This piece looks back at Jimi Hendrix's seismic impact on 1960s music, using Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's admiration for Hendrix's 1967 track "Hey Joe" as a way into the story. It recounts how Hendrix arrived in London in 1966, dazzled Eric Clapton during a jam with Cream, and went on to push guitar-driven rock into new territory even as The Beatles were redefining the era with albums like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The article credits "Hey Joe," from Hendrix's album Axis: Bold as Love, with helping shape the experimental rock sound later embraced by bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Blackmore is quoted describing the song as a source of inspiration ("the one that does it") and attributes much of Hendrix's distinctive playing, including his vibrato, to his unusually large hands, comparing him only to Johnny Winter in that regard. The piece concludes that Hendrix's blend of technical skill and emotional depth remains unmatched by any guitarist since.