings.. he had everything needed to be the star.. and that he was... but for all to short of a time.. Actually, I like very few hendrix songs.. but those stand out and above alot of others.. I believe there would have been another Hendrix... it was in the cards...

Justa my opinion....

[R_of_G]

Without having had Jimi in our reality, there'd likely be a generation of kids about to go to high school who'd ask us "what's an electric guitar? didn't they use to use those in that old-fashioned rock music?" Not to mention that the Miles sound of 1970 and on probably wouldn't have existed in its known form, though he'd likely have done something else innovative, it likely wouldn't have been so guitar driven. Now had that happened, I prob wouldn't be a guitar-player right now.

[Robert]

Amen to that.

[ShortBuSX]

Without having had Jimi in our reality, there'd likely be a generation of kids about to go to high school who'd ask us "what's an electric guitar? didn't they use to use those in that old-fashioned rock music?"

This is exactly what I mean by "too much credit" :cool:

[R_of_G]

not sure i'd say hendrix "invented" any of the things he is known for, however, my partially facetious comment that there'd be no rock music and electric guitars in the mainstream was meant to say what i observe to be true about popular music before and since jimi. whether or not it has been part of the music some of us listen to since way back when, we all have to admit that the elec guitar has gone in and out of "style" with respect to popular mainstream music throughout it's history. now, i am not making any statement on the relevance of popular mainstream music, only observing that it is, except for most of us who know better, where most get the majority of their music from. it has seemed to me that pop music has an on-again, off again relationship with the guitar. it is IMPOSSIBLE to overstate jimi's influence on this. is he the only one, of course not, but it is undeniable that MANY of the people who continue to bring electric guitar music to the masses, do so in large part bc of hendrix's influence. if you don't find that personally to be true as far as influencing your own playing more power to you, but i think it's a bit of a stretch to suggest i am over-rating hendrix.

ps. while he is often talked of highly as a guitar player, where i find hendrix is UNDER-rated, is as a song-writer. and not just musically either.