Hendrix: Effortless, soulful guitar man

James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)was an American guitarist,singer and songwriter. He is widely considered to be the greatest guitarist in the history of rock music by other musicians and commentators in the industry,and one of the most important and influential musicians of his era across a range of genres. After initial success in Europe, he achieved fame in the United States following his 1967 performance at theMonterey Pop Festival. Later, Hendrix headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival and the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. He was the first person inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame. Hendrix was of European, African, Cherokee andMexican descent and lived for some time with his Cherokee grandmother.

Hendrix often favored raw overdriven amplifiers with high gain and treble and helped develop the previously undesirable technique of guitar amplifier feedback.  Hendrix, along with bands such as Cream, was one of the musicians who popularized the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock which he often used to deliver an exaggerated pitch in his solos, particularly with high bends and use of legato based around the pentatonic scale. He was influenced by blues artists such as B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, and Elmore James, rhythm and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper, as well as by some modern jazz. In 1966, Hendrix, who played and recorded...