Following its 2013 festival run, the Jimi Hendrix biopic Jimi: All is By My Side, written and directed by John Ridley (12 Years a Slave), will see its US release on September 26th. The film stars the versatile and underrated actor André Benjamin (of OutKast fame) as Hendrix; he is joined by Hayley Atwell, Imogen Poots, and Andrew Buckley. Ridley’s narrative focuses on the years prior to Hendrix’s rise to global attention with albums like Are You Experienced?.
Leading up to the film’s US release, you can dive into the Rdio playlist below, which contains a selection of cover songs by Hendrix. While Hendrix’s reputation as the original guitar shredder is established in large part by his unmistakable original material, the unique spins he put on the work of other artists is just as important to his musical legacy. In fact, tunes like Bob Dylan‘s “All Along the Watchtower” are more commonly associated with Hendrix.
Just as a cover version can highlight the importance of the original version, so too does it reveal just how talented the artist doing the covering is. The covers below by Hendrix are indicative both of his singular talent on the guitar and his bluesy, soulful style that many have tried to imitate since then.