Johnny Jenkins RIP (RR)
funky16corners
7,175 Posts
Agent45 has some more info at the Georgia Soul Blog June 30, 2006Johnny Jenkins, 67, Whose Style Inspired Hendrix, Dies By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMACON, Ga., June 29 (AP) ??? Johnny Jenkins, a left-handed guitarist who provided early backup for Otis Redding and influenced Jimi Hendrix with his acrobatic style, died here on Monday. He was 67.His death was confirmed by Jones Brothers Mortuary. In the late 1950's and early 60's, Mr. Jenkins toured around the South with his band the Pinetoppers."He was legendary playing at college fraternities at the University of Alabama," said Paul Hornsby, a musician and producer who worked with Mr. Jenkins. "I always heard about the left-handed guitar player who was doing all these acrobatics." His stunts included playing the guitar behind his head. One night at the Douglass Theater, Macon's leading showcase for black performers, Mr. Jenkins saw Redding sing. In Peter Guralnick's book "Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom," Mr. Jenkins recalled inviting him to join the Pinetoppers."I heard Otis at the Douglass, and the group behind him just wasn't making it," Mr. Jenkins recalled. "So I went up to him, and I said, 'Do you mind if I play behind you?' And he looked at me like, 'Who are you?' 'Cause he didn't know me. And I say, 'I can make you sound good.'"Well, he sounded great with me playing behind him ??? and he knowed it." The record producer Phil Walden signed Mr. Jenkins as his first client, and he became part of the fledgling Capricorn Records label, founded by Mr. Walden and his partner Frank Fenter. In a 1996 interview, Mr. Walden, who died in April, said, "I was convinced he could have been the greatest thing in rock 'n' roll."The Pinetoppers had a regional hit in the early 1960's with an instrumental, "Love Twist." Redding began recording for Stax Records in Memphis after accompanying Mr. Jenkins and his band there to record a follow-up, according to a 2004 Rolling Stone magazine article. Redding died in a plane crash in 1967 at 26.Mr. Jenkins never made it out of the Southeast, while Redding became a superstar. One reason was that Mr. Jenkins did not want to fly, limiting the number of gigs he could get. His signature acrobatic guitar style, however, traveled around the world in the hands of Jimi Hendrix.Hendrix, whose aunt lived in Macon, saw Mr. Jenkins perform and fell in love with his way of playing.The vocalist Arthur Ponder, who sang with Mr. Jenkins, recalled Hendrix as a "little guy who would follow us around a lot.""Next thing we know, he's Jimi Hendrix," Mr. Ponder said. Hendrix died in 1970 at the age of 27. After Capricorn went out of business in the late 1970's, Mr. Jenkins faded from the music scene, but continued to perform sporadically, including a 2000 appearance at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 1996, Walden produced his comeback album, "Blessed Blues." His last two albums, "Handle With Care" (2001) and "All in Good Time" (2003), were produced by Mean Old World Records.Johnny E. Jenkins Sr., or Guitar, as he was known locally, was born in rural Bibb County, Ga., outside Macon, on March 5, 1939. His wife, Janice Durham-Jenkins, died in 2001. His survivors include two sons, Johnny E. Jenkins Jr. and Kelvin Jenkins; two daughters, Stacy Marie Jenkins and Bridget White; two sisters, Gladys Jenkins and Sandra Bryant; a brother, Terry L. Jenkins; and seven grandchildren.
Comments
That's sad that he passed at a relatively young age.
RIP.
RIP.