Voodoo Chile

Voodoo Chile is one of my favorite songs to listen to live. Also I love to listen to it on DVD and CD as well. The beginnings of the song sprang from a blues jam session in 1968 at Record Plant records in New York. Jimi Hendrix was recording in infamous album, Electric Lady Land. The recording session was attended by Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane on bass, Steve Winwood of Traffic and Mitch Mitchell the drummer of the Jimi Hendrix experience. The song came to fruition in about an hour, though it was just a fifteen minute jam session.

Jimi Hendrix later decided to record the song as Voodoo chile blues, its evolution lyric wise was from another of his songs called "Catfish blues" which is homage to Muddy Waters. The song was made up from songs like "Still a fool" "Rollin Stone', and "Rolling and Tumblin".incorporating all these songs into the verses.

I am so glad that this great song came together. Many of my favorite guitar players have played this song. And locally I have quite a few musician friends who love to play it as well. Mostly in the style in which Stevie Ray Vaughn played it so beautifully.

My favorite versions of this song are played by Zakk Wylde formerly the lead guitar player for Ozzy, now with his own band "Black Label Society, and Slash former lead guitarist for "Guns and Roses". The other is played by Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Malmsteen from the Live in Denver G3 series, Three Metal Giants at once , unbelievable!