Self taught and genre-bending, Jimi Hendrix defined rock & roll. With a legacy that lives on nearly half a century after his death, it comes as no surprise that Rolling Stone has named him the Greatest Guitarist of All Time.
In a new list revealed on Wednesday, Hendrix topped a field of legendary axe-wielders, retaining the title he earned from the magazine in 2003. The Woodstock headliner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performed in a number of bands, including the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and pioneered the use of feedback and distortion. That revolution is one of many things that Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello highlights in his short writeup for Hendrix in the magazine.
"He seamlessly weaves chords and single-note runs together and uses chord voicings that don't appear in any music book. His riffs were a pre-metal funk bulldozer, and his lead lines were an electric LSD trip down to the crossroads, where he pimp-slapped the devil," Morello writes.
Following Hendrix on the list at number two is Eric Clapton, with Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck making up the rest of the magazine's top five guitarists, as chosen by a panel of experts. B. B. King, Chuck Berry, Eddie Van Halen, Duane Allman and Pete Townshend round out the top ten.
To see the whole list, click over to Rolling Stone.