10 essential Black musicians
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Jimi Hendrix’s powerful cover of Muddy Waters song ‘Mannish Boy’
There are few names in rock ‘n’ roll more iconic than Jimi Hendrix. The extraordinarily gifted guitarist shaped rock music from the 1950s and early ‘60s rhythm and blues style championed by the likes of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters into his own, heavier style that was unprecedented. Not only was Hendrix a true pioneer, but he is widely labelled as the greatest guitarist of all time.
Nobody has come close to equalling Hendrix’s imagination ensnaring influence on so many aspiring rock guitarists over the years following his untimely death. Hendrix somehow brought his guitar to life with his unique improvised style as it ultimately became a psychedelic extension of his larynx.
Hendrix was born when his mother was just 17 years of age and grew up under difficult circumstances. His mother had a turbulent relationship with his father, Al, who eventually left home. After the break-up, Jimi would spend most of his time with Al, rarely visiting his mother before her untimely death in 1958.
Al’s love for blues and rock ‘n’ roll rubbed off on Hendrix as he was encouraged to teach himself to play the guitar by listening to his father’s music and feeling out the notes. Jimi’s first electric guitar was a right-handed Supro Ozark that the natural lefty had to flip upside down to play.
Muddy Waters was one of Hendrix’s prime influences while learning to play the guitar. The “father of modern Chicago blues” was famous for popularising the use of electric guitar in blues-based rock ‘n’ roll. His influence has since spread far and wide, and if we look back through the rock lineage, most roads lead back to him. Waters has been cited by countless legendary acts, including Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, as a formative influence. Although, Waters’ keenest disciples are likely The Rolling Stones, who even named themselves after Waters’ 1950 track ‘Rollin’ Stone’.
In 2018, Jimi Hendrix’s previously unreleased cover of Muddy Waters’ ‘Mannish Boy’ was released via BBC Radio 6. The classic blues cover was recorded in New York in April 1969. In the below video, Hendrix’s producer and sound engineer, Eddie Kramer, discusses the blinding cover.
