10 Guitarists Who Inspired The Sound Of Modern Rock & Metal Music

The single most influential guitarist on the all-encompassing sounds of rock and metal would unquestionably be a player who left his mark in a short space of time in the late sixties and the fist year of the following decade: Jimi Hendrix.

Hailing from Seattle - the town that 20 years after his passing would take over the alternative rock music world - Hendrix learned his trade as a session and touring guitarist, playing for musicians such as the Isley Brothers, Little Richard and Curtis Knight.

In 1966, Jimi moved from America to be a part of the bustling London music scene, where the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page became good friends. He formed his solo band Jimi Hendrix and the Experience, achieving three UK top ten hits that same year with Hey Joe, Purple Haze and The Wind Cries Mary. Hendrix's guitar playing was nothing but ground breaking at the time, standing out from what anyone else was doing with the instrument. He innovated what it was possible to do with the guitar, using distortion, fuzz, phazer and the wah pedal to create sounds that were considered out of this world.

Jimi Hendrix headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969 and played one of his final shows at the inaugural Isle of Wight festival in 1970, where his extraordinary renditions of the Star Spangled Banner became a legendary symbol of his playing. Hendrix remains an enigma to this day, sadly passing away at the age of 27, with nobody ever sounding quite like him since.