Jimi Hendrix
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| James Marshall Hendrix[1] | |
|---|---|
.jpg/200px-Jimi_Hendrix_Statue(2).jpg) |
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| Born | November 27 1942 Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Died | September 18, 1970 London, England |
| Alias(es) | Jimi Hendrix |
| Genre(s) | Hard rock Acid rock Blues rock Psychedelic rock Classic Metal |
| Notable guitars | Fender Stratocaster Gibson Flying V 12-String-Zemaitis Acoustic |
| Years active | 1966 – 1970 |
| Official site | JimiHendrix.com |
Jimi Hendrix, born James Marshall Hendrix, (November 27, 1942 - September 18, 1970[1]) was an American guitarist. Hendrix is thought to be one of the most influential musicians in the history of rock and roll music. [2] After success in England, he became famous worldwide after his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. He was named #1 Greatest Guitarist of all Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003.[3] Hendrix taught himself how to play the electric guitar and usually played a Fender Stratocaster upside down and re-strung to suit him (he was playing left-handed).
Contents |
[change] Early life
Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle on November 27, 1942. He is one of the most influential guitarists in Rock history.[4]
Hendrix, who was an African-American, was called Johnny Allen Hendricks when he was born. Later, his parents named him James Marshall Hendrix instead. He grew up without much money or attention; his parents divorced when he was nine years old, and his mother died when he was 16.
[change] School
Hendrix finished middle school but didn’t graduate from his High School, Garfield High School. Hendrix told some reporters in the late 1960’s that he had failed because people were racist there, but really it was just because he couldn't get things done. Hendrix told the reporters that he was kicked out for talking back to a teacher.[5]
[change] Inspirations
When Hendrix was young, he was a fan of Elvis Presley. He went to see Elvis play at Sick’s Stadium on September 1, 1957, and he drew a colour picture of him holding an acoustic guitar (seen here). The original drawing can be seen in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Even when he grew up, he still loved Elvis. He went to a movie of Presley’s "King Creole" in Paris in late 1968, so he can give him inspiration.
He also liked famous blues musicians such as Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Lightning Hopkins; he played in the band of R&B star Little Richard.
[change] Early Guitars
At about the age of fourteen, Hendrix found his first guitar. It was a broken acoustic guitar with one string that had been thrown away by another boy. His first electric guitar was a white Supro Ozark that his father, Al Hendrix, had bought him. He didn’t have lessons and learned basic tunes and improvisation from watching Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley play live.
[change] The Army
After getting in trouble by stealing cars twice, Hendrix got the choice of either going to prison for two years or to join the US Army. Hendrix chose to join the Army on May 31, 1961.
His Generals said that he was always caught sleeping on duty and needed to be watched at all times. One said that “his mind apparently cannot function while performing duties and thinking about his guitar”.[6] But all of this was for a good cause, because it was here that he met another soldier and bass player called Billy Cox. They would later play together in a small group called The King Kasuals, just for fun.
On May 31, 1962, after being in the Army for one year, Hendrix’ superiors thought it best to discharge him because he was always causing trouble. Hendrix tried to cover this up by saying he had been let go after breaking his ankle when he was landing his 26th parachute jump.
[change] Hendrix' later years
[change] First Groups
Hendrix' left-handed playing on a guitar made for right-handed people and uncontrolled solo outbursts attracted positive attention. His first proper concert was with a small band without a name, playing in a Synagogue. Hendrix was fired because of too much showing off and twenty-minute solos. He later joined a band called The Velvetones, who played at the Yesler Terrace.
After being “released” from the Army, Hendrix and Billy Cox moved together to Clarksville in Tennessee, where they played in their group, The King Kasuals. He and Cox played in small bars and Hendrix didn’t make much money, so he and Cox moved to Nashville. They played in Nashville with many blues improvised songs. In November 1962, Hendrix went to his first studio performance. Hendrix played in many other bands as rhythm and lead guitar and vocals. This didn’t get him much money, but did give him experience of how bands worked.
Later, Hendrix left Nashville and went to Northern New York City. By January 1964, he moved to Harlem and played at bars. Hendrix also won first prize in an amateur guitar contest called The Apollo Theatre.
In 1966, Hendrix formed his own band instead of joining others that kept on firing him. He called his band Jimmy James and The Blues Flames. The members were people that he met around town, one of the members was a 15-year-old boy called Randy. Hendrix played many gigs around New York City and many songs at a Café called Café Wha?.
Later, Hendrix would get lucky. He became friends with the girlfriend of Keith Richards, guitarist for The Rolling Stones, Linda Keith. She liked Hendrix’ music and showed him to Chas Chandler, the manager for The Animals. Chandler told Hendrix to write a rock version of the song “Hey Joe” and when he did, Chandler brought him to London and Hendrix signed a contract with him. Hendrix had to form a new band. He called it The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
[change] The Jimi Hendrix Experience
[change] First Album - Are you Experienced?
The Jimi Hendrix Experience made it's first album in 1967. It was called Are You Experienced?. When the album was officially out, Hendrix traveled around the UK and some of Europe. On June 4, 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their last concert in London before going to America and many famous people came to see Hendrix play such as Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Brian Epstein.
[change] Results
The album reached #2 in the UK charts. In 2001, VH1 named Are You Experienced as the 5th greatest album of all time and the Rolling Stone magazine named it 15th best album out of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003.
[change] Second Album - Axis: Bold as Love
Hendrix’ second album came out in 1967. It was called Axis: Bold as Love. It had famous songs in it such as "Little Wing". There have been several other versions of the song by other musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Henry "Hank" Marrion, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Sting and Pearl Jam. But an important difference in the album was that Hendrix tuned his guitar down a semi-tone (to E flat).
[change] Results
The album reached #3 in the US charts and #5 in the UK charts.
[change] Third Album - Electric LadyLand
Hendrix finished his third album, called Electric LadyLand, in 1968. In this year, Chas Chandler (Hendrix’ manager) decided to leave Hendrix and so did Noel Redding. When Chandler left, Hendrix changed everything in his music. He began using different musicians and instruments. He used guitars with flutes and trombones all with distortion to get strange sounds.
[change] Results
The album reached #1 album in the US. It reached #5 in the UK. In 2003, VH1 named the album the 72nd best album of all time, and the Rolling Stones magazine gave it 54th greatest album of all time.
| Release Year |
Album | US Chart |
UK Chart |
Famous Songs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Are You Experienced | #5 | #2 |
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| 1967 | Axis: Bold as Love | #3 | #5 |
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| 1968 | Electric Ladyland | #1 | #5 |
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[change] Woodstock
Hendrix had become famous enough to go to Woodstock. And on August 18, 1969 he signed. Woodstock made over $18,000. Hendrix was told to play on Sunday evening, but didn’t arrive until Monday morning, which was unfortunate because of the 500,000 people that had paid to see him, around 180,000 were left and didn’t plan on staying his whole concert, they just wanted to see him in person for a few minutes.
[change] Results
Hendrix then went on to play a two-hour concert that was awful. Microphones screeched and guitars went out of tune. Also Hendrix’ large band had not practiced enough and were often out of time with Hendrix’ speedy solos. But to make up for all of this, Hendrix played a version of Star Spangled Banner. He played this anthem with heavy distortion and screams from his guitar, and people thought that he was being anti-American and making fun of their anthem and country. Hendrix, in an interview, said that he “did not intend for his performance to be a political statement”, he just wanted it to be another version of the national anthem.
[change] Death
On September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix was found dead in a basement of the Samarkand Hotel in London. He died after drinking too much, and then taking too many sleeping pills. He vomited and choked on his vomit because he could not gain consciousness. There are many different theories that were thought up. His girlfriend, who was with him at the time that he died, said that he was alive when she put him in the back of the ambulance, but hospital records say that Hendrix had been dead for some time before the ambulance had reached him. Some people say that Hendrix was alive, but that the paramedics did not properly hold his head while he was unconscious so he choked on his own vomit.[7] A sad poem that was found in Hendrix’ apartment written by him made some think that he committed suicide. The most likely explanation is that Hendrix just took too many sleeping pills while he was drunk, and then couldn’t wake up as he vomited and choked as a result.
[change] Burial
Hendrix was buried in Seattle in Greenwood Memorial Park. His headstone was wrong because it shows a picture of Hendrix playing a Stratocaster, but the Stratocaster is right handed, Hendrix played left handed. Because Hendrix had so many fans, people were worried that the crowds of people wanting to look at his grave would damage other graves, so Hendrix’ father, Al Hendrix, had another memorial site built far from other graves. The memorial is a granite dome, held up by three pillars and Hendrix is buried underneath. His autograph is at the foot of each pillar and a brass sundial is at the top of the dome. There is also a memorial statue of Hendrix playing a Stratocaster near the corner of Broadway in Seattle.
[change] References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biography. JimiHendrix.com. Retrieved on 5 December 2007.
- ↑ Jimi Hendrix in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- ↑ The 100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time - Rolling Stone Magazine
- ↑ Jimi Hendrix: The Most Influential Guitarist Of All Time? - article
- ↑ Jimi Hendrix' early years. HistoryLink. Retrieved on 4 August 2007.
- ↑ Dismissal form from The Smoking Gun (1962)
- ↑ Companion Booklet to The Essential Jimi Hendrix Volumes One And Two, 1989, Reprise Records (page 7)
[change] Other websites
- The Jimi Hendrix Foundation - Started by Al and Leon Hendrix
- Official Jimi Hendrix website
- Photos of Jimi Hendrix
- Videos of Jimi Hendrix Live
- Official lyrics and drawings done by Jimi Hendrix
- Classic Hendrix: The Ultimate Hendrix Experience The memoirs of Jimi Hendrix
