Official
Biography
James
'Jimi' Marshall Hendrix
By
Steven C. Pesant
Widely
recognized as one of the most creative and influential musicians of the
20th century, Jimi Hendrix pioneered the explosive popularity of the electric
guitar. Hendrix's innovative style of combining fuzz, feedback and controlled
distortion created a new musical form. Because he was unable to read or
write music, it is nothing short of remarkable that Jimi Hendrix's meteoric
rise in the music took place in just four short years. His unique musical
language continues to influence a whole host of modern musicians, from
George Clinton to Miles Davis, and Steve Vai to Jonny Lang.
Jimi
Hendrix, born Johnny Allen Hendrix at 10:15 a.m. on November 27, 1942,
at Seattle's King County Hospital, was later renamed James Marshall by
his father, James "Al" Hendrix. Young Jimmy (as he was referred to at the
time) took an interest in music, drawing influence from virtually every
major artist at the time, including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf,
Buddy Holly, and Robert Johnson. Entirely self-taught, Jimmy's inability
to read music made him concentrate even harder on the music he could hear.
Al
took notice of Jimmy's interest in the guitar, recalling "I used to have
Jimmy clean up the bedroom all the time while I was gone, and when I would
come home I would find a lot of broom straws around the foot of the bed.
I'd say to him, 'Well didn't you sweep up the floor?' and he'd say, 'Oh
yeah,' he did. But I'd find out later that he used to be sitting at the
end of the bed there and strumming the broom like he was playing a guitar."
Al found an old one-string ukulele, which he gave to Jimmy to play with,
a huge improvement over the broom.
By
the summer of 1958, Al had purchased Jimmy a five-dollar, second-hand acoustic
guitar from one of his friends. Shortly thereafter, Jimmy joined his first
band, The Velvetones. After a three-month stint with the group, Jimmy left
to pursue his own interests. The following summer, Al purchased Jimmy his
first electric guitar, a Supro Ozark 1560S who used it when he joined The
Rocking Kings.
In
1961, Jimmy left home to enlist in the United States Army and in November
1962 earned the right to wear the "Screaming Eagles" patch for the paratroop
division. While stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Jimmy formed The
King Casuals with bassist Billy Cox. After being discharged due to an injury
he received during a parachute jump, Jimmy began working as a session guitarist
under the name Jimmy James. By the end of 1965, Jimmy had played with several
marquee acts, including Ike and Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, the Isley Brothers,
and Little Richard. Jimmy parted ways with Little Richard to form his own
band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, shedding the role of back-line guitarist
for the spotlight of lead guitar.
Throughout
the latter half of 1965, and into the first part of 1966, Jimmy played
the rounds of smaller venues throughout Greenwich Village, catching up
with Animals' bassist Chas Chandler during a July performance at the Caf‚
Wha? Chandler was impressed with Jimmy's performance and returned again
in September 1966 to sign Hendrix to an agreement that would have him move
to London to form a new band.
Switching
gears from bass player to manager, Chandler's first task was to change
Hendrix's name to "Jimi" - a name that would become synonymous with the
musical sound of a changing generation. Featuring drummer Mitch Mitchell
and bassist Noel Redding, the newly formed Jimi Hendrix Experience quickly
became the talk of London in the fall of 1966.
The
Experience's first single, "Hey Joe," spent ten weeks on the UK charts,
topping out at spot No. 6 in early 1967. The debut single was quickly followed
by the release of the full-length album Are You Experienced, a psychedelic
musical compilation featuring anthems of the generation. Are You Experienced
has remained one of the most popular rock albums of all time, featuring
tracks like "Purple Haze," "The Wind Cries Mary," "Foxey Lady," "Fire,"
and "Are You Experienced?"
Although
Hendrix experienced overwhelming success in Britain, it wasn't until he
returned to America in June 1967 that he ignited the crowd at the Monterey
International Pop Festival with his incendiary performance of "Wild Thing."
Literally overnight, The Jimi Hendrix Experience became one of most popular
and highest grossing touring acts in the world. Hendrix followed up Are
You Experienced with Axis: Bold As Love. By 1968, Hendrix had taken greater
control over the direction of his music; he spent considerable time working
the consoles in the studio, with each turn of a knob or flick of the switch
bringing clarity to his vision.
Back
in America, Jimi Hendrix built his own recording studio, Electric Lady
Studios in New York City. The name of this project became the basis for
his most demanding musical release, the ever popular, two LP collection,
Electric Ladyland. Throughout 1968, the demands of touring and studio work
took its toll on the group and in 1969 the Experience had disbanded.
The
summer of 1969 brought emotional and musical growth to Jimi Hendrix. In
playing the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in August 1969, Jimi joined
forces with an eclectic ensemble called Gypsy Sun & Rainbows featuring
Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Juma Sultan, and Jerry Velez.
The Woodstock performance was highlighted by the renegade version of "Star
Spangled Banner," which brought the thousands of mud-soaked audience members
to a frenzy.
Nineteen
sixty-nine also brought about a new and defining collaboration featuring
Jimi Hendrix on guitar, bassist Billy Cox and Electric Flag drummer Buddy
Miles. Performing as the Band of Gypsys, this trio launched a series of
four stellar New Year's performances on December 31, 1969 and January 1,
1970. Highlights from these performances were compiled and later released
on the quintessential Band of Gypsys album in mid-1970.
As
1970 progressed, Jimi brought back drummer Mitch Mitchell to the group
and together with Billy Cox on bass, this new trio once again formed The
Jimi Hendrix Experience. In the studio, the group recorded several tracks
for another two LP set, tentatively titled First Rays Of The New Rising
Sun. Unfortunately, Hendrix was unable to see this new musical vision through
to completion due to his frantic worldwide touring schedules and tragic
death on September 18, 1970. Fortunately, the recordings Hendrix slated
for release on the album were finally issued through the support of his
family and original studio engineer Eddie Kramer on the 1997 release First
Rays Of The New Rising Sun.
From
demo recordings to finished masters, through incessant touring and evolving
musical styles, Jimi Hendrix generated a stunning collection of songs over
the course of his short career. The music of Jimi Hendrix embraced the
influences of blues, ballads, rock, R&B, and jazz - a collection of
styles that continue to make Hendrix one of the most popular figures in
the history of rock music.
Part
of the Story of Life - Interactive Jimi Hendrix
