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.
Back, back I say
