10 Must Hear Jimi Hendrix Covers

Jimi Hendrix is one of the prime members of the 27 club that includes many others from Brian Jones to Amy Winehouse. During the peak of his music career from 1966 until his death in 1970, Hendrix released three studio albums. The trio of albums were all with his original three man group comprised of bass guitarist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The albums contained 40 songs; other than five were all original Hendrix compositions. Over the past six decades since his death, dozens of his songs have been covered by various music artists.

The following list of 10 covers is a representation of some of the most memorable and iconic songs that he wrote recorded and performed, interpreted by blues and rock icons over the decades.

“Little Wing”

“Little Wing” was on Hendrix’s second album Axis: Bold as Love which was released in the US in 1968, a month after Great Britain’s in December 1967. The song was later recorded by everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton to former “Police” singer/bass guitarist Sting. Sting recorded it on his second solo album Nothing Like the Sun album that he released in 1987.

“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”

“Voodoo Child (Slight Return) came from Electric Ladyland, Hendrix’s third studio album, which was released as a double album in 1968. The song has been recorded and performed by many major guitar players and singers around the world because of its universality. Two different interpretations were performed by blues rock guitarist/singer/songwriter Stevie Ray Vaughan and Beninese-French singer/songwriter Angelique Kidjo.

“The Wind Cries Mary”

“The Wind Cries Mary” comes from the American release of Are You Experienced, Hendrix’s debut album from April 1967 on the Reprise record label. Jimi’s composition has been performed by everyone from Hendrix tribute artist Randy Hansen to Jamie Cullum and John Mayer.

“Fire”

“Fire” appears on both the British and American versions of the Jimi Hendrix 1967 debut release, Are You Experienced. The Red Hot Chili Peppers first began performing the song in 1983 and recorded it multiple times as everything from a B-side in 1987 to the 1988 E.P, Abbey Road, and the 1989 album, Mothers Milk. When the Chili Peppers appeared at Woodstock 99 they performed a riotous version of the song that included Flea’s naked bass thumping.

“Bold as Love”

“Bold as Love” is the title track of the second release by the Jimi Hendrix Experience and was produced by band manager Chas Chandler. The US version of Axis: Bold as Love was released in January 1968. John Mayer recorded a version of “Bold as Love” for his 2006 release Continuum.

“Castles Made of Sand”

“Castles Made of Sand” is another gem that was on Axis: Bold as Love. Hendrix wrote the song as a reflection of his childhood memories. The improvisational musical duo Tuck and Patti have interpreted songs spanning multiple genres that include blues, folk, gospel, jazz, pop and rock along with their own compositions. “Castles Made of Sand” appears on the duo’s 1989 Windam Hill release, Love Warriors.

“Spanish Castle Magic”

“Spanish Castle Magic” is another cut from 1967’s  Axis Bold as Love that develops a mythological tale.

“It takes about half and a day to get there

If we travel by my uh, dragon-fly”

Swedish neoclassical heavy metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen included “Spanish Castle Magic” as bonus track on the Japanese edition of his 1996 release Inspiration.

“Crosstown Traffic”

“Crosstown Traffic” appears on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1968 double album release, Electric Ladyland. The song compares his relationship with a girl to the frustration of trying to drive across town in a metropolis like NYC or LA during rush hour. The song is covered by Living Colour when it was one of fourteen Jimi Hendrix songs recorded by different artists for 1993’s Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

“Are You Experienced”

“Are You Experienced” is the title song of Hendrix’s debut album which was released just before the historic Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. The festival ushered in the “Summer of Love” in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco which was fueled by psychedelic drugs like LSD. Hippies at that time believed that Hendrix was inviting listeners to partake in the psychedelic experience that Hendrix was himself known to participate in. New Wave De-Evolution advocates Devo recorded “Are You Experienced” in all their weirdness for their 1984 album, Shout.

“Red House”

“Red House” first appeared on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s UK release Are You Experienced in May 1967. Over the decades the song has become a standard and has been recorded by dozens of blues and rock artists. One of the most engaging versions was recorded by Gary Moore in 2007 and released posthumously in 2012 on his live album, Blues For Jimi.