Jimmy Hendrix

By

Andrew Clidas

Why Is He Famous

• Jimmy Hendrix is famous for one main reason - he was consider one of the worlds greatest, and most influential guitar players in rock history. He is said to have influenced many musicians and music styles.

Personal Life • Jonny Allen Hendrix ( later to be known as Jimi

Hendrix), was born on November 27th, 1942, in Seattle Washington.

• He was later named James Marshall Hendrix by his father, James “Al” Hendrix. As a child it is said he was shy and sensitive, a far cry from the eccentric showman he would become later in his life.

• It is also said that he was deeply affected by the conditions of poverty and the family events of his child hood - most notably his parents’ divorce, and his mothers death when he was 10.

Influence

• Jimmy was influenced by basically every major artist at the time, such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Robert Johnson, just to name a few. In my opinion though, his biggest influence was his father.

Fathers Influence

• Jimmy first became interested in music after listing to his father’s old blues records.

• His father bought him his first guitar when he saw Jimmy’s interest, and also bought him his first electric guitar.

• He later became Chairmen of Experience Hendrix, a family company centered on keeping Jimmy’s legacy alive.

Military Career

There are several versions of Hendrix’s military career.

Military Career: Part One

• The most basic version is that he enlisted into the Army and became part of the 101 Airborne in 1961, and was then honorably discharged due to an injury he received when doing a jump - that is the story he told the reporters later on in his career.

Military Career: Part Two

• The other version, and by far the funnier one, is that Hendrix joined the Army to avoid a two year jail sentence for riding in a stolen car. One of his instructors later stated that he “had no good characteristics”, he was constantly caught sleeping on duty and missing at the mid-night bed checks. It was also said that he needed supervision in the most basic tasks.

Military Career: Part 2 cont.

• After one year of service he was discharged for “behavior problems.” In a biography written in 2005, it was said that Hendrix went to the camp psychiatrist and said he had fallen in love with a fellow soldier.

Military Career: Part 3

• Whichever version is true, there are some facts that are in both versions:

• While in boot camp he wrote home to his father asking him to send him a guitar.

• At the post rec. center, he met a fellow soldier named Billy Cox, who played the bass guitar.

• He and Billy, along with other soldiers formed a loosely organized band called The Kasuals.

Music Career

• After he was discharged from the Army, Jimmy decided to pursue a career in music.

• He started working under the name Jimmy James, as a session guitarist.

• By 1965, he had performed with several (at the time) well know artists, such as Ike and Tina Turner, The Isley Brothers, and Little Richard.

Music Career cont.

• Jimmy left Little Richard in 1965 to start his on band: Jimmy James and the Blue Flames.

• The new band stuck to playing smaller events, until Chas Chandler from The Animals saw Jimmy play and was impressed.

• A few months later, Jimmy met Chas again - this time Chas convinced Jimmy to sign an agreement to move to London and start a new band.

Music Career cont.

• Chandler switched from being a bass player, to manager for Jimmy. He also convinced him to change his name again to Jimi Hendrix.

• The Experiences’ (the name of the new band) first hit “Hey Joe”, was on the UK charts for 10 weeks, the highest it got was #6.

• “Hey Joe” was one of the songs on their first album “Are You Experienced”, which is still very popular today.

Music Career cont.

• Although very well known in the UK, it wasn’t until the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, that Hendrix became known in the US.

• In 1969 the Experiences disbanded, after several tours.

• In the summer of 1969 at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Jimmy and several other musicians formed a band called Gypsy Sun & Rainbows. The other musicians were Billy Cox on bass, Mitch Mitchell on drums (he was previously in the Experience), Juma Sultan, and Jerry Velez.

Music Career cont.

• In 1970 Jimmy, Billy Cox, and Mitch Mitchell, formed another band with Jimmy on guitar, Billy on bass, and Mitch on drums. Once again they called themselves The Experiences.

• Jimmy remained in this band till his dying day.

Jimmy's Death

• On September, 18th 1970, Jimmy Hendrix was found dead in a hotel basement in London.

• It is believed that he died from taking an overdose of sleeping pills, fell asleep, and then chocked on his own vomit.

• After his death a poem was found written by Jimmy, which led some to believe it was suicide.

Rest In Peace Jimmy

Facts About Jimi

• His first guitar was a one string ukulele.

• He never learned how to read music.

• He never graduated high school, it was said he was expelled for not keeping his grades good enough, but he claims it was for holding hands with a white girl.

Jimmy’s Achievements

• He was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

• He was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

• The magazine Rolling Stone named him #1 on their list of Top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, in 2003.

• He was awarded the Grammy Life Time Achievement Award, which is awarded to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording”.