JOHN Campbell, who bares an uncanny likeness to Jimi Hendrix, notches up 20 years of paying tribute to his musical hero.

It is his passion for the music of Hendrix that inspired him to persuade fellow band members to change from a covers band to Are You Experienced? But it was Derek Hold, bass player with the Climax Blues Band, who first suggested the idea when they were jamming together.

“We used to jam together on a few Hendrix songs,’’ said John.

The trio will be bringing the raw excitement of Hendrix classics such as All Along the Watchtower, Purple Haze and The Wind Cries Mary, mixed in with rarer album tracks, to Swindon next month.

Following a gig at the Cambridge Rock Festival John was recommended to Jimi’s son Leon Hendrix, by the festival organiser, Dave Roberts.

John said: “Dave Roberts wanted Leon on the bill and he told me that he had informed them they needed to get me on board, if they were going to play any Hendrix. I was shoehorned into the band and Leon and his bass player Brian Compton took a shine to me so I ended up playing six out of the eight gigs on his tour.’’ Are You Experienced? also featured in a Brazilian film about Hendrix. The crew filmed them live as they played the annual Jimi Hendrix Anniversary gig at the Troubadour in London.

“Some of the footage ended up in the finished Rockumentory, Hey Jimi, and we were then invited over to Brazil to play at the hard Rock Cafe, Rio de Janeiro, for the film launch,’’ said John.

Joining the guitar maestro in the band are Kevin O’Grady on drums and Mark Arnold on bass.

“We had a kind of chemistry playing together and 20 years later...’’ said John.

The musicians will be marking their 20th anniversary by a theatre tour starting in the autumn.

John first picked up a guitar when he was just 12-years-old.

“I spent many of my teenage years locked way in my room trying to work out how to get a decent sound out of it. When you love playing an instrument you never stop learning and even after all of these years playing Jimi’s music I’m always finding something new,’’ said John.

  • Are You Experienced? head for The Rolleston in Commercial Road, Swindon, on Saturday, June 11 from 9pm. For more details of the band visit 
    areyou-experienced.com