Joe Jammer may not be a household name, but after spending nearly 50 years playing with legends of rock and roll, he is happy with his relative anonymity.

Widely regarded as the world's first ever guitar technician after roadying for Led Zeppelin, The Who and Jimi Hendrix, Joe Wright, dubbed 'the Jammer' by Led Zepp guitarist Jimmy Page, wants to show youngsters how to play "real guitar".

Now 62, but a bright eyed 16-year-old when he first met Jimi Hendrix, Mr Wright plans to pass on the invaluable music knowledge he has acquired in nearly 50 years of rock and roll.

The American turned Mordenite is starting up his own guitar school, called Music Marines, where youngsters can learn how the real axemen of the 60s and 70s played.

The infectiously enthusiastic musician said he owes England and Morden a lot so he decided to come back and start a new project.

"After 45 years I have come back to Morden. I first moved here because Jimmy (Page) had hooked me up with some session guys over here while Led Zepp toured. I basically got all the session slots he was booked in for, so that kept me working.

"Zeppelin wanted to take over the world in 69, and they did. No one had really heard of them in 69, but Jimmy Page was with the Yardbirds, and I was a big fan of them.  

"When I met them I had already been working with Hendrix and the Who and that got me the Zeppelin gig.

"Jimmy and I got on pretty well, and I ended up playing his guitar and making it sound right for gigs.

"I owe an awful lot the Jimmy Page, he really hooked me up with people in the early days, and now I've worked with artists who have sold 11 million albums."

Mr Wright remembers first meeting Hendrix. "He was such a musical vagabond, a very mysterious man. All those three in the Experience (Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell) were the best people I have met, such good guys.

Hendrix did all the work, the managers just wanted some white guys in the band, Redding didn't even play bass on the records, that was all Hendrix."

Music Marines is set to open in 2014.

 

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