Jimi Hendrix

BIOGRAPHY

On November 27, 1942 in Seattle, a boy named Johnny Allen Hendrix was born. But later renamed James Marshall Hendrix. Hendrix's childhood was not every boy's dream life. He didn't have an ordinary or what we can say an easy life. At the age of 9, her parents divorced and in 1958, her mother died. He then stayed with his grandmother. Hendrix didn't graduate highschool due to poor grades and frequent absences. He even joined the army because of getting into trouble with the law. Instead of spending two years in prison, he was given a choice to join the army. But that didn't work either because of behavioral problems and was later on released from the military due to an injury.

It wasn't easy for Hendrix as a kid. But during his childhood, it was when he started his interest in guitar. He would use the broom and pretend it was his guitar and goof around. His father, Al, then found a one string ukulele and gave it to his son. In 1958, Al bought a five-dollar second hand acoustic guitar for Jimi. And that was the beginning of his career. Let me remind you that Hendrix was a self-taught guitarist.

He started to join his first band, the Velvetones but he only lasted for three months and pursue his own interest. The next summer, his father bought him his first electric guitar. After his release in the army, Jimi and army friend Billy Cox formed a band called The King Casuals. In 1961, Hendrix began working under the name Jimmy James as a pickup guitarist. By 1964, when he moved to New York, he had played behind Sam Cooke, B.B. King, Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, Ike and Tina Turner, and Wilson Pickett. In New York he played the club circuit with King Curtis, the Isley Brothers, John Paul Hammond, and Curtis Knight. In 1965 Hendrix formed his own band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, to play Greenwich Village coffeehouses. Chas Chandler of the Animals took him to London in the autumn of 1966 and arranged for the creation of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, with Englishmen Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums.

The Jimi Hendrix era began. Their first single "Hey Joe" was so successful it was on the charts for ten weeks then was followed by an album called "Are You Experienced". The album was followed by "Axis: Bold as Love". In 1969, Redding left the group and formed Fat Mattress. Mitchell stayed for awhile but also left on August of the same year. And that was the end of the Experience. Later that year Hendrix formed the Band of Gypsys, again with army friend Billy Cox and Buddy Miles.In 1970, he brought back Mitch Mitchell and together with Billy Cox, once again, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed. The group then, started recording several tracks but was unable to finish it due to his hectic schedule of tour.

On September 18, 1970, Hendrix was found dead in the basement flat of the Samarkand Hotel at 22 Lansdowne Crescent in London. It was not clear what was the real cause of his death. Some said he died because of asphyxiation of his own vomit. He spend the night with his German girlfriend and maybe died after drinking wine and taking nine Vesperax sleeping pills. Others said he committed suicide and some believed it was murder. And some even said that he was still alive during that time and only died because of lack of support of his head and neck when placed on the ambulance.

Jimi Hedrix was ranked as number one by Rolling Stone. And because of his unique style, the combination of blues, jazz, fuzz and pioneered the technique of guitar feedback with overdriven amplifiers, Hendrix, no doubt, has been one of the most influential guitarists of all time.