Hendrix, often called the best electric guitarist of all time, performed with various bands (including Little Richard's) and recorded sessions with artists before recording songs of his own like "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Purple Haze."
Singer-songwriter John Mayer spoke about him for Rolling Stone, writing of Hendrix, "He is the common denominator of every style of popular music. Was he a bluesman? Listen to 'Voodoo Chile' and you'll hear some of the eeriest blues you can find. Was he a rock musician? He used volume as a device. That's rock. Was he a sensitive singer-songwriter? In 'Bold As Love,' he sings, "My yellow in this case is not so mellow/In fact I'm trying to say it's frightened like me" — that is a man who knows the shape of his heart.
"So often, he's portrayed as a loud, psychedelic rock star lighting his guitar on fire. But when I think of Hendrix, I think of some of the most placid, lovely guitar sounds on songs like 'One Rainy Wish,' 'Little Wing' and 'Drifting.'"
