Guitarist Johnny Jenkins, an associate of the likes of Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix, and renowned for his musical 'acrobatics', has died at the age of 67 following a stroke.
Jenkins was a flashy, left handed and self-taught guitarist who started out in a blues band, The Pinetoppers, before working with Redding, who he met at a talent show in Macon, in Georgia. Recalling that first meeting, Jenkins has said: "I heard Otis at the Douglass, and the group behind him just wasn't making it. So I went up to him and said, 'Do you mind if I play behind you?' Cause he didn't know me... Well, he sounded great with me playing behind him."
His style was exploited by admirer Jimi Hendrix, who vocalist Arthur Ponder (who sang with Jenkins) remembered as a "little guy who would follow us around a lot. Next thing we know, he's Jimi Hendrix".
Late Capricorn Records founder Phil Walden, speaking in 1996 said "I thought my entire world rotated around Johnny Jenkins' guitar. I was convinced he could have been the greatest thing in rock 'n' roll."
Jenkins is survived by three children and eight grandchildren.
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