Jimi Hendrix was my first real guitar hero. My mom gave me a bunch of 8-tracks my dad had left behind before he left her, myself, and my sister after she became pregnant with me in late '73. It's the only things he ever gave me besides my real last name but it's probably one of the most important gifts I've ever gotten in my life. Among those eight tracks was Jimi Hendrix:Greatest hits.

Before I listened to Jimi I was into hip hop and early rap, mostly due to my cousin being a DJ at the time. The sounds I heard coming out of my stereo were amazing. I'd never really heard anything like it, and all I knew was that I wanted to hear more. I heard more-lots more. I devoured guitar-heavy music, and I've been under its spell since then.

Thanks, dad...and thank you most of all, Jimi.