The Left-Handed Guitar Players That Changed Music By John Engel
JOHNNY JENKINS


guitar
Plays Guitar Left Handed Upside/Down.


Johnny Jenkins had a colorful, if relatively unrecognized, impact on two major musical figures of the 1960s: Jimi Hendrix acknowledged his direct influence, while Otis Redding, who worked with Jenkins, made his first Stax recording thanks to him. Jenkins played a rocking Southern brand of soul-blues, leading the proceedings with his gruff voice and upside-down guitar lines that could switch from biting to cajoling on a dime.

Johnny “Blessed” Jenkins – a nickname he was given because he enjoyed using the term for everyone else – laid low since the 1970s, only emerging for rare live appearances, which consistently caused a stir. Despite his elusiveness, he played a vibrant, heartfelt blues, delivering solos that sometimes seemed to hail from another world.

© LFV / John Engel all rights reserved.

Read about Jenkins's rocky life and blues music in John Engel's Uncommon Sound book.