Jimi Hendrix (1942 – 1970) Ayla Castano

Birth Johnny Allen Hendrix was born to Lucille Jeter and James Al Hendrix On November 27th 1942 at Seattle’s King County Hospital. He was formally renamed James Marshall Hendrix by his father at the age of 4, but later on preferred to go by Jimi.

Early life In the summer of 1958, Al purchased Jimi a second-hand acoustic guitar from one of his friends for $5. A year later Al purchased Jimi his first electric guitar, a Supro Ozark 1560S, and he joined “The Rocking Kings”. Jimi drew musical influence from every major artist at the time, including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Holly, & Robert Johnson. He was entirely self-taught, and his inability to read & write music forced him to concentrate on any influential music he heard.

Early Life The same year Jimi received his first electric guitar, his mother Lucille passed away due to Cirrhosis of the liver & a ruptured spleen. In 1961 Jimi enlisted in the Army, stationed at Fort Ord, California. On the side oh which he formed a band “The King Kasuals” with fellow soldier & bassist Billy Cox. Hendrix’s personality made it difficult for him to adjust to the life of a soldier and in 1962 he was given an honorable discharge.

Rise to Success Following his discharge from the army, he hit the road as a back up musician for many different rhythm & blues artists including Little Richard, The Isley Brothers, Ike & Tina Turner, Sam Cooke and many more. In 1966 Hendrix formed a band called “Jimmy James and The Blue Flames” Jimmy James and The Blue Flames played for several months at Café Wha? In Greenwich Village. One day former bassist for The Animals, Chas Chandler discovered Jimmy James and The Blue Flames at Café Wha? And quickly became his manager, convincing him to relocate to London. Here, Hendrix was influenced by the British psychedelic movement and altered the spelling of his name to “Jimi”, and began to form “The Jimi Hendrix Experience”.

Rise to Success On October 6th 1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience held their first rehearsal with British musicians Noel Redding on the bass, & Mitch Mitchell on the drums. Hendrix was an instant sensation in Britain. The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first three singles “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” and “The Wind Cries Marry,” all made the British top ten! Hey Joe- The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1967 Purple Haze- The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1967

The Jimi Hendrix Experience Their May 1967 debut album “Are you Experienced?” Became one of the defining releases of the psychedelic movement. It reached #2 in the U.K. and remained on the British charts for 8 months 3 months later it was released in the U.S. and proved to be very influential, peaking at #5 and remaining on Billboard’s album charts for 2 years!

Success In The U.S. As a result of a memorable performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in California on June 18th 1967 Hendrix found fame in his homeland His psychedelic music style and exotic attire made him one of the breakout artists of the festival along with artists such as Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, & The Who. Remarkably The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded its 3 landmark albums “Are You Experienced?”, ”Axis: Bold as Love” and “Electric Ladyland” over the course of 2 years.

Success In the U.S. Axis: Bold as Love Popular hits: Little Wing If 6 was 9 The First two albums “Are You Experienced?” and “Axis: Bold as Love” were both recorded in England, with Chas Chandler producing. Electric Ladyland however was recorded in New York, and largely produced by Hendrix himself. Electric Ladyland Popular hits: Voodoo Child All Along the Watchtower

Woodstock In June of 1969, The Jimi Hendrix experience put on their last performance at The Denver Pop Festival. Due to disagreements between Redding & Hendrix, the band broke up. On August 18th 1969, Hendrix took the Woodstock stage with a short lived experimental band called Gypsy Sun & Rainbows. Hendrix’s performance’s at Monterey & Woodstock were a large part of his legacy, however his hard work throughout his short four years of fame was often over looked.

Death By 1970, Hendrix was beginning to show signs of exhaustion, due to extreme pressure from a combination of working non-stop, celebrity & creative demands, and drug experimentation. This was extremely evident due to his recent lackluster performances. He performed his last concert in Germany on September 6th 1970. On September 18th, He passed away due to suffocation from inhaling vomit while unconscious and severely intoxicated. One of the last known photos taken of Jimi on September 17th 1970

Influence Arguably one of the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock ‘n roll. Expanded the range of possibilities with the electric guitar. His technical ability, combined with his outstanding drive and application of effects such as the wah-wah pedal, and distortion, forever transformed the sound of rock ‘n roll.

Works Cited "Jimi Hendrix Biography - The Official Jimi Hendrix Site." The Official Jimi Hendrix Site, Web. 04 Mar. 2016. "Jimi Hendrix." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 04 Mar. 2016. "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum." The Jimi Hendrix Experience Biography. Web. 04 Mar. 2016. Images: "Google Images." Google Images. Web. 04 Mar. 2016. Videos: YouTube. YouTube, Web. 04 Mar. 2016.