E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt recently responded to some questions on Twitter about Prince’s triumphant appearance in the music scene. Although Van Zandt admires Prince, he stressed that Jimi Hendrix holds the top spot.
Jimi Hendrix began climbing the ladder of success after the formation of the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the mid-’60s, and he gained recognition with hit tracks like ‘Hey Joe’ and ‘Purple Haze.’ After taking the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, the musician built a reputation in the United States as well.
Furthermore, Hendrix’s third album ‘Electric Ladyland’ increased his fan base in the US with the songs like ‘Voodoo Child’ and ‘Gypsy Eyes.’ The album also came to the fore with the rocker’s Bob Dylan cover of ‘All Along the Watchtower,’ Dylan appreciated what Hendrix did for him.
The guitarist became a source of inspiration by creating a sound with influences from rock and roll and electric blues. His talent extended the borders of his short-lived mainstream success, and numerous music critics still consider him one of the most influential guitarists. Hendrix influenced several upcoming guitarists with his distinctive playing, and Steven Van Zandt is one of them.
Recently, some fans were discussing Prince being excluded from the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time list of Rolling Stone magazine on Twitter. One of them asked Van Zandt, who appreciates Prince’s music, about his point of view. The guitarist said it did not make sense to remove Prince from any list, but he added that it has nothing to do with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Steven Van Zandt said the following when asked about his opinion on Prince’s being omitted:
“It’s silly and probably inaccurate to leave Prince off any list. But if you are referring to some best of the list in Rolling Stone magazine, that has nothing whatsoever to do with the RnR Hall of Fame.”
Later, another Twitter user commented on his tweet, saying Prince was a musician everyone looked up to and thought he was better than everyone. Van Zandt responded that although Prince was one of these artists, Jimi Hendrix was the rocker holding the top spot.
The user said:
“Always got the feeling he was the one artist most other musicians looked at and said, ‘holy sh*t, he’s better than all of us.'”
Steven Van Zandt replied:
“Jimi Hendrix was that guy. But yeah, Prince too.”
You can check out the tweets below.
It’s silly and probably inaccurate to leave Prince of ANY list. But if you are referring to some best of list in Rolling Stone magazine, that has nothing whatsoever to do with the RnR Hall of Fame. https://t.co/1eGf2SqAGl
— 🕉Stevie Van Zandt☮️ (@StevieVanZandt) September 15, 2022
Jimi Hendrix was that guy. But yeah Prince too. https://t.co/w4HZQyI9x9
— 🕉Stevie Van Zandt☮️ (@StevieVanZandt) September 15, 2022
