In his latest tweet, E Street Band guitarist and mandolin player Steven Van Zandt named the figure he thinks shaped modern rock music during his recent Twitter conversation with his fans.
In the music world, there are some moments, songs, and figures whose legacy shapes the entire scene after them. Jimi Hendrix is undoubtedly one of these figures in the rock scene. Hendrix had a very short recording career, he released his first album ‘Are You Experienced’ in 1967 and passed away in 1970.
However, Jimi’s brief career has managed to leave an irreversible impact on the history of music. Hendrix’s musical style and tone can be traced in many of his successors’ sounds, including guitar legends like Steve Vai, Lemmy, Slash, Lenny Kravitz, and Clapton. The E Street Band guitarist is also known as one of his biggest fans and has even claimed that Hendrix has not been praised enough for his songwriting as his guitar skills have overshadowed his other talents.
Stevie Van Zandt frequently engages in discussions about music history and the rock scene with his followers on Twitter. Recently, in response to a user’s question, he made a statement that attempted to break the general taboo about Hendrix being the inventor of the modern lead guitar style. He claimed that credit should go to Eric Clapton he has influenced everyone who came after him.
A user asked Stevie:
“I recall on Underground Garage you said ‘Eric Clapton was Jimi Hendrix before Jimi was Jimi’ Did I get that right?”
Stevie replied:
“Eric Clapton single-handedly invented the modern electric lead guitar style. Everybody comes from him.”
You can check out the related tweet below.
Eric Clapton single-handedly invented the modern electric lead guitar style. Everybody comes from him. https://t.co/mfJ6gnqwJv
— 🕉Stevie Van Zandt☮️ (@StevieVanZandt) September 2, 2022
