“Astonishingly, his continued non-acknowledgment as a near direct tonal descendant of Jimi Hendrix continues to this day”: Vernon Reid names the ’70s guitar hero who is still overlooked – despite playing with Hendrix
The Living Color guitarist is used to shining the spotlight on unsung players – and now he's identified another under-rated guitar hero who deserves more praise
Vernon Reid says he is astonished that Isley Brothers’ guitarist Ernie Isley doesn’t get more recognition for his playing, despite being what he calls a “near direct tonal descendant of Jimi Hendrix”.
Contributing his musings to the cover story in the new issue of Guitar World, which sees big-name players pick out their favorite ’70s guitar exploits, the Living Color guitarist chose Isley as his guitarist of the decade.
Jimi Hendrix died in September 1970, but his influence lived on across the decade and beyond. Reid believes Isley was one such player who helped keep the Hendrixian flame burning.
“I’m compelled to say his name – amongst a host of incredible guitar luminaries who’ve influenced me greatly – because of his complete absence from any rock guitar-oriented media or rock music-oriented media of that time,” he says.
Reid also observes that Isley's influence extended well beyond the 1970s, but asserts he has remained criminally underrated.
“Astonishingly, Isley’s continued non-acknowledgment as a near direct tonal descendant of Jimi Hendrix continues to this day,” he goes on. “It continues, despite the undisputed fact of Ernie’s direct contact with Hendrix, due to Jimi’s tenure with the Isley Brothers in the Sixties.
The Isley Brothers - That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2 (Official Audio) - YouTube
“It continues despite Ernie displaying his Hendrix-influenced skills on hit records of that time, on originals and covers like That Lady, Summer Breeze, Live It Up, and others.”
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Reid says the guitarist – despite the band’s success throughout the ’70s – received “almost never any listing with his contemporaneous colleagues in a decade of incendiary importance in the guitar’s ascendancy in every genre of music, and in the popular magination”.
Reid also singled out Isley's wild space fuzz solo on the 1973 version of That Lady as one of his favorite ‘70s guitar solos.
Visit Magazines Direct to pick up the newest issue of Guitar World, which features the full conversation with Vernon Reid, and a comprehensive break down of the biggest guitar events of the 1970s.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.