Jimi HendrixThe Jimi Hendrix Experience
ChildhoodBorn James Marshall Hendrix in 1942
Influenced by:
B. B. King
Muddy Waters
Howlin' Wolf
Buddy Holly
Robert Johnson
Father bought him a guitar at 16 and he was constantly playing.
Army
1961 - Hendrix enlists in the U.S. Army. He was faced with that or jail after getting being caught joyriding in a stolen car
1962 - completed paratrooper training and became a member of the Screaming Eagles parachute division
Was discharged after about a year due to an injury
Formed a band in the Army that occasionally performed on the base.
Post - Army
Hendrix became a session/backup guitarist known as "Jimmy James"
Played for Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner, amongst others.
1964 - leaves for New York to start his own band, the Blue Flames and plays in the Greenwich village clubs
Starts to experiment with distortion and feedback, and quickly gets a buzz in the local scene.
Chas Chandler, bassist from The Animals sees him live and signs a management contract while convincing him to move to London.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Chandler recruited drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding to join Jimi
1967 - band releases first album, Are You Experienced
Many rock stars of the time became fans including Clapton, The Stones, and Beatles
Mixed sounds of blues, R & B, Rock, and Psychedelia
Quickly became successful in US and made a landmark performance at the 1967 Monterrey Pop Festival
Hits from 1967
Hey Joe - First single
Purple Haze
The Wind Cries Mary
Foxy Lady
Fire
Axis: Bold as Love
Released in 1968
Hendrix started to take more control over the music and production
Built a studio called Electric Lady studios in New York later in 1968
Hits include:
Spanish Castle Magic
Little Wing
Castles Made of Sand
Electric Ladyland
Released in 1969
Double LP
The pressures of touring and writing this new album lead to the band breaking up in 1969
Many consider this to be his greatest work
Hits include:
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Crosstown Traffic
Gypsy Eyes
All Along the Watchtower
Woodstock and Beyond
Performed as a group called Gypsy Sun and Rainbows with Mitch Mitchell, bassist Billy Cox, and others
Performed famous version of the Star-Spangled Banner
After Woodstock, Hendrix started a new group with Cox and Buddy Miles called Band of Gypsys
1970 - Hendrix brings back Mitchell and reforms the Experience with Billy Cox on bass
Group started recording another album which was eventually released in 1997 - First Rays of the New Rising Sun
Death
Died on September 18, 1970 in the UK
Highly debated causes for death
Choked on his own vomit in his sleep
Some claim he was murdered by men hired by his manager, Mike Jeffrey
He had been drinking red wine and took many sleeping pills
Legacy
Pioneered distortion, fuzz, and wah-wah pedal use in rock music
Influenced funk, rock, metal, and experimental guitarists everywhere
Changed the way guitarists improvised
Continues to be popular and influential to this day