Music Appreciation: The History of Rock Chapter 17: Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) One of the most influential individual musicians in the history of rock music He changed the way guitar was played through his innovative techniques and use of controlled distortion. His use of the recording studio was made to be part of the compositional process.

Born and raised….. Born in Seattle in 1942 Received his first guitar at age 13 and learned by listening to Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and through popular current artists. In his senior year (1959), he dropped out of high school and joined the Army. Stayed in Kentucky after his discharge and eventually went to Nashville. He recorded a demo with the help of Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG’s.

1963 Became a member of the group that backed “Little” Richard but was fired for being too showy and was stealing the spotlight. Also toured with the Supremes, Ike and Tina Turner, and BB King. Later hired by the Isley Brothers and was encouraged to wear outlandish clothes. This would later become a trademark of his. He was also encouraged in his outrageous performance techniques, such as picking the guitar strings with his teeth.

1965 Jimi began mostly playing with the New York rhythm and blues group called Curtis Knight and the Squires. By late 1965, Hendrix left the Squires and formed his own group, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. During this time, he experimented with distortion through feedback, fuzz tone and other electronic effects.

Movin’ on up… One person who was most impressed with Hendrix was Bryan “Chas” Chandler, one of the original members of The Animals. Chandler immediately signed Hendrix to a management contract and went to England. In 1966, the Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. First single was Hey Joe and they quickly became the warm up band for Cream.

Are You Experienced? The first album for the JHE was Are You Experienced? and was released in 1967. Most noteworthy due to Hendrix’s experimentation with sound effects, including wah wah pedal, fuzz box, the tone and volume controls of the guitar, the vibrola and the switch pickups. Tape manipulation was also used in terms of speeding up and slowing down, backwards mixing of guitars and vocals, etc.

Basic style characteristics Complex polyphonic texture Use of distortion for melodic and rhythmic improvisation Rapid guitar ornaments Intricate overdubbing on albums Complex formal structures in the songs Lyrics are extremely descriptive and image-laden.

Purple Haze Opening track of Are You Experienced? Often linked with drug used, a type of LSD, etc. Jim says it was from a science fiction novel he read. The key to the song is the line “that girl put a spell on me”, meaning that “this guy likes this girl so much that he’s kind of in a daze.”

Summer of 1967 Jimi Hendrix Experience made its American debut at the Monterrey Pop Festival, the same one that debuted Otis Redding, The Who and Janis Joplin. He won over the audience by playing all of his hit songs and then ending his performance by lighting his guitar on fire and demolishing it on stage.

1968- second album released Axis: Bold as Love began where Are You Experienced? left off. Production was clearer than AYE and his playing was more fluid and less frantic. The songs are characterized by intricate overdubbing, complex formal structures, and descriptive, image-laden lyrics.

Hallucinogenic drugs… He had been experimenting for a while and some said his lyrics came from his drug use and others denied that, saying he was just unusually talented. The lyrics, recording techniques and playing resulted in their next album, Electric Ladyland.

Electric Ladyland Performances are more refined and also features guest artists on Voodoo Chile including Steve Winwood, Jack Casady and others. The album opens with an interesting example of musical imagery and manipulated distortion, ….And the Gods Made Love. Jimi called this “a 90-second sound painting of the heavens”

All Along the Watchtower One of the clearest examples of his solo guitar playing on Electric Ladyland was on his version of Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower. Watchtower was Hendrix’s biggest hit in the US, reaching number 20 and is considered to be the peak of his career.

Personality issues Hendrix and Noel Redding had begun having issues and Redding was not present for some of the recordings on Electric Ladyland. The Band of Gypsies was formed after the JHE broke up. This was an all-black trio consisting of Hendrix, an old Army friend Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums. They were invited to play at Woodstock at 7am on the last day of the concert and their version of The Star-Spangled Banner was born…

Trouble starts…. The Band of Gypsies put out one album and during a concert at Madison Square Garden, Hendrix became sick after a hit of very strong acid. The Band of Gypsies broke up the next day. Hendrix re-formed the JHE without Redding and began working on a new album in the summer of 1970.

Death of Jimi Hendrix September 17, 1970- Jimi ingested several sleeping pills. Sometime in the night, he vomited and he was sleeping on his back. He was completely relaxed so he ended up choking on his vomit. Hendrix’s guitar technique influenced the entire next generation of rock guitarists, including Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eddie Van Halen and Vernon Reid.