Forget about the interviews. Forget who the man has *said* was an influence on his music.

Based on listening to his work over the years, who do you think was Prince's greatest influence as a guitarist?

Joni?
Jimi?
Carlos?
Dez?

If you had to pick only one person that had the greatest impact on the man who played Let's Go Crazy at the beginning of the Purple Rain movie, who would it be?

I'd say Carlos and Jimi. I can't pick only one. I hear both of them in Prince's style.

the way prince press the strings and bends-jimi
the way he goes lyrical in his solos-santana-combination of both.

i would also add less know influances thin lizzy guitar players(rember why you wanna treat me so bad dueling guitar?)
guitar player from rock band boston

and guitar player from grand funk railroad
sorry i can't rember the names of this guys right now but they are definetly a hughe influance

thebanishedone said:

Cool...! And the Journey song with the guy who played in Santana's band... Grr, mind not working today.

Alasseon said:[/quote]
Cool...! And the Journey song with the guy who played in Santana's band... Grr, mind not working today.[/quote]
The guy who plays with Journey and used to play with Carlos when his was 15 was Neal Schon.

when he plays jazz u can hear a little Wes Montgomery here....a little George Benson there....

Alasseon said:

Glen Campbell definately! I hear "I'm A Rhinestone Cowboy" all over Let's Go Crazy!

Biggest influence? Jimi hands down, prince and his ego denied it in the past but that's like michael jackson denying he had much plastic surgery, an issue of vanity. Jimi was the original and Prince is a Jimi clone in many ways. Even back in 85 he used to wear the boas onstage like jimi did. the headband, over one eye was a twist on the jimi thing. The mannerisms, how he can deny that is just well, it's classic denial.

blackguitaristz said:

You done lost your mind! LOL!!! I was waiting for you to weigh in on this. Neil Schon is what I thought, but I didn't wanna make a fool of myself writing something I wasn't sure about.

When I get back from China, we gotta talk...

Jimi and Carlos, mostly Carlos as hes a virtuoso on the instrument, and Carlos loves to resonate and put his guitar through the paces, but is quite mellow like Prince can be at times, and Jimi because he was rawer and had more talent (People still acknowledge he was probably the greatest guitarist ever), but compared to Jimi Prince is a minnow, also you have to realise Jimi was zonked out of his head most of the time when he played, whereas Prince was totally clean then. Even Jimi realised he could play everything that was laying in his head out loud. Joni was more acoustic and not really electric like Prince was in this early period.
Dez altho great was a later influence, but really was only a jammer and joiner rather than an innovator. He played mostly funk with some good rock and great scales for a funk guitarist, but he was not Jimi Hendrix.

but let's be fair too, prince has always had distinctive guitar playing. I can pick it out anywhere. I remember on the times albums i knew it was his rhythm playing before i read about it. His soloing has a unique tang to it. let's give the man his due, he's one of the best.

P also took a lot from Ernie Isley and Curtis Mayfield during that time also.

tane1976 said:

I know that's a stigma that has stuck to Jimi but it's just not true. It was the exact opposite actually. From what Eddie Krammer has stated, who was Jimi's engineer, and Chas Chandler, Jimi's producer, they have both stated that Jimi while recording, was never high on drugs. Mainly because Jimi DID want to be clear headed. He was always VERY lucid when recording.