56 Years Ago Today, Rock Lost A Guitar Legend So Good Eric Clapton Couldn't Believe What He Was Hearing

There weren't many guitarists in the world who could rival Eric Clapton back in the '60s, but Jimi Hendrix blew the rock icon off his feet the first time Clapton heard him play. According to members of Clapton's supergroup, Cream, interviewed for the BBC's "Seven Ages of Rock," it started with Hendrix taking the stage to jam with the band at Central London Polytechnic on October 1, 1966, and ended with Clapton backstage, hands shaking, asking Hendrix's manager, Chas Chandler, "Is he really that good?" Unfortunately, Jimi Hendrix died 56 years ago today, on September 18, 1970, after a few short years of fame.

Many people think Clapton and Hendrix were part of some guitar rivalry. They weren't, but it's easy to see why some would think that. When Hendrix got on stage, he played a rapid and wild version of the blues song "Killing Floor" with his classic flourish. The legend picked and strummed in a fervor few musicians could match and did so in what many would agree were uncomfortable positions: behind his head, on his knees, with his teeth — you name it.

Clapton was so shaken by what he heard and saw that his hands simply fell away from his guitar. See, Clapton was widely considered a god on the six string, and Hendrix outclassed him in a way Clapton just couldn't believe. To be fair, Hendrix is argued to be the best guitarist of all time, and he accomplished so much in the little time he was playing on stage.

"He walked off, and my life was never the same again," Clapton said, recalling that night at Central London Polytechnic (via Far Out). This was the start of Jimi Hendrix's fame. He died a short four years later, but that was all it took for Rolling Stone to name him the greatest guitarist of all time in 2023, 52 years later. It's mind-blowing that one person with such a short career in the stage lights — one of the best self-taught musicians in rock history — could have such a massive impact on the course of rock, but Hendrix wasn't exactly your average musician.

Some of the best guitarists alive still cite Jimi Hendrix as an influence on their guitar playing. He could riff in multiple different styles, fluidly switch between rhythm and lead, take advantage of stomp boxes, and he had some of the best technical ability around. In short: He practically created what modern electric guitar would be going forward.

Hendrix was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. The artist and his band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, had a handful of hits that reached the charts, with the highest being "All Along The Watchtower" peaking at No. 20 on the Hot 100 in 1968 and the "Electric Ladyland" album reaching the Hot 200 at No. 1. But Jimi Hendrix's legacy isn't his chart positions: It's his showmanship and lasting influence on rock music that history will remember, and he'll be remembered for a very long time.