Jimi Hendrix is widely recognized as one the greatest and most influential musicians of the 20th Century. He pioneered the electric guitar’s explosive potential. Hendrix’s unique style of mixing fuzz, feedback, and controlled distortion gave rise to a new musical genre. Jimi Hendrix was born without the ability to read or write music. His meteoric rise in music is remarkable. His musical style continues to be influential on a variety of musicians today, including Miles Davis to George Clinton, Steve Vai and Jonny Lang. Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on November 27, 1942 at Seattle’s King County Hospital. His father James “Al” Hendrix later changed his name to James Marshall. Young Jimmy, as he was called at the time, took an interest music and was inspired by almost every major artist of the time, including B.B. King, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf were some of his influences, as was Buddy Holly and Robert Johnson. Jimmy was entirely self-taught and his inability to read music made it difficult for him to concentrate on the music he had heard. Al noticed Jimmy’s interest and recalls, “I used have Jimmy clean my bedroom every day while I was away, and I would return home to find a lot broom straws at the foot of the mattress.” I would ask him, “Well did you sweep up the floor?” I’d ask him, “Well didn’t you sweep up the floor?” He’d reply, “Oh yes, indeed.” Later, I would discover that he used be sitting at the foot of the bed and strumming the broom as if he were playing a guitar. Al found an old, one-string ukulele that he was able to play better than the broom. Al bought Jimmy an old, five-dollar second-hand acoustic instrument from one of his friends in the summer 1958. Soon after, Jimmy joined The Velvetones, his first band. Jimmy quit the band after three months. Al bought Jimmy his first electric guitar the following summer. It was a Supro Ozark1560S. Jimi used it when they joined The Rocking Kings. Jimmy left his home in 1961 to enlist in The United States Army. In November 1962, he was granted the right to wear “Screaming Eagles’ patches for the paratroop unit. Jimmy and Billy Cox formed The King Casuals while stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Jimmy James was his first session guitarist after he was injured during a parachute jump. Jimmy was already a member of several major acts by 1965’s end, including Tina Turner and Sam Cooke, Little Richard, and the Isley Brothers. Jimmy left Little Richard to start his own band, Jimmy James u0026 the Blue Flames. He gave up the back-line guitar position in favor of the lead guitarist’s spotlight. In the second half of 1965 and the first part 1966, Jimmy made a lot of stops at smaller venues in Greenwich Village. He met Chas Chandler, Animals’ bassist, during a July performance at Caf, Wha. Chandler was impressed by Jimmy’s performance, and he returned to the scene in September 1966 to sign Hendrix a contract that would see him move to London to start a new band. Chandler switched from being a bass player to being a manager. His first task was to change Hendrix’s name to “Jimi”. The Jimi Hendrix experience, which included drummer Mitch Mitchell as well as bassist Noel Redding was quickly a hot topic in London in 1966. The first single by the Experience, “Hey Joe”, spent ten weeks on UK charts and reached No. 1. In 1967, it was 6. The single quickly was followed by the full-length album, Are You Experienced. This psychedelic compilation featured anthems from a particular generation. The album, which featured tracks such as “Purple Haze”, “The Wind Cries Mary”, “Foxey Lady”, “Fire” and “Are you Experienced”, has been one of the most enduring rock albums. Hendrix was a huge success in Britain but it wasn’t until his return to America in June 1967, that he lit up the Monterey International Pop Festival crowd with his explosive performance of “Wild Thing.” The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a touring act that became an instant success. Hendrix was following Are You Experienced with Axis Bold As Love. Hendrix was able to take greater control of the music’s direction by 1968. He spent a lot of time in the studio working on the consoles, each knob and switch giving him clarity. Jimi Hendrix returned to America and built Electric Lady Studios, a recording studio in New York City. This project was the inspiration for Electric Ladyland, his most difficult musical release. The group was strained by touring and studio work throughout 1968. In 1969, the Experience was disbanded. Jimi Hendrix experienced a lot of emotional and musical growth in 1969. Woodstock Music was my first experience.
