Birthday Greetings Jimi Are You Experienced Hendrix
🍾James Marshall Hendrix (Aka Jimi Hendrix), born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington, was an electric guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although he couldn’t read or write music, Jimi became, in his time, the most influential electric guitarist in pop music. Always looking for new sounds, he combined feedback (a microphone or guitar pickup and an audio output) and controlled distortion which changed the sound of rock music. At an early age, his father James “Al” Hendrix encouraged him to play the guitar, beginning with a one-string ukulele.
In 1958, Jimi received his first electric guitar, a Supro Ozark 1560S. Completely self-taught Hendrix was influence by such guitarists as B.B. King, Buddy Holly, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. Enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1961, he was part of the prestigious paratroop division. Following a medical discharge, he played studio sessions and joined the Isley Brothers‘ band for a brief time (playing under the name Jimmy James). After playing with Tina Turner and a brief stint with Little Richard’s band, he formed his own band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames (now that name sounds strikingly familiar).
In New York City’s Greenwich Village, during the late 1960s and early 70s, Jimi made his way playing small clubs. His break came at the popular hippie spot Café Wha? where he met the Animals‘ (big rock group at the time) bassist Chas Chandler. Chandler invited Hendrix to move to London where he could start his own band. With a name change to Jimi, the new band Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed and it rapidly gained attention in 1966 London. The group’s first single “Hey Joe” with its potent lyrics and hardcore bass riffs rocketed to #6 on the UK music charts. The single was followed by the now legendary ground breaking psychedelic rock album Are You Experienced. Today, it is still the most popular album in rock history including anthems such as “Foxey Lady”, “Purple Haze,” and the title track “Are You Experienced” .
In 1967, just one year later, Hendrix became a success as a result of his mesmerizing performance of “Wild Thing” at the Monterey International Pop Festival. His next album, in 1968, was Axis: Bold As Love. Hendrix lyrics were daggers to the brain that demanded pondering — whether it was political or love. Plus his playing was so outrageous it seemed like notes from another world. In 1968, Hendrix built his own studio, Electric Lady Studios, in New York City. It became the studio of choice for any rocker from the Big Apple or London.
Following The Experience band’s disbanding in 1969, Jimi played at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair. This festival is hailed as the greatest rock festival of all time with Hendrix’s crazy gangsta’ version of “The Star-Spangled Banner“(acknowledged with a Grammy in 2009). In the same year, Hendrix formed The Band of Gypsies which featured bassist Billy Cox and Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles (one of the greatest rock drummers ever). This band like Experience proved to be Hendrix’s second greatest band in rock history.
In 2014, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring Hendrix; in 2016, he was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan; in 2019, The James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix United States Post Office in Renton Highlands near Seattle, about a mile from Hendrix’s grave and memorial, was renamed for Hendrix; outside Dimbola Lodge, Isle of Wight, there is a statue of Hendrix; Rolling Stone Magazine has ranked Hendrix number ONE on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time; and there is a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame dedicated to him.
What makes Hendrix’s career so unique is — he managed to become the greatest guitarist in music history in just four years. He was a genius — his style of playing, his sound and his lyrics will forever remain unique.
Jimi Hendrix | The Last 24 Hours
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