Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix, the greatest guitarist in rock history,

revolutionized the sound of rock. In 1967, the Jimi Hendrix

Experience rocked the nation with their first album, Are You

Experienced?. Hendrix's life was cut short by the tragedy of drugs in

1970, when he was only twenty seven years old. In these three years

the sound of rock changed greatly, and Hendrix's guitar playing was a

major influence.

Jimi was born in Seattle, Washington on November 27, 1942.

As a young boy, whenever the chance came, Jimi would try to play

along with his R & B records. However, music was not his life long

dream. At first, the army was. In the late 1950's, Hendrix enlisted in

the 101st Airborne Division. After sustaining a back injury during a

jump, he received a medical discharge. After his army career came to

an abrupt end, he decided to go into the music field. By this time he

had become an accomplished guitarist, and was soon to become

known as the greatest guitarist ever (Stambler, pg. 290).

However, he did not start out at the top. Jimi started out

playing as part of the back-up for small time R & B groups. It did not

take long before his work was in demand with some of the best

known artists in the field, such as B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner,

Solomon Burke, Jackie Wilson, Littler Richard, Wilson Pickett, and

King Curtis (Clifford, pg. 181). Using the name Jimmy James, he

toured with a bunch of R & B shows, including six months as a

member of James Brown's Famous Flames (Stambler, pg. 290).

At the Cafe Wha! in New York, in 1966, Hendrix decided to

try singing. Jimi lucked out when a man by the name of Charles

"Chas" Chandler from Eric Burdon's Animals heard him at the club

and thought he was sensational. When Chas heard him again later

that year, he talked Jimi into moving to England where he would

really get the chance to start his career (Stambler, pg. 290).

Along with Chas, Hendrix auditioned some musicians to

complete the new Hendrix group. They choose Mitch Mitchell, a

fantastic drummer, and Noel Redding, one of England's best guitar

and bass players (Stambler, pg. 290).

In 1966, at the Olympia in Paris, the Experience debuted. One

year later, the Experience was breaking attendance records right and

left at European clubs. When the Monkees toured England in 1967,

they heard Jimi and liked him. The Monkees asked Hendrix to join

them on their tour through the U.S., and Jimi was on his way home

(Stambler, pg. 290).

"Jimi's erotic stage actions, suggestive lyrics, and guitar-

smashing antics..." did not go over well with the Monkees' fans or

many adults. Being criticized over and over again forced the

Experience to be dropped from the tour (Stambler, pg. 290).

This however did not get Hendrix down. By the end of the

year, the group was invited to the Monterey Pop Festival. Jimi won a

standing ovation for the "...nerve-shattering sounds from the group's

nine amplifiers and eighteen speakers, topped by Jimi dousing his

guitar with lighter fluid and burning it..." (Stambler, pg. 291).

Hendrix