Jimmy Page, a guitarist, began his career at a young age in 1957 after being born in England in 1944. In the 1960s, he rose to prominence as one of London’s most in-demand session guitarists, recording in the studio alongside a host of amazing performers, including Donovan and The Who.
Outside of the studio, he rose to recognition as a member of The Yardbirds and then co-founded Led Zeppelin, which went on to become one of the all-time greatest-selling bands, in 1968. It is believed that they have sold 200 to 300 million albums globally. Between 1968 and 1980, the trio put out eight studio albums.
Being in the music industry since the 1960s, Page saw a lot of amazing guitarists up close and even asked who was the greatest guitarist of all time.
The guitarist that Jimmy Page said was the best the world ever had
Without the electric guitar, rock and roll music would not exist, and over the years, several amazing musicians have emerged. They served as an inspiration to innumerable musicians worldwide to further their craft and compose original works.
When Led Zeppelin was already one of the greatest bands in the world by 1975, Rolling Stone asked Jimmy Page to discuss his favorite American guitarists. “We’ve lost the best guitarist any of us ever had, and that was Hendrix,” he swiftly retorted.
In 1966, American musician Jimi Hendrix started The Jimi Hendrix Experience. A year later, their ground-breaking debut album “Are You Experienced” was made available. Even though his career was cut short at the age of 27 by his untimely demise, the artist had a significant impact on many other musicians.
Jimmy Page began his musical career in 1957, five years before American guitarist Jimi Hendrix, although he was two years younger than the latter. In addition to participating in several bands as a youth, Page went on to become a highly successful session musician in England, where he was able to record with numerous well-known bands during the 1960s.
Hendrix followed a similar musical path, but he was a member of other well-known musicians’ support groups, including Little Richard. The years that the two guitarists played in various bands were essential in helping them each develop their unique style.
Page said that Hendrix’s albums were excellent
In addition to penning many of the band’s songs and serving as guitarist, Page produced Led Zeppelin. He was contacted in 1993 by Guitar World magazine to provide his thoughts on Hendrix’s productions.
“I thought they were excellent. Oh yeah. Jimi’s drummer, Mitch Mitchell was also a man inspired. He never played drums like that before or since. He played some incredible stuff!!” He also said that many artists at the time were trying different things and evolving. Page gave The Beatles as an example, as a group that went from performing “Please Mr. Postman” to “I Am The Walrus”.
What was Jimi Hendrix’s opinion on Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page
Hendrix wasn’t questioned much about Led Zeppelin in interviews because the band only released their debut album a year before he passed away. However, Robert Plant stated that he and John Bonham met Hendrix one evening in an interview for the 2019 documentary “Led Zeppelin: Whole Lotta Rock.” Plant claims that the guitarist complimented Bonham on his drumming abilities, saying that he had a “foot like a rabbit.”
A few months before he passed away, in May 1970, Hendrix answered a question on Zeppelin from Melody Maker magazine. He declared: “I don’t think much of Led Zeppelin. I mean, I don’t think much about them. Jimmy Page is a good guitar player.”
Jimmy Page once saw Jimi Hendrix but didn’t have the chance to see him perform
Jimmy said, “It wasn’t a lack of will. I wanted to see him. But I was doing studio dates and touring with the Yardbirds. Jeff (Beck) came ’round. (He) was telling me about how this guy got up at London Polytechnic, jammed and taken them all by surprise. I remember I was back in London after a Zeppelin tour. Hendrix was playing the next night at the Royal Albert Hall.”
He continued, “I was pretty shot. (I) thought, ‘I’d really like to see him.’ But I’d heard all these wonderful stories of him playing in clubs. (I’ve said) ‘I’ll wait and see him next time ’round.’ For me, there wasn’t going to be a next time.”
“The only time I actually saw him was at a club called Salvation in New York. He was across the room from where I was sitting with some friends. I was going to go over and say, ‘I’m sorry I missed the London concert.’ But then he was leaving with the people who were with him. He looked a little worse for wear. I thought, ‘There will be a more favorable time.’ In the end, there wasn’t.”