Ritchie Blackmore’s five favourite Jimi Hendrix riffs
Jimi Hendrix continues to be one of American rock’s most celebrated guitarists, having honed his effortless, electric fusion of soul, jazz, and rock as the backing guitarist for The Isley Brothers and Little Richard.
After forming the Jimi Hendrix Experience alongside Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, the guitarist shot to stardom, becoming one of the most celebrated artists of the 1960s. The songs he composed with the band were a source of inspiration for countless musicians, including Rainbow guitarist Richie Blackmore, who had seemingly endless praise for the ‘Voodoo Chile’ vocalist.
It was the rich riffs of Hendrix that the musician loved most, naming his five favourites over the years. ‘Stone Free’ was an example of a Hendrix hit Blackmore loved that didn’t translate to popularity on the American charts, never breaking the Billboard Hot 100. Still, Blackmore described the 1967 single as “exceptional” during an interview with Vintage Guitar in 2017. “He always tuned his guitar half a step down, which helped him to have a very strong vibrato, since the strings became looser,” Blackmore explained.
In a separate interview in 2010, Blackmore again praised Hendrix’s unique tone on ‘Manic Depression’, also taking time to consider his vocal ability. “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’,” he said. “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.”
On the fuzzy brilliance of ‘Purple Haze’, Blackmore added: “It’s a fantastic record. The riffs are so good. Did you know he hits a false harmonic right in the middle of this by pulling a string. It’s very hard to do. But he was brilliant, wasn’t he?” Blackmore, amazed by his ability to play a wrong note, adored how Hendrix could bend it until sitting perfectly within a composition.
Naturally, and particularly for a late ‘60s star of psychedelic rock, a lot of Hendrix’s appeal wasn’t just his technical chops but his stage presence. “He had the music down, he had the composing down, he had the singing down, plus the showmanship,” said Blackmore on his wild live rendition of ‘Hey Joe’.
Adding: “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.”
The 1967 track ‘Burning of the Midnight Lamp’ was another firm favourite for Blackmore, who only had the chance to meet Hendrix once but had the opportunity to share how many of his songs impacted him.
“I only met him once. It was in the Whiskey in Hollywood,” he said. “I was going into the toilet, and he was playing with his hair or something. That was the only time I met him. We kind of nodded to each other and that was it. So I never really got to know him. Yet he certainly set the world on fire.”
Ritchie Blackmore’s favourite Jimi Hendrix riffs:
- ‘Purple Haze’ (Are You Experienced, 1967)
- ‘Hey Joe’ (Are You Experienced, 1967)
- ‘Burning of the Midnight Lamp’ (Electric Ladyland, 1968)
- ‘Manic Depression (Are You Experienced, 1967)
- ‘Stone Free’ (1966)
