Why Ritchie Blackmore believes Jimi Hendrix was “20 years ahead of his time”
The guitar player is one of the most influential figures in rock music. They have been incredibly important in developing rock as a genre and giving this style of music the energy and character that so many people were drawn to. Ritchie Blackmore is a great example of a guitarist who helped move rock ‘n’ roll forward.
He was never afraid to play around with different styles of music throughout his time with Deep Purple. This meant occasionally swapping around the style that they wanted to pioneer, whether that was focusing on the heavier side of rock music or trying to incorporate softer, classical sounds into their music.
“My interest in classical music overall is what led me in the direction of trying to combine blues, rock and classical ideas into the stylistic statement,” he said, “At the age of 15, I saw a band that did rocked-up classical tunes, called Nero and the Gladiators. They all wore togas, and you would think they must have looked really silly, but it worked.”
As someone who was always open to different styles of music, he had an eye for excellent artists. One guitarist who he held leaps and bounds ahead of anybody else making music was Jimi Hendrix. He admired both his technical ability as a musician and also what he achieved as a performer, given his compelling stage presence.
“Hendrix came out in 1966, and he was probably 20 years ahead of his time,” he said, “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. 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.”
Hendrix’s vocals are an understated side of his performance. He was always a passionate writer and wanted to be recognised more for his lyricism. It was hard for him to pierce the veil as a songwriter because his guitar playing was such a prominent factor in his gigs.
Patti Smith once commented that he was a great poet and should have been recognised more for his work. “I got to talk to him once about 50 years ago. And for a young girl, he was everything you would want in your rock and roll star,” she said, “[He] loved poetry. He often spoke not in the most favourable way about his poetry. He didn’t think he was the greatest writer. He really admired Bob Dylan, but he was a wonderful poet.”
Hendrix wasn’t the only artist that Blackmore said was ahead of his time. He has also previously praised Vanilla Fudge for their forward-thinking musicianship, admitting that when Deep Purple initially started, they were trying to play like Vanilla Fudge did.
“We loved Vanilla Fudge – they were our heroes,” he said, “They used to play London’s Speakeasy, and all the hippies used to go there to hang out – Clapton, The Beatles – everybody went there to pose […] The group was ahead of its time […] So, initially we wanted to be a Vanilla Fudge clone.”
