“Jimi revolutionized rock ‘n’ roll. He could do things with his guitar that were thought impossible. He has had an effect on me that is somewhat inexplicable except to say that his music draws me into him.
I watched some film of him playing. He played with such passion, such rhythm. Nowadays when people make music, they doctor it up with the latest technologies like synthesizers and state-of-the-art instruments. All Jimi needed to sound great was his voice and his guitar. Somewhat like Mozart or Beethoven, he took music, and with his stroke of genius, made something ordinary into something provocative that I just can’t get enough of. He introduced me, as well as countless others, to a completely different side of classic rock.
Arguably the greatest blues guitarist, Jimi got into playing guitar in junior high school when his pops got him a guitar. His dad gave him a right-handed guitar when he was actually left-handed. That didn’t stop him. He just played the guitar upside down and continued to do so throughout his career.
Success didn’t come easily to Hendrix though. He enrolled in the military during his senior year and was honorably discharged in 61.
After his discharge he played with a couple of second-rate bands for two years. His first break came when he got to play backup guitarist for Little Richard. He was good enough to become recognized and this helped him to play with Curtis Knight’s band, the Isley Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner and B.B. King.
In ’66, Hendrix met Chas Chandler, the former bassist with the Animals, who became Jimi’s manager. They went to England, where they formed a group called the Jim Hendrix Experience with Jim on lead guitar, Noel Redding on bass guitar and Mitch Mitchell on drums. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton used to come to their early gigs.
The group enjoyed almost immediate popularity which began with their release of the single “Hey Joe,” soon followed by the album “Are you Experienced,” in 1967. His next two albums “Axis: Bold As Love” and the double album “Electric Ladyland” were immensely popular.
Things started going sour for Hendrix in 1969. He had always been a controversial musician what with his stage antics of burning his guitar, making sexual motions and throwing things around like his guitar. His drug addiction started catching up to him, with a May arrest in Toronto for possesion of heroin. Despite these problems he played Woodstock with drummer Buddy Miles and bassist Billy Cox. They formed a band called the Band of Gypsys.
He built his own New York City recording studio, Electric Lady, but he never got to finish the album he started there. He died from an overdose of sleeping pills on September 18, 1970. He was 27 years old.
Had he lived longer, who knows how much great music he could have produced. The sky was the limit for Hendrix. He did, though, die a legend.”
