Jimmy Page Reveals What He Thinks The ‘Greatest Guitarist’ Of All Time
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 22: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white.) Jimmy Page poses in the winners room at The Ivor Novello Awards at The Grosvenor House Hotel on May 21, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
A Fellow Guitar Legend
Led Zeppelin co-founding member and resident axemeister Jimmy Page has written and played some of the greatest and most iconic riffs and solos of all time. He achieved legendary status in the ’70s, and for good reason. At a time when there was immense talent pretty much everywhere, he still managed to stand out.
But like every other great rockstar out there, he’s not without his heroes or idols.
In an interview, he named several guitarists he looked up to – Clarence White, Amos Garett and Elliot Randall. However, when asked who he thinks was the greatest guitarist who ever lived, it’s someone who’s probably everyone’s choice.
“We’ve lost the best guitarist any of us ever had, and that was Hendrix,” Page declared in a 1975 Rolling Stone magazine interview.
At a time when Hendrix was already fast becoming a legend, Page was an accomplished session musician. And so one would think they would have at least cross paths, but they actually never met.
In another Rolling Stone interview in 2012, Page shared: “It wasn’t a lack of will. I wanted to see him. But I was doing studio dates and touring with the Yardbirds. Jeff came ’round and 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, and Hendrix was playing the next night at the Royal Albert Hall,” Page continued. “I was pretty shot and thought, “I’d really like to see him.” But I’d heard all these wonderful stories of him playing in clubs: “I’ll wait and see him next time ’round.” For me, there wasn’t going to be a next time.”
However, there was one instance when they almost met. And in fact, they were in the same room.
“The only time I actually saw him was at a club called Salvation in New York,” Page recalled. “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.” Then he was leaving with the people who were with him. And he looked a little worse for wear. I thought, “There will be a more favorable time.” In the end, there wasn’t.”
