When Jimi Hendrix gave his opinion about Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker

Jimi Hendrix Eric Clapton

Considered the best guitarist of all time Jimi Hendrix unfortunately died too soon at the age of 27. The extremely talented musician once gave his opinion about Cream’s Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker during an interview talking about the first time he went to England. Hendrix quote is on the book “Starting at Zero: His Own Story“, a compilation of interviews he gave during his career.

Jimi Hendrix talks about first time in England and Eric Clapton/Ginger Baker:

“23 September 1966. That’s when I came to England. They kept me waiting at the airport for three or four hours because I didn’t have a work permit. At one point there was talk of sending me back to New York until it was all sorted out. They carried on like I was going to make all the money in England and take it back to the States!”

“I moved into a flat with Chas Chandler. It used to belong to Ringo [Starr]. In fact, they only took the drums away the other day. There’s stereo all over the place and a very kinky bathroom with lots of mirrors. Immediately complaints started to pour in. We used to get complaints about loud, late parties when we were out of town! We’d come back next morning and hear all the complaints. Chas got real mad about it, but I didn’t let it bug me.”

“The first time I played guitar in England I sat in with Cream. I like the way Eric Clapton plays. His solos sound just like Albert King. Eric is just too much. And Ginger Baker, he’s like an octopus, man. He’s a real natural drummer.”

“I couldn’t work too much because I didn’t have a permit. If I was going to stay in England I had to get enough jobs to have a long permit. So what we had to do was line up a lot of gigs. Chas knows lots of telephone numbers. He helped me find my bassist and drummer and form the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was very hard to find the right sidemen, people who were feeling the same as me.”

Rafael Polcaro: I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG