Jimi Hendrix was frustrated that he wasn't accepted by Black audiences

[soulster]

And it's a good chance that what we know of funk now would either have been different or a two-headed monster. Just like Sly Stone influenced a lot of P-Funk and James Brown influenced the entire genre, I can only imagine that Hendrix would have added to the fundamentals and foundations of funk.

That is an interesting thought: what direction he would have taken. He was trying desperately to gain credibility as a Black artist, but he also wanted a pop hit. It seems he was doing both of these things simultaneously.

I listened to "Band Of Gypsies" again the other night, and it really sounded no different than what he was doing with The Experience. His style was just too unique. It was him. Blues, rock, metal, soul, whatever you want to call it, it was all Jimi and his unique fusion of styles.

But, I understand where he was coming from. He lived in a time when it was important for Blacks to have an identity as a Black person. It was important to connect to your people. Most all Black artists did what they could to forge that connection. That all came apart in the the late era of disco, and in the 80s, when Black artists did all they could to crossover.

I think it's really unfortunate that he got rid of his White bandmates, because in a couple of years after his death, Black America embraced The Canadian band Skylark and their hit "Wildflower", and later, the Scottish Average White Band, and then Rufus from Chicago. But, in those cases, it was all about the music, not the racial makeup.