The classic rock band Jimi Hendrix admitted he ripped off: “This is incredible”
Jimi Hendrix was a true original who operated uniquely on and off the stage. However, while he appeared to be an alien life form dropped on this planet for the benefit of rock ‘n’ roll, Hendrix was human, just like the rest of us, and partial to taking influence wherever he found it.
Although his guitar tone sounded like nobody else, Hendrix still took inspiration from others. Before making his journey to the United Kingdom after being spotted by Chas Chandler in New York, Hendrix had already decided to devote his life to playing his desired instrument. It didn’t matter whether he was performing in dingy clubs or becoming the most iconic guitarist ever, as long as he was playing the guitar.
His addiction to the blues was born at a young age, as he revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone: “The first guitarist I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I heard one of his old records when I was a little boy, and it scared me to death because I heard all of those sounds. Wow, what is that all about? It was great.” After being introduced to Waters, Hendrix knew that his destiny was to follow in the footsteps of his hero. Even though he became more successful than he ever could have dreamed, Hendrix still admired many of his peers and wasn’t afraid to take influence from them.
Upon arriving in England, he was introduced to Jeff Beck, who, at that time, was one of the city’s most respected guitarists. When Hendrix started to get tongues wagging, Beck was understandably curious about the new kid on the block. Their first encounter came at a fascinating moment in Beck’s career. He had left The Yardbirds to start a solo venture, which was the source of much interest. However, quickly Hendrix usurped him and became the most hotly anticipated star in the capital.
It didn’t take long for Hendrix to become a word-of-mouth sensation among musical circles. After hearing rave reviews from friends regarding the exciting new import, Beck felt compelled to see Hendrix with his own eyes, which exceeded his high expectations. Beck revealed: “So I went down to see Hendrix at Blazes, and it was just unbelievable. It was like a bomb being blown up in the right place.”
Following his initial exposure, Beck started watching Hendrix regularly and was shocked to discover that his new favourite artist was also a fan of his work who had even stolen one of his guitar licks. The Yardbirds member added: “I followed him around a bit, and he’d heard of me which I couldn’t believe, he said, ‘What’s that lick you play?’, and I said, ‘Happenings Ten Years Time Ago’, he said, ‘I swiped that on this’. Now I thought, this is incredible, we can talk music now, he’s not just an immovable force, and I can get some inspiration.”
While some artists would have responded angrily to Hendrix admitting to stealing from them, Beck saw it as the ultimate compliment. Instead, he was honoured that Hendrix was aware of his work and the act of plagiarism was a source of pride. Additionally, Beck almost certainly lifted licks from other artists throughout his career, too. The brazen admittance of theft from Hendrix only heightened Beck’s endearment towards him. It also helped humanise Hendrix, proving to the Englishman that he was a mere mortal like everybody else. Due to his wealth of talent, many found Hendrix to be an intimidating figure, but Beck saw underneath the facade and into his soul.
