Johnny Allen Hendrix or James Marshal Hendrix who later adopted the stage name, Jimi Hendrix was born on November 27 in 1942 and emerged as one of the most influential guitarists of all time just within a span of 4 years of professional career. He is often regarded to have introduced numerous musical styles into the collective stream of music thus garnering the identity as the revolutionary idol who changed the perspective of rock music forever.
Early Life
The guitarist was born in Seattle and began playing guitar at 15. He joined the Army in 1961 but got discharged just within a year. During his initial years, he was instantly drawn to blues influenced by the playing of artists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, etc. He formed his first-ever band, Velvetones, and finally in 1959, got his hands on his very first electric guitar. He soon met Billy Cox and the two began playing with other musicians forming a band called the Casuals. The two moved to Nashville playing gigs across the city and soon, Hendrix was playing as a backing musician for artists like Tina Turner, Slim Harpo, Wilson Pickett, Jackie Wilson, and more.
After playing here and there, he finally joined the touring band of Little Richard called the Upsetters. He played in the song ‘I Don’t Know What You Got (But It’s Got Me)’ which went on to receive some popularity. He also did recordings with Rosa Lee Brooks and through that association, met Arthur Lee who would become one of his biggest confidantes and friends. Up until 1966, he played with many recording artists but soon realized he was being side-kicked in an R&B guitarist. That same year., he moved to Greenwich Village in New York City and formed the band The Blue Flames. It was here that he started taking his solo techniques seriously.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
After moving to London, where he met Eric Clapton and played in one of their sets changing the scene forever. The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed for the very first time on October 13, 1966, and was soon signed by the managers of The Who to Track Records. The first recording was for the song ‘Hey Joe’ followed by ‘Stone Free’ which was Jimi’s first experience at songwriting. One of the most memorable performances by them was in London at The Bag O’Nails nightclub with artists like John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and more in attendance. The gig was a huge success and thus began his striking journey to the top of the music industry. Other songs such as ‘Purple Haze’, ‘The Wind Cries Mary’, and more went on to become huge hits.
Albums and Popularity in the U.S.
After the success of the singles, they began collecting new material for a full-length record. ‘Are You Experienced’ featured a diverse stream of musical styles across songs such as ‘Red House’, ‘Highway Chile’, ‘Third Stone from the Sun’, ‘I Don’t Live Today’, and ‘Fire’. It peaked at number 2 in the UK charts spending 33 weeks on thereafter The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. Jimi’s album also reached the number 5 position on the Billboard Top 200 charts.
After their success in the U.K., it was now time for them to hit the U.S. Charts. The band performed at the Monterey Pop Festival and with their performances of ‘Killing Floor’, ‘Hey Joe’, ‘Rock Me Baby’, ‘Wild Thing’, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, and more mesmerizing the audience completely. Following that event, he ascended from being a guitarist to a legend after he burned his guitar after his set.
The band then came out with their second studio album ‘Axis: Bold as Love’ which introduced new styles yet again. There were experiments flowing across the album especially on the song, ‘EXP’. It is regarded as the most ambitious piece on the album. The album was metaphorical in many ways as Jimi proved to be more than just a guitarist but a producer and engineer providing the music scene with new techniques and electronic innovation. Then came ‘Electric Ladyland’ the third and final album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967 after which the band broke up.
Break-up and The Woodstock
Before they disbanded, they received huge success performing sold-out concerts across cities. Their last ever performance as a band was on June 29, 1969, at the Denver Pop Festival. By 1969, Jimi has already become the highest-paid rock artist in the world. He then headlined the iconic Woodstock music festival. During that time, he named his band ‘Gypsy Sun and Rainbows’ and gave the greatest performance in the history of rock.
More Projects
The Band of Gypsys live LP came out in 1970 and the song, ‘Machine Gun’ was regarded as a breakthrough single. The LP included many tracks from shows including Monterey and Woodstock. He continued working on more new material which was released posthumously in 1971 through the album, ‘The Cry of Love’. He also founded the Electric Lady Studios. Sadly, right after its inauguration, he left for Europe never to be returned.
Death
He passed away on September 18, 1970, in London. A post-mortem later revealed that he died from an overdose of Vesparax sleeping pills. His death further contributed to the growing phenomenon of the 27 Club.
Posthumous Releases
Some of the albums that were released following his death included The Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge in 1971, War Heroes in 1972, First Rays of the New Rising Sun in 1997.
Legacy
What Jimi Hendrix left was a legacy that can never be succeeded by anyone. His techniques and creative outflow went on to become the most highly-regarded ones in the history of music. Only within 4 years, he left an unparalleled bag of guitar playing capacity that continues to stand as an inspiration for people to this day. His music is still celebrated as much as it was back in the time. Jimi Hendrix left the worldly stage with a contribution to music and guitar playing that will remain a priceless asset till the end of time.
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