Inspired By Jimi Hendrix

I met Jimi Hendrix, the legendary American rock guitarist, singer, who was one of the most influential electric guitarists in popular music history and among the most celebrated musicians ever, when he played a small club in Philadelphia when I was in college there at the University of Pennsylvania. It was located at 22 and Arch and was called The Electric Factory. This club was launched on February 2, 1968 and closed on November 21, 1970. In its short history a virtual Who’s Who of Rock including Hendrix played there. The Cream, Derek and The Dominos with Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin & Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Grateful Dead, Elton John, Van Morrison (who headlined the club’s last show), Santana, Chicago, and The Jefferson Airplane were among the others that played at this club that was created from an old tire factory. The Who even did the world premiere of Tommy Live there on October 19, 1969. The acts that appeared there became so popular that they had to be moved to a larger venue---the Spectrum--to accommodate a larger audience, and the Electric Factory was soon thereafter closed and its concerts ended. Twenty-five years later, a new larger version of the Electric Factory opened in a new location. Hendrix demonstrated a new sound he generated using the electric guitar with incredible skill. He inspired me! No. Not to become a guitarist. But to always do my best at whatever craft I was practicing.