Little Wing

"Little Wing"
Song

"Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix. He first recorded the song on the 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love. It is ranked #357 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

"Little Wing" is played using the unique chord/melody guitar style that Hendrix developed during his early career stints in rhythm and blues bands. In this style, the guitar sounds as though it is playing two parts. This is done by simultaneously playing multiple complementary notes, often parts of chords, and then changing a note within the chord to create a melodic effect. Other songs played in this style include "Life Without You" by Stevie Ray Vaughan, "The Boy From Seattle" by Steve Vai, "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam, and "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The unusual flanging sound of the lead guitar part is a result of the Doppler effect which is created using a rotating speaker cabinet, or Leslie speaker.

A song by the same name appeared on Neil Young's 1980 album, Hawks & Doves, but is a different song entirely.

Hendrix's studio version can be found on numerous compilation albums, including The Ultimate Experience (1993). He also performed the song in concert, and some of those recordings are available on CD, including The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Cover versions

• Raimundo Amador
• Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Gov't Mule
• moe.
• Sting
• The Corrs
• Cássia Eller
• Pearl Jam
• Metallica
• Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominos)
• Charly Garcia
• Steve Lukather
• Gil Evans
• Bill Perry
• Kingston Wall
• Pantera
• Concrete Blonde
• Steve Vai
• Tak Matsumoto
• Skid Row
• Monte Montgomery
• Sepultura
• John Mayer
• Adam and the Johnnys
• Yngwie Malmsteen
• Joanna Newsom
• Bad Haggis
• Widespread Panic
• Frederic Yonnet, jazz harmonica player
• Ottmar Liebert, Nuevo-Flamenco guitarist
• Nigel Kennedy
• Marty Friedman
• Sanne Salomonsen (with Chris Minh Doky)
• Def Leppard
• Yavuz Çetin, Turkish guitarist
• Meat Puppets
• Junior Brown
• Aerosmith with guitarist Joe Perry on vocals
• Sean Lennon
• Frank Zappa
• Pappo(Spanish version)
• Reptile Palace Orchestra
• Aynsley Lister
• Umphrey's McGee
• Eric Steckel Band
• Marius Müller
• Tuck & Patti (Castle Made of Sand Medley)