Hendrix and Arthur

[The Freedom Man]

Arthur said that Jimmy copied Arthur with they way he dressed.Do you think Jimmy was inspired by Arthur's close, or did Jimmy dress that way, simply because it was available in the stores back then?

Johnny, you wrote a story about the Wah Wah Pedal and hearing it later on the radio with Hendrix using it.Was Jimi the first to use a Wah Wah Pedal in music?

[jamestkirk]

I wonder too about Jimi. Arthur first knew of Jimi around the recording of MY DIARY for which Arthur recruited Jimi as a session player.

Arthur said Jimi stole his look, but they became good friends in the end. Arthur seemed to respect Jimi's talent.

Did any of the other Love members get to know Jimi? Did you trade guitar secrets?

[BallroomDays67]

For anyone who hasn't read it, here's a great story about the first time Johnny met Jimi:

http://www.thefreedomman.com/love/Johnny3.htm

Johnny, had you started to play the guitar behind your head by that time? How often did you do that, and how did audiences react to it?

[jamestkirk]

For anyone who hasn't read it, here's a great story about the first time Johnny met Jimi:

http://www.thefreedomman.com/love/Johnny3.htm

Johnny, had you started to play the guitar behind your head by that time? How often did you do that, and how did audiences react to it?

Missed that...nice.

[Johnny Echols]

Jimi was definitely influenced by Arthur's style of dress. The last time either of us saw him, before he became "The Jimi Hendrix." He was dressed like an old school R&B musician, ie. slicked down processed hair, and tight fitting suits. When we saw him at the Whiskey, he was dressed slightly hipper. It was only after visiting Arthur, and hanging with the group, that he began dressing really far-out, and he took it to a whole other level.

I can't claim credit, for being the first to play the guitar behind my head. I saw Johnny Guitar Watson, and Classie Balou doing that long before I started. They called it "show boatin" which was a staple at the time, amongst R&B guitarists. Though I was one of the first I knew of, who pretended to play with his teeth.

Both Arthur, and I would hang out together with Jimi, but he was more of a friend of Arthur's than mine. I wasn't all that impressed with him back then. He was always out of tune. From my perspective, he was more of a frustrated bass player than a guitarist. Though we did show each other a few chords. We never really traded any guitar licks. When we jammed together, Jimi just seemed rather predictable and way too loud. No dynamic range, just full out loud. Anyway if a lead guitar player didn't believe he could blow the other dude off the stage, he should put his axe away, and find another gig.

Not taking the wah wah pedal seriously, was a huge mistake for me. Thomas Organ, the distributor of the pedal at the time, had given me one of the first production models. But I could not figure out what to do with the thing. I should have spent more time noodling with it. I think I was a bit [too] old school, when it came to effects. All of my guitar work with Love, is just me, my guitar, and the amp. I used no effects on any songs, other than the reverb, and vibrato, that's part of the amp. Now, I use several effects, and can kick ass, with the wah wah. My playing is light years better now, than back in the day. Of course I've been playing forty years longer, If I couldn't play, far and way better now, than I could back then. Again, I should put my guitar in its case and leave it there. JE.