Whenever someone discussed The Jimi Hendrix Experience, the topic usually turned to their incredibly innovative music and the inspiration behind such a fundamental sound. The guitarist and frontman, incredibly popular almost overnight, had honed his craft for years on America’s thriving underground music scene.
Jimi Hendrix, known for his friendliness, openly discussed song inspirations, career goals, and intriguingly, those who inspired him. Hendrix, in his brief spotlight, discussed blues legends and artists he’d later encounter, reflecting on a diverse musical journey.
Hendrix named Irish musician Rory Gallagher the greatest guitarist in the world, showing the depth of his taste. At the height of his career, Hendrix answered the question, “What’s it like to be the best rock guitarist in the world?” on The Mike Douglas Show.
“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Rory Gallagher,” Hendrix responded. He also supported other artists, such as Bob Dylan and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
Nevertheless, Ray Davies claims that although Hendrix considered many bands to be excellent, he and his Experience bandmates Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding thought The Kinks were the “greatest they ever saw.”
The “Waterloo Sunset” songwriter made the assertion in a 2023 interview with Mojo. This emerged in response to questions about whether The Kinks‘ 1965–1969 US tour ban and whether commentators had taken the long-standing tale too literally drove him to explore Englishness in his music.
According to Davies, “Yes, since the beginning, I was writing English songs.” Two of my idols were Big Bill Broonzy and Chet Atkins. Hence, I felt that I was moving in the right direction and wanted to create my own blues. Still, everything came to an end because of the American tour. I began to isolate myself by writing songs with English themes being self-protective.
He went on, “We were supposed to play one of those big festivals, like Woodstock or Monterey, where everyone was copying our look. Jimi Hendrix was the only one who acknowledged our contributions. The Kinks, according to both Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, were the best band they had ever seen. In order to be on American TV shows, you had to tour the country. It is impossible to advance if you never set foot on that continent.
