Today marks Johnny Allen Hendrix’s 66th birthday. It’s hard not to ask the question of how music would be had he stayed alive. It’s also useless because there is no way we could ever know. He left his mark at the right time and at the right place.

I’m not the biggest Hendrix fan. Some would disagree since I have the man’s head tattooed on my left shoulder, and I’m not really going to get into why I have it. But you cannot deny the influence he had on music, and in particular the way he elevated the way a guitar was played. In an age of guitar hero’s, he was the first to actually earn that title. You could even say he created the very notion.

I remember when I first learned about Jimi. I must have been around 16, and had just started getting serious about playing guitar. I kept coming across his name in countless articles I read about other guitar players of the time. Who the heck was this Jimi guy? So I went out, and purchased 1967’s Are You Experienced. After the first couple of listenings, I distinctly remember having the feeling that my world now made more sense. I was hearing the origins of a lot of musical things I was already familiar with from listening to other guitar players. It was like finding the missing link. Aside from the obvious blues and rhythm and blues influences, he injected into his playing a unique style that can still be heard in today’s music.

His influence spans more then just the way he changed the way the guitar was played. His approach to song writing, performing, musical experimentation, producing, recording and integrity to ones music are all ways that I think he uniquely defined. This is harder to come by, but I encourage you to read one of the many biographies out there on the man, to get a sense for this if you are interested. The stories of the time alone, for example how Eric Clapton wanted to give up playing guitar and went into a depression after seeing Jimi perform live, are priceless and worth reading about.

He was also an amazing blues player, which a lot of people do not know. At par, if not above, his contemporaries, his blues recordings are actually some of the best material he ever recorded and stand the test of time. Have a listen.

He has a special place in my heart. As I write this, listening to his version of Born Under a Bad Sign I can’t help feeling sad. Burned too brightly. Faded too fast.

So, get out your guitars, tune them down to E♭and play, its what he would likely have done. Happy Birthday Jimi Hendrix.

How did you do?