Died On This Date (October 14, 2009) Johnny Jones / Nashville Blues Icon; Mentored Jimi Hendrix
themusicsover Johnny Jones
DOB Unknown – October 14, 2009
Johnny Jones was a Nashville blues guitar master who got his first big break playing behind Junior Wells back in the 1950s. By the ’60s, Jones was playing in a band called the King Casuals alongside Billy Cox and a young Jimi Hendrix. It was in this combo that Jones reportedly tutored Hendrix in the fine art of guitar playing, helping to turn him into the icon we know of today. And legend has it that one night while on a club stage during the ’60s, Jones and Hendrix went head to head in a guitar duel that rivaled anything Robert Johnson and the devil might have thrown at each other at the crossroads. Those in attendance clearly cheered Jones on as the “winner.” Johnny Jones stayed a constant fixture in the Nashville music scene through recent years. He was found dead in his apartment during the morning hours of October 14, 2009. He was 73 years old.
Thanks to Jon Grimson who produced the segment below.
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