The greatest guitarist of all time, according to Jimmy Page
The discussion around the greatest guitarist of all time is, of course, entirely subjective. While public opinion will always be divisive on the matter, if anyone is equipped to provide a conclusive answer, it’s Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
Before forming Led Zeppelin, Page was already a recognised figure within London’s rock scene, even if he had not achieved household name status. While enrolled in art school, Page started attending an open mic night event at a local venue, and soon enough, he was a sought after session musician.
This period of his career was an apprenticeship of sorts; it allowed him to work with everyone from Eric Clapton to The Rolling Stones and enhanced his skillset before striking gold with The Yardbirds.
From a technical standpoint, Page is acutely aware of the ingredients it takes to reach legendary status. While his name is often peppered around the conversation regarding the greatest guitarist of all time, Page believes the mantle belongs to Jimi Hendrix.
Page was at the forefront of the London rock scene when Hendrix first arrived in the United Kingdom in 1966. Within a matter of months, the American had become the name on everybody’s lips, and he quickly outgrew the English capital.
At the time of his arrival, Eric Clapton’s band Cream was riding high at the top of the London scene, and Hendrix used its platform to steal the limelight.
Hendrix famously made his first performance on British soil at the London Polytechnic at a Cream concert. The room was filled with future icons, who were collectively overawed when Hendrix shockingly took to the stage and performed a version of the Howlin’ Wolf classic ‘Killing Floor’.
A star was born that night, and in the mind of Page, nobody has come close to replicating his magnificence. “We’ve lost the best guitarist any of us ever had, and that was Hendrix,” the Led Zeppelin once told Rolling Stone’s Cameron Crowe.
Unfortunately for Page, he wasn’t in the London Polytechnic that evening to witness history in the making, seemingly making him the only musician in the capital to have not attended Hendrix’s grand unveiling. Nevertheless, Page was soon informed about the magical spectacle by friends.
Although it was on his wishlist to attend a Hendrix concert, somehow it never happened, and Page sadly never even crossed paths with the iconic figure before it was too late.
“It wasn’t a lack of will,” the Led Zeppelin guitarist told Rolling Stone in 2012. “I wanted to see him. But I was doing studio dates and touring with the Yardbirds. Jeff came ’round and was telling me about how this guy got up at London Polytechnic, jammed and taken them all by surprise. I remember I was back in London after a Zeppelin tour, and Hendrix was playing the next night at the Royal Albert Hall.”
He profoundly added: “I was pretty shot and thought, ‘I’d really like to see him.’ But I’d heard all these wonderful stories of him playing in clubs: ‘I’ll wait and see him next time’ round.’ For me, there wasn’t going to be a next time.”
Agonisingly, although the pair never had a conversation or exchanged licks, Page once had the opportunity to speak to Hendrix. However, the timing wasn’t quite right, and Page reluctantly passed up on the chance of a lifetime.
The guitarist explained: “The only time I actually saw him was at a club called Salvation in New York. He was across the room from where I was sitting with some friends. I was going to go over and say, ‘I’m sorry I missed the London concert’. Then he was leaving with the people who were with him. And he looked a little worse for wear. I thought, ‘There will be a more favourable time.’ In the end, there wasn’t.”
Despite having his life tragically cut short in 1970, Hendrix carved out an immaculate legacy that continues to inspire artists today. Hendrix may have only made three studio albums, but the impact of his work outshines countless acts who recorded considerably more material. Although unanswerable questions remain about what could have been had Hendrix not met his fateful end, his reputation, bolstered by praise from figures such as Page, speaks for itself.
As the years pass, it becomes apparent that nobody will match his talent level. While on a technical level, many virtuosos can produce the unthinkable on the guitar, Hendrix inserted an unprecedented degree of rockstar energy into his work, which will likely never happen again.