Jimi Hendrix
It is startling to examine the relatively short career and life of Jimi Hendrix, and then compare it to his astonishing legacy. Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington in 1942, and was raised mostly by his father and extended family. After a stint in the army in the early 1960s, Hendrix settled in Nashville, Tennesee where he created the duo ‘King Kasuals’ with Billy Cox. Over the next several years he played backup guitar for Little Richard, the Isley Brothers and other R&B bands. Not content to cede the spotlight, he moved to New York to play in clubs and bars. Hendrix was approached by Chas Chandler, former bassist for the Animals who convinced him to move to London and form what would become the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967. Now, Hendrix was able to explore his evolving style that melded electric guitar with R&B, free jazz and psychedelic sounding feedback and distortion techniques. Things moved extremely fast after the formation of the band, and in that same year they released the debut album Are You Experienced? which became a huge hit in the UK, followed by its release in the United States. Hendrix made an explosive appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, cementing in the minds of many Americans an image of the drug-infused, no-holds-barred musical genius. Two albums after their debut, the Jimi Hendrix Experience broke up and Hendrix formed Band of Gypsies, in 1969, with Buddy Miles and Billy Cox. Their appearance at Woodstock was somewhat shaky, but saved by Hendrix’s startling rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. While Hendrix continued to record constantly and experiment with overdub and other electronic techniques in the studio, he did not produce another album. He died in September of 1970 from a combination of alcohol and barbiturates. Hendrix made a series of ill-advised recording deals earlier in his career, and his estate became mired in legal battles. Finally in the mid-1990s rights to his estate, including all his recordings were granted to his father, Al Hendrix. Since then his albums have been reissued, as well as a host of compilations. Jimi Hendrix was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
