Ritchie Blackmore’s favourite Jimi Hendrix riffs: “He certainly set the world on fire”
In the same way that Ritchie Blackmore was never worried about criticising the artists he didn’t think were up to scratch, he was always quick to praise the artists he thought were excellent musicians. When discussing his favourite guitarists, there were always recurring names that continued to crop up, such as Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. However, when it came to Blackmore’s favourite of all time, there was only one man for the job.
$40 was all it took for Jimi Hendrix to single-handedly change music forever. That was how much his flight from the US to the UK cost. While he was turning heads in the US, it was in London that he would really cement himself as one of the guitar-playing greats. Following his first gig, word of mouth got around about the new guitar-playing protégé storming the capital, and before long, Hendrix was a global superstar.
“He had the music down, he had the composing down, he had the singing down, plus the showmanship,” said Blackmore when talking about his favourite guitar player, “So nobody can compete with something like that. I don’t think really anybody can come up to what he could do. Because he could do everything. That was the thing that I thought was very interesting.”
Sadly, Blackmore only met Hendrix once, at the Whiskey in Hollywood. One night, he went to the toilet and saw Hendrix playing with his hair instead of playing the guitar. Other than that, the two paths never crossed. “We kind of nodded to each other and that was it,” he said, “So I never really got to know him. Yet he certainly set the world on fire.”
While Blackmore might not have spent much time with Hendrix as a person, a large portion of his life has been spent with his music. Blackmore isn’t afraid to admit that he is massively influenced by Hendrix, the way he performs and his ability as a songwriter overall. Four riffs stand out to him above all else, which he has spoken about at length.
The first two are Hendrix classics, ‘Manic Depression’ and ‘Purple Haze’. “Hendrix came out in 1966, and he was probably 20 years ahead of his time. What makes him a genius is his phrasing and his originality; his construction of songs, his very innovative riffs, like those of ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Manic Depression’; his presence on stage,” said Blackmore, “But, oddly enough, one of the things that I think made him so special was his voice, since he never wanted to be a vocalist.”
Some of Hendrix’s more upbeat songs played a big part in Blackmore’s construction of the Deep Purple classic album In Rock. The way that Hendrix could play aggressively and upbeat, but still keep a solid melody that was easy to latch onto, was a big inspiration for him. ‘Stone Free’ is one of the best examples of this.
“’Stone Free’s solo is exceptional,” said Blackmore, “He always tuned his guitar half a step down, which helped him to have a very strong vibrato, since the strings became looser.”
Finally, Blackmore also liked the slower numbers, for instance, Hendrix’s wonderful, sombre, serene and twisted ‘Hey Joe’. “When I need some stimulation, ‘Hey Joe’ is the one that does it,” admitted Blackmore, “Because I think with Jimi, he loved life, he loved to live and it showed in his playing. I think if there are any comparisons to make, I think he is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Errol Flynn.”
