Jimi Hendrix

"The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye."

James Marshall "Jimi Hendrix" is considered to be one of the greatest electric guitarists in the rock genre ever. He was extremely influential in the 1960s as he constantly thought of new ways expand his musical abilities. Hendrix was also one of the first to experiment with stereo-phonics and phasing effects when producing his music. Hendrix had a very bluesy vibe to his music. He often claimed that he was influenced by blues artists such as B.B King, Howlin' Wolf, and Muddy Waters. He incorporated many different types of music together to create his own unique sound. he would blend funk, jazz, rock and blues together to create musical masterpieces.

Jii Hendrix was born November 27th 1942 in Seattle, Washington. His father was involved with the U.S military and was stationed in Oklahoma. His mother, Lucille Hendrix, gave birth to him at the age of 17. Mama Hendrix developed a drinkingproblem after her divorce with Jimi's father, James "Al" Hendrix. Her heavy drinking lead to her eventual death in 1958 because the state of her liver had caused her spleen to rupture. Hendrix grew up at a shy, introverted child, but expressed his emotions with music. He bought his first guitar for $5 at the age of 15 from a friend of his fathers. The newly bought acoustic guitar replaced the broomstick he had been pretending to play guitar with and even a ukulele that his father found whilst cleaning the garage. What makes Hendrix unique, is that he taught himself to play guitar through watching others and getting tips from more experience guitarists. During the summer of 1959, Jimi's father bought him a Supra Ozark, but unfortunately there was no amplifier for it.

Hendrix's first band was a un-named band that held practice sessions in the basement of a Synagogue. He was shortly kicked out of the band for wild guitar playing and improvisation. He joined two other unsuccessful bands, but he stood out because he played left-handed with a right-handed guitar. Hendrix got in trouble with the law twice for riding in a stolen car. He was given the choice of going to prison for 2 years, or enlisting in the army. In 1961 he chose to join the army. He was very shortly discharged because he was a subpar soldier; often falling asleep on the job. He claimed that he had to be discharged because of a broken ankle acquired. Another theory is that Hendrix claimed homosexuality and said that he had fallen in love with another soldier and was then discharged.

In 1966, after a string of failed attempts to form a band, Hendrix meet then-girlfriend of Rolling Stone's Keith Richards. She introduced him to The Animal's bassist, Chas Chandler,who wanted to start producing and managing. Chas Chandler was certain that with Hendrix's single, "Hey Joe" Hendrix would become a legend and have an immediate hit single. Chas Chandler brought Hendrix to London, England, where he would join the musical talent Cream during one of their performances. Eric Clapton (Cream's lead vocalist) remained friends with Hendrix until the day he died.

He wrote 3 songs which all became instant hits; "A Wind Cries Mary", "The Hendrix Chord", "Stone Free". Hendrix acquired a certain stage persona that captivated audiences around the world. He learnt to play guitar with his teeth and behind his back and would even go so far as to set his guitar on fire during a concert and then smashing it to bits.

Jimi Hendrix died early September 18th 1970. There are many conspiracies as well as contradictions to what actually happened to cause Hendrix's death. His girlfriend at the time, Monika Dannemann, claimed that Hendrix had taken 9 of her very strong German sleep aid pills. The autopsy states that Hendrix had completely drowned himself in red wine. He had vomited so much red wine, that there was at least a half a bottle of regurgitated red wine in his hair alone. There are some theories that Hendrix just wanted out of his managing label contract, while others wonder if it was the 60's, the fame, and the fortune that all got to him?

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