Above: Jimi Hendrix
A young James Marshall Hendrix, also known as Jimi Hendrix impressed Chas Chandler (bassist of The Animals, and owner of his own management company) so much that Chandler decided sign him to under a production and management contract. For Hendrix to get his start, he was taken to London in hopes of forming a band.
Soon after the band The Jimi Hendrix Experience would be formed, and they would befriend the other local bands of the time such as The Who and Cream.
Hendrix who was a Fender amp player would soon be converted. One night in 1966, he shared the stage with other bands using Marshall stacks. He was told that if he wanted to use his own Fender, he would have to clear the Marshall stacks off stage first (a time consuming and laborious task). So that night, Hendrix played through a Marshall and loved the sound so much that he wanted to meet Jim Marshall – the man who shared his name.
The relationship between the world’s loudest amp and the world’s loudest player began.
Since then Jim Marshall never hesitates in crediting Hendrix as Marshall’s greatest ambassador.
For those interested in Jim Marshall and the company he created, I highly recommend you buy:
Maloof, R. (2004) “Jim Marshall: The Father Of Loud”, San Francisco: Backbeat Books.
