Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

Although he died just two years shy of his 30th birthday, Jimi Hendrix remains one of the most influential and innovative rock guitarists in the world. A pioneer in the use of electronic sounds, he experimented with feedback and distortion in such a creative way that he was able to turn those sound effects into a fluid and exotic language every bit as conventional as it was unconventional! After Hendrix, even the very best guitarists seemed to be mere imitators of his psychedelic rock style.

As a teenager, Jimi taught himself to play guitar by listening to B. B. King, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. In 1964, he moved to New York and played with Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, and Curtis Knight, among others. In 1965, Chas Chandler of the Animals took Hendrix to London and helped form the Jimi Hendrix Experience (Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums). The group’s first single, “Hey Joe” reached number six, and was followed in 1967 by “Purple Haze.”

Although a sensation in London, Jimi was not really experienced by American audiences until 1967 when music friends insisted he be added to the line-up of performers appearing at the Monterey Pop Festival. The performance was filmed and climaxed with Hendrix’s famous guitarburning antics. The late ’60s brought stress to Jimi (pressure from black power advocates to use only black musicians and opposition to his avant-garde leanings). When the Experience collapsed, Hendrix formed the Band Of Gypsies. He performed at the Woodstock Festival (“The Star Spangled Banner”). His last concert was at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. One month later he was found dead from “inhalation of vomit following barbiturate intoxication.” Today, only jam sessions, bootleg recordings, reissued albums dredged up over the years, pieced-together interviews and videos of concerts remain for many of today’s younger metal fans. Somewhere between the edited, dubbed and erased tracks, the deathless power of rock’s first electric wizard lives on.