Hendrix group. Jimi Hendrix. Last performance and sudden death

Jimi Hendrix (Johnny Allen Hendrix) was born November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington, USA. Father - Al Hendrix, mother - Lucille Jeter. When the boy was 9 years old, his parents divorced. Jimmy's mother died in 1958. He was raised by his grandparents, actors of the Vancouver variety show. In his early youth, he bought a guitar and played or listened to records of B.B. King, Robert Johnson and Elmore James all day long. The school never finished.

Youth is hooligan. Jimmy went to jail for 2 years for stealing a car. After a while, the lawyer managed to replace the prison with 2 years of military service. There, Hendrix did not stay long, having been demobilized due to an injury. Jimmy's military records are poor - he was accused of indiscipline and unreliability.

Musical career

After returning from the army, Hendrix settled in Clarksville, where he formed the King Kasuals with friend Billy Cox. Then they lived in Nashville, where they played in clubs on Jefferson Street. In 1964 Jimmy moved to New York. Worked as a guest artist with Sam Cooke and Dr. Hendrix founded The Rain Flowers, later renamed The Blue Flames.


A friend, Linda Keith, got to the group's performance. She was shocked by the musician's playing. Linda could not believe that such a virtuoso could be unknown. The girl introduced Hendrix to producer Chas Chandler. Contract signed, established a new group"The Jimi Hendrix Experience", which, in addition to Hendrix, included bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell.

Working with Chas meant moving to England. Among other benefits that open up when moving, Jimi Hendrix singled out familiarity with. Chandler replied that when Eric heard Jimmy play, he would offer to meet himself.

The debut album "Are You Experienced" is recognized by fans and music critics as the most successful in rock music. With the release of the album, Jimi Hendrix became a megastar. In Britain, the album was second only to that of The Beatles. The album did not include a song from the American version of the album "Purple Haze", which was ranked #1 on Q's 100 Greatest Guitar Recordings and #2 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitar Records. "Purple Haze" is considered a hippie anthem.


In 2003, VH1 ranked "Are You Experienced" as the fifth greatest album of all time.

"Axis: Bold as Love" is the band's second album, created in the romantic-psychedelic genre. Reveals Hendrix as a musician with an established style. The song "Bold As Love", included in this album, will remain in history as an example of a virtuoso guitar solo of a musician. The release of the album could not take place. On the eve of the deadline, Jimmy lost the original recording of the first side of the disc. I had to collect the master recording from the records of disparate parties.


Jimi Hendrix and The Jimi Hendrix Experience

In the spring of 1968, the recording of the third album, Electric Ladyland, began in New York. The work went slowly, as it was interrupted by concerts. Hendrix wanted to achieve perfection in recordings by doing doubles over and over again. Attracted musicians from outside for recordings. The result exceeded bold expectations - the album, following the results of the sales of the first week, received the status of the "Golden Album". After the release of Electric Ladyland, Hendrix's The Jimi Hendrix Experience became one of the most popular bands in the world.

One of the songs performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience is "Hey, Joe". The song was known long before the performance by Jimi Hendrix, but it was only when performed by the cult guitarist that it gained worldwide fame. The motif of the composition is of no particular musical value. The song has a simple text that tells about the escape to Mexico of a failed husband who killed an unfaithful wife. However, at the time Jimi Hendrix played her, the Vietnam War was going on. Lyndon Johnson was the President of the United States at that time. People reworked quatrains from "Hey, Joe" to address the president and blame the deaths of soldiers in Vietnam.

Covers of this song are still played by performers of different musical directions. It is ranked #21 among hard rock songs by VH1 and one of the 500 greatest pieces of music by Rolling Stone. The song was performed by "Deep Purple", etc.


Jimi Hendrix had another feature. The breathtaking style of clothing was the envy of fashionistas around the world. The image did not look like the appearance of a typical rock musician - Jimmy did not wear wrinkled jeans and dirty T-shirts, his hair did not hang down for a long time in unkempt locks. Hendrix's style is acid-colored shirts with a psychedelic pattern, top buttons unbuttoned and collar turned up.

He put on vintage vests, military jackets with all sorts of epaulettes and galloons that belonged to active troops. Jimmy tied bright bandanas and scarves around his arm or leg. The chips of the rock legend are catchy jewelry and the invariable round medallion around the neck.


At the Monterey (California) Pop Festival, Hendrix set his guitar on fire and smashed it in front of an astonished audience at the end of a virtuoso performance. Jimmy himself explained the outrageous act as follows:

“I decided to destroy my guitar at the end of the song as a sacrifice. You sacrifice the things you love. I love my guitar."

The photo of Jimi Hendrix kneeling in front of a blazing guitar with his arms upraised has become iconic in rock history. And Hendrix ended up in the hospital with burns to his hands.


The best concert performance of Jimi Hendrix is ​​considered to be the performance at the Woodstock festival in August 1969.


Not spared the popularity of Jimi Hendrix and the USSR. In 1973 the "first Russian psychedelic album" was released. The Cherry Orchard Jimi Hendrix". Recorded on magnetic tape at home studio by Yuri Morozov, together with Sergei Luzin and Nina Morozova. In 1975, the album was re-released as a vinyl version in a tiny edition of 500 pieces.

Personal life

The personal life of a rock musician was of less interest to fans of musical activity - nothing is known about his girls. The only confirmed passion of Hendrix, who witnessed his death, was Monica Danneman.

Death

At the end of August 1970, Jimi Hendrix performed for the last time at the British Isle of Wight festival. On September 6, on the stage of the Isle of Fehmarn festival, the artist was met with a cold reception from the public. The artist played 13 songs. Until the last day, Jimmy did not leave London.


On the morning of September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix was taken away in an ambulance from the Samarkand Hotel. According to the doctor, Jimmy was dead when the ambulance arrived. The day before, he spent time with his German girlfriend Monika Danemann. According to the results of the examination, the artist died in bed, choking on vomit during an overdose of sleeping pills. According to Monica, she hesitated to call an ambulance due to the fact that she was afraid of getting into the police, because there were drugs in the room where the couple was that night.


Jim Hendrix died at the age of 27. Jimi Hendrix was buried in Renton, Washington, at Greenwood Memorial Park. He himself dreamed of being buried in England.

Memory

The posthumous discography of the guitar genius amounted to more than 500 albums. In 1997, Jimi Hendrix's posthumous album First Rays Of The New Rising Sun was released, bringing together the best creative work period 1968-1969. The collection includes songs that he worked on at the end of his life, preparing them for a new album. Notable ones are "Night Bird Flying", "Angel", "Dolly Dagger", "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" and "In From the Storm".


On September 18, 2010, Jimi Hendrix: The Voodoo Child, a biographical documentary film directed by Bob Smeaton, premiered worldwide. It uses recordings from concerts, family archives with correspondence, photographs and drawings.

Many cities have Hendrix jazz and blues clubs where you can listen to live music.

On September 7, 2013, John Ridley's Jimmy: All on My Side was screened at the Toronto Film Festival. The picture in art form tells about the beginning of the career of star performer Jimi Hendrix, performed by Andre Benjamin. The plot tells about the release of the first album "Are You Experienced".

According to Rolling Stone magazine, the film's musical score was weak due to Hendrix's relatives who inherited the rights. They refused to allow Jimmy's songs to be performed in the film, demanding more involvement from Experience Hendrix LLC representing them on the set. Therefore, songs by other authors sounded in the picture.

Discography

  • "Are You Experienced?"
  • "Axis: Bold As Love"
  • "Smash Hits"
  • "Electric Ladyland"
  • "Band Of Hypsies"
  • At The Monterey Pop Festival
  • Cry Of Love
  • "At The Isle Of Wight"
  • War Heroes

Jimi Hendrix is ​​one of the pioneers of virtuoso guitar playing. This man single-handedly managed to expand the concept of rock music to limitless limits. Today, the performer is considered a true legend of a bygone era. What kind of person was he? What can be said about the career and personal life of the cult guitarist? What kind musical works Jimi Hendrix worthy of attention? Read about all this in our article.

Musician's childhood

Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington on November 27, 1942. The father of our hero Al was an ordinary average African American. Lucille's mother was of Indian descent. On the distant line in the genus of the future star were Indian and Irish branches. Such an amazing symbiosis of individual bloodlines and cultural traditions was largely reflected in the formation of the unique guitar style of the performer.

The parents of little Jimi Hendrix divorced shortly after the birth of their son. Then there was the sudden death of the mother. Due to the constant employment of his father, the boy was forced to be in the care of his grandfather and grandmother almost all the time. The upbringing of the latter had a positive effect on the development of the innate talent of the baby, who began to join high art and creativity. However, the love of playing the guitar was formed by the young Jimi Hendrix absolutely spontaneously.

As a teenager, the guy bought a used acoustic instrument for a ridiculous five dollars. The study of the simplest chords followed. Comprehending the basics of playing the guitar took almost all of the boy's free time. After a while, Jimi could no longer imagine himself without music.

Conviction and military service

Closer to adulthood, our hero was forced to leave his favorite pastime. The reason was the participation of young Hendrix in car theft. The guy was convicted and received a prison term of two years in prison. However, useful connections and the experience of a lawyer allowed the young man to avoid imprisonment. Service in the army became a replacement for severe punishment.

Reluctantly accepting the verdict, Jimi Hendrix became an employee of the United States Airborne Division. However, literally a year later he went to the hospital, having seriously injured his leg after an unsuccessful landing during a parachute jump. Due to injury, he was demobilized. Once at home, our hero again returned to the development of guitar playing skills.

Career start

Leaving the army service behind, the talented musician took on the pseudonym Jimi James, starting to perform at concert venues in Nashville, where he moved with longtime comrade Billy Cox. Young performers began to collaborate with the popular artist Little Richard. However, soon there was a creative conflict that forced Hendrix to found his own band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames.

After playing for some time in nightclubs, Jimi began working with musician Chas Chandler, who was a member of the famous Animals rock band. Together they went to London. It was here that the guitarist decided to organize the Jimi Hendrix Experience project. With the help of skilled drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, the musician was able to realize his hidden potential to the full. Chas Chandler did everything for the new team to as soon as possible took a place on the metropolitan pop scene. A year later, Jimi Hendrix's songs became the main topic of discussion in the creative circles of London.

Finest hour of the artist

In 1967, the Jimi Hendrix group presented their debut album Are You Experienced to a wide audience of listeners. It was during this period that the musician began to attract the attention of the public with his extraordinary antics on stage, setting fire to the guitar during the performance of solo parts. Getting burns on his hands did not prevent our hero from starting recording the second album, which was called Axis: Bold as Love. The release of the record almost failed, because Jimi lost the recordings of some of the compositions. Musical developments were urgently restored, and at the end of the same year, the long-suffering compositions were released.

Soon, rock music lovers and authoritative critics recognized the Are You Experienced album as the most talented and successful work of the late 60s. A virtuoso guitarist at one point became a show business star of the first magnitude. In the British charts, the musician's songs were second only to the most famous recordings of The Beatles. The composition Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix, which was included in the release of the record for the American market, was subsequently recognized by the authoritative edition of Rolling Stone as worthy of the list of hundreds of the greatest guitar creations in the history of music. Today, the song has the status of one of the anthems of the hippie movement.

Last performance and sudden death

Being in the status of a world-famous star, Hendrix began to abuse drugs. The last time the legendary musician took the stage was as part of the Isle of Wight festival in London. Jimi went backstage early, being booed by the audience, who did not want to listen to the guitarist's new compositions.

The interrupted concert turned out to be the final one in the life of the cult performer. On the morning of September 18, 1970, Hendrix was found lifeless in a hotel room at the Samarkand Hotel in London. According to the guitarist's friend Monica Daneman, who also spent the night in the room, the musician took a huge amount of sleeping pills the day before, trying to fall asleep after have a hard day. However, Jimi never managed to wake up.

Movies about Jimi Hendrix

In memory of the musician who suddenly passed away, several films were shot. In 2010, the documentary Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child, released by director Bob Smeaton, saw the light of day. The film shows live recordings, family photos, drawings and archives of the legendary guitarist's correspondence.

In September 2013, visitors to the Toronto Film Festival were shown the feature film Jimi: All on My Side. The picture tells about the life and work of a musician at the dawn of his career. The main focus of the film is on the story of the release of the cult record Are You Experienced.


      Publication date: June 02, 1998

The undisputed musical authority of the 20th century - Jimi Hendrix - was one of the first to contribute to the explosive growth in popularity of the electric guitar. His unique, inimitable style and innovative approach gave a powerful impetus to the development of new musical forms and trends. The black guitarist did not know the notes and embodied many of his ideas spontaneously, on a whim. His songs, created over a short career (only 4 years), have become the anthem of a whole generation. And not only. Among those who call Jimi Hendrix their guru are many contemporary musicians such as George Clinton, Steve Vai, Jonny Lang and others.

Jimi Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) was born on November 27, 1942 at the Seattle District Hospital (USA). A little later, the father of the child, James Al Hendrix, will give him a different name - James Marshall.

At a young age, Jimi became interested in music. Among his idols are almost all famous artists of that period: B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Buddy Holly and Robert Johnson. Self-taught Jimi didn't know musical notation. This probably made him concentrate much more on music. Even more than he could hear.

Once dad Al noticed that his child was showing a keen interest in the guitar. “Often I made Jimi clean the room,” he recalls. “And I constantly found broom rods under the bed. I asked:“ Jimi, did you sweep the floors? ”And he innocently answered:“ Oh, yes! that little Jimi just sat on the edge of the bed and strummed on the broom as if he were playing the guitar."

In order to stop bullying household equipment, Al gave the young talent a ukulele on which one string was stretched. However, seeing progress, in the summer of 1958, he became generous and used acoustics, bought from a friend for five dollars. Thus, already "horse peasant" Jimi joins a group of enthusiasts - "The Velvetones" - and parted ways with them after 3 months. Al's next gift is the first real electric guitar Supro Ozark 1560S, with which young Hendrix was accepted into a group with the loud name "The Rocking Kings".

In '61, Jimi decides to leave Father's house and volunteers for the US military. Already in November of the following year, he receives the right to wear the patches of the Screaming Eagles division. During the Orlov's quarters in Kentucky, an acquaintance with bass guitarist Billy Cox occurs. Their joint project was called "The King Casuals". The military epic of Hendrix does not last long: during a parachute jump, he is injured and sent to the "demobilization". On the "citizen", taking a creative pseudonym Jimi James, works as a session musician. With whom only did not replay! And Ike & Tina Turner, and Sam Cooke, and "Isley Brothers", and Little Richard ... They say that the reason for the break with the latter was the shirt with ruffles, frills, which Jimi dressed up before going on stage, which terribly infuriated Little Richard . However, this is nothing more than rumors and idle speculation. And the facts are as follows - at parting there were no tears, and Jimi, full of creative forces, gathers his own group "Jimmy James & The Blue Flames", where he sings and solos on the guitar.

During the last half of 1965 and the first half of 1966, Hendrix and Co. performed in Grinchich Village (New York area, at that time one of the cultural centers of the country). At one of these performances (in the cafe "Wha?"), there was a meeting that became the beginning of the musician's stellar journey. He meets The Animals bassist Chas Chandler. Chandler was so taken aback by Jimi's performance that he offered him a contract to move to London to put together a new line-up.

First things first, it was proposed to abandon the creative pseudonym in favor of the real name. According to Chandler, the biting as a shot, the name "Jimi" was to become synonymous with the generation of the sixties. Drummer Mitch Mitchell took the job, bassist Noel Redding, and the trio was named simply and tastefully "The Jimi Hendrix Experience". Rumors of a new band spread across London at the speed of the Orient Express.

The very first single "Experience" - "Hey Joe" - immediately hit the British charts and by the beginning of 1967 reached the 6th place. Following the "forty-five" came out a full-fledged LP "Are You Experinced?". This album is still considered one of the best albums of all time. Think "Purple Haze", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Fire", "Foxey Lady" or "Are You Experienced?". Only a step remains to world recognition.

Trio "Experience" is invited to America to perform at the Monterey Pop Festival. The next morning after him, Jimi woke up as a "star": TV stations broadcast the video of the famous song "Wild Thing" (during its performance, he burned his Fender Stratocaster on stage) all over the world.

The first record line was continued with "Axis: Bold As Love", which hit record stores in 1968. Here the musician concentrates his attention on directing compositions. Jimi spends a significant amount of time in the studio at the console, calibrating every turn of knobs and switches.

Upon his return to America in New York, he built the studio "Electric Ladyland". This project served as the idea and gave the name to the next immortal, another double LP. The year 1969 passed in traveling and painstaking studio work, which could not affect the moral climate in the team. "Experince" is canceled as a creative unit.

Summer of '69. "Summer of Love". The time of Jimi's emotional and musical growth. To perform at the Woodstock Music and Fine Arts Festival, our hero collaborates with the eclectic ensemble "Gypsy Sun & Rainbow", which, in addition to himself, includes Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Jirma Sultan and Jerry Velez. The highlight of the program was a free version of the American anthem "Star Spangled Banner", which plunged thousands of people into a state of trance.

1969 also saw collaborations with old army buddy Billy Cox and former Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles. The line-up, called "Band of Gypsys", gave four brilliant performances on New Year- December 31, 1969 and January 1, 1970, which are captured on vinyl. The album "Band of Gypsys" was released in the middle of the 70th.

Mitch Mitchell comes to Jimi again, and with Billy Cox on bass, the trio returns to the original name "The Jimi Hendrix Experience". They are recording a few songs for a new album, tentatively titled "First Rays Of The Rising Sun"...

Unfortunately, the plans of the brilliant musician were not destined to come true. A tragic case, resulting from an overdose of sleeping pills, ended his life on September 18, 1970. The recordings themselves, intended for release, were presented to the public only in 1997.

Jimi Hendrix's legacy is priceless. And after his death, he continues to "release" records. The number of re-released recordings and their circulation cannot be counted. Jimi's music, which has absorbed blues, ballads, rock and jazz, has made him one of the most popular figures in the history of rock music.

And now let's remember those who helped him: bassist Noel Redding (Noel Redding), drummers Mitch Mitchell (Mitch Mitchell) and Buddy Miles (Buddy Miles).

Noel Redding
(abstract from the album "Are You Experienced?")

Since leaving school five years ago, Noel Redding has played guitar with many bands. And in October 1965, he decides to collect his own - "The Loving Kind". Unfortunately (or maybe not), the group was not successful. The ambitious Noel went the other way. This path lay straight to Jimi Hendrix, who in October 1966 arranged auditions for musicians.

They took Noel, but on the condition that he would play the bass guitar. The result is an excellent basis for the extravagant sound of Jimi's guitar.

Mitch Mitchell
(abstract from the album "Are You Experienced?")

Mitch Mitchell is a graduate of the Royal School of Performing Arts. The first ensemble in his career was "The Coronets" under the direction of Chris Sanford. "Not Too Little, Not Too Much" - this song performed by "The Coronets" becomes a hit, but due to some mysterious circumstances, the group breaks up.

Year Mitchell plays in the "Georgie`s Fame`s Blue Flames". Cooperation with him ends in October 1966. A chance encounter with Chas Chandler. And as a result - Mitch takes the drummer position in "The Jimi Hendrix Experience".

A young but certainly experienced musician with fresh ideas, Mitch plays a key role in the sound of this trio.

Buddy Miles

For more than 30 years of his career, Buddy Miles has released about fifty records, recorded screen savers and commercials for TV. With his tour, he traveled the globe 6 times. V different time he was invited to cooperate by many celebrities.

At the age of 12, Buddy took a place for drum set in his father's jazz band "The Bebops". In later years, his attention shifted to rhythm and blues bands. Played with Ruby & The Romantics, The Delophonics, The Ink Spots and Wilson Pickett. After "Wilson Pickett" performed in New York, Buddy received an offer from guitarist Mike Bloomfield to take part in the new blues-rock project "Electric Flag". "It was the best team I've ever played in," says the musician.

15 months later, under the strict guidance of Miles, "The Buddy Miles Express" is assembled, recording a number of successful records such as "Expressway To Your Skull" and "Electric Church". They were produced by Jimi Hendrix.

Tours of "Express" last much longer than the battery "Durassel". Buddy and K not only open the concerts of the giants "Cream" and "The Jimi Hendrix Experience", but also act as "headliners" at many concerts. Miles is also in demand on recordings of such classic albums as "Electric Ladyland" by Hendrix and "Farthers And Sons" by Muddy Waters.

In 1969, Buddy and Jimi Hendrix formed the legendary trio "Band of Gypsys" with Billy Cox on bass. Unfortunately, before the untimely death of Jimi Hendrix, only one album was recorded - "Band of Gypsys".

Then "The Buddy Miles Express" is reformed and the very successful album "Them Changes" is recorded, which lasted 74 weeks on the Billboard charts. Such "action films" as "Them Changes" and "Down By The River" (Neil Young) are considered to be the absolute decoration of this disc.

The next resounding success came after the recording of "live" album by Carlos Santana. In five years, Buddy will take a permanent place at the microphone stand in this guitarist's band.

In 1986, Buddy Miles recorded an accompaniment to a TV commercial - the song "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". She becomes the most successful in the history of TV, and the label "California Raisins" will offer Buddy a position as a producer.

For many years, he has collaborated with many famous artists, including Stevie Wonder, David Bowie and John McLaughlin. 1992 was marked by work with former Parliament-Funcadelic member Bootsy Collins. And the following year, the Buddy Miles-Slash-Billy Cox-Paul Rogers line-up recorded the track "I Don`t Live Today" for the Jimi Hendrix dedication album.

In 1994, another reincarnation of "The Express" takes place. The revived lineup records "Hell And Back For Rycodisc". 1997 - the release of the collection "The Best Of Buddy Miles". And tireless old Buddy continues to tour, record records and produce other artists.

The musician is rightfully recognized and respected throughout the world as an innovator, whose approach to a different extent contributed to the embodiment of the ideas of his contemporaries Jimi Hendrix or Sly Stone.

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; b. November 27, 1942, d. September 18, 1970) is a universally recognized king electric guitar and one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century. His stellar career lasted only four years, but it turned out to be quite enough to write the name of the artist in golden letters in the history of rock and set an example for future generations to follow. And although Hendrix could neither read nor write music, his innovative style, which combined fuzz, feedback and controlled distortion, gave birth to previously unheard of musical forms. As a child, James imitated playing the guitar with a broom, and when his father noticed his interest, he slightly improved the “instrument”, giving his son an old one-string ukulele. At the age of fifteen, the guy received a used acoustic guitar, after which he immediately joined the group "The Velvetones". The next summer, his father became generous with a full-fledged power tool "Supro Ozark 1560S", and "The Rocking Kings" became Hendrix's new team.

In 1961, James was drafted into the army, but even during the service he did not give up his passion, and when his division was stationed in Kentucky, he, along with bassist Billy Cox, organized the ensemble "The King Casuals". Injured while skydiving, Hendrix was discharged, after which, under the name Jimmy James, he began working as a session guitarist. By the end of 1965, he had already played with a number of musicians, including such famous personalities as Ike and Tina Turner, the Isley brothers, Sam Cooke and Little Richard. After leaving the last of them, James put together his own band "Jimmy James And The Blue Flames" and thereby turned from a simple accompanist into a lead guitarist and leader of the group.

In 1966, when the musician and his team were hanging around the small clubs of Greenwich Village, he was spotted by Chas Chandler. Struck by the talent of a black guitarist, the Animals bassist turned into Hendrix's manager, persuaded him to change his name to Jimi and move to London. There, specifically for the newly-minted genius, the Jimi Hendrix Experience group was assembled, which included drummer Mitch Mitchell and bass guitarist Noel Redding. The debut "experimental" single "Hey Joe" blabbed out in the British charts for 10 weeks, and in early 1967 reached the sixth position. An even greater success awaited the full-length "Are You Experienced?", which appeared on store shelves in May of the same year. The record spent eight months on the lists and stopped at the second step only because the Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper" sat on the first. Anyway, "Are You Experienced?" became one of the fundamental rock albums of all time, and such things as "Purple Haze", "Foxey Lady", "Fire", "The Wind Cries Mary" entered the golden fund of psychedelics.

And while England immediately recognized Hendrix's genius, America held back from getting too emotional until the Jimi Hendrix Experience showed up at the Monterey International Pop Festival. At this festival, Jimi demonstrated not only outstanding musical abilities, but also outstanding inclinations of a showman. Whatever he did with the guitar: he played behind his back and plucked the strings with his teeth, and then set fire to his Stratocaster. Literally overnight, "JHE" turned into real superstars, and as a result, the label demanded an early release of the second record. However, yielding to the wishes of the publisher, Hendrix undertook to personally control the studio process, and any pressing of a button or switching a toggle switch was subjected to his close attention. In principle, "Axis: Bold As Love" retained the psychedelic direction of its predecessor, but such songs as "Little Wing", "Castles Made Of Sand", "One Rainy Wish" reflected the lyrical side of "Experience" as well.

As the popularity of the "experimenters" grew, so did Hendrix's drug habits. Quarrels with colleagues (and especially with Redding) became commonplace, and when the hitherto perfectionist sessions turned into chaos, Chandler resigned his managerial powers. However, in October 1968 the band returned with a powerful double album, Electric Ladyland, which topped the Billboard list for a couple of weeks. The program featured various style compositions: psychedelic "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp", bluesy jam "Voodoo Chile", New Orleans R&B "Come On", studio epic "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)", Britpop "Little Miss Strange" and best known for the avant-garde reworking of Dylan's classic "All Along The Wathtower" and the superb guitar work of "Voodoo Child ("Slight Return"). Anyway, "Electric Ladyland" was the last album for "JHE", and in 1969 the group broke up.

That same summer, Hendrix performed at the legendary Woodstock, where he was accompanied by The Gypsy Sun & Rainbows. However, this formation did not last long, and soon the Band Of Gypses ensemble appeared in its place, in which bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles became Jimi's partners. With the "gypsies" Hendrix had a number of performances and released a live album, but after that he returned Mitchell to the group and decided to revive the "Jimi Hendrix Experience". Having closed in the studio, the trio began to prepare the album "First Rays Of The New Rising Sun", but the guitarist did not manage to see the end of the project - on September 18, 1970, Hendrix was found dead in the London hotel "Samarkand". However, Jimi left a lot of unreleased material and all sorts of rarities, and over the next few decades, posthumous albums were released based on them.

Last update 06.06.11 Jimi Hendrix (real name James Marshall Hendrix) is a legendary musician who was called a rock classic during his lifetime. His phenomenal guitar playing, as well as his constant search for new sound formats, have made him one of the most bright stars of his time. Today, the legendary African American is no longer with us, but his musical legacy still continues to exist. As a pioneer in many industries, Jimi Hendrix expanded the concept of rock music and became a true legend in this genre. That is why today we decided to talk about it. What kind of person was he? How did his career develop? Read about all this in our biographical review.

Early years, childhood and family of Jimi Hendrix, first songs

Our today's hero was born in cold and foggy Seattle in the family of Al and Lucille Hendrix. The father of the future musician was an African American, and his mother was an Indian. In addition, on the paternal line in the genealogy of Jimi Hendrix, Irish and Indian branches can also be traced. Such a strange symbiosis of blood, cultures and everything connected with them largely determined the unique musical style guitarist, and also influenced his usual expressive manner of performance.

In addition, a significant impact on the creative and life path our today's hero had the divorce of his parents, as well as the early death of his mother. Due to the constant employment of his father, Jimi Hendrix spent most of his childhood with his grandparents. It was they who instilled in the young guy a love of art and creativity. However, our today's hero chose the musical path on his own. As noted in many sources, the future musician chose guitar work almost by accident. As a teenager, he bought himself an acoustic guitar for five dollars and began to master chords on his own. This lesson captivated the young guy so much that later he could not imagine his life without guitar music. Having learned to play the guitar well, Jimi Hendrix began performing with several Seattle bands, but very soon he was forced to leave this occupation.

The reason for everything was the theft of the car, as well as the subsequent court verdict. Initially, the outrageous musician was sentenced to two years in prison, but thanks to the skill of a lawyer, the prison sentence was replaced by two years of military service.

Deprived of any other choice, Jimmy went to serve in the airborne division, but a year later he was demobilized and sent to a military hospital with a serious leg injury.

Jimi Hendrix - "Foxey Lady"

After recovering from injury, Jimi Hendrix again began to make music. Soon he, along with his then friend Billy Cox, moved to Nashville, where he began performing in local clubs. During this period, he was the opening act for BB King, Curtis Knight, and Little Richard.

Star Trek Jimi Hendrix, music career

In the mid-sixties, Jimi Hendrix played with several bands and often performed on stage. So, he met many famous musicians, among whom was Chas Chandler (known for his performances with the band "The Animals"). It was he who became the first producer of Jimi Hendrix. Together they went to London, where they subsequently put together the band The Jimi Hendrix Experience. After that, the first performances of the group took place, which brought the group great fame.

In 1967, the band's first album, titled "Are You Experienced?", saw the light of day. During this period, during one of the performances, Jimi Hendrix set fire to the guitar for the first time, after which he was admitted to the hospital with burns to his hands. Despite this, a few months later, our today's hero began recording the second studio album "Axis: Bold as Love", the release of which was almost disrupted due to the fact that the musician lost the recording of almost half of the songs. Ultimately musical material managed to be restored, and already in December 1967, the band's second album was released.


After the release of these albums, the Jimi Hendrix group went on tour. At first, their destination was Scandinavia, but subsequently the group gave a number of concerts in Britain and the USA. After settling in America, Jimi Hendrix began recording his third album in 1968. During this period, in interviews with many of his acquaintances, admiring responses began to slip about the unprecedented perfectionism of the musician. The musician could record the same guitar part twenty times, in order to choose one single option at the end, which seemed suitable to him.

In October 1968, Jimi Hendrix's third studio album Electric Ladyland was released. From that moment on, the band resumed touring again, making appearances in London, Denver, and also at the Woodstock festival. This tour could have been even longer, but in May 1969, the musician was detained at a Canadian airport with a large consignment of drugs. This fact was the cause of a long trial, which prevented a number of concerts.

The last performances and death of the musician, the cause of death of Jimi Hendrix

It is worth noting that drug problems continued to haunt the legendary guitarist. At his last performance at London's Isle of Wight Festival, he retired early from the stage because audiences wanted to listen to his old songs while ignoring the new ones. After this episode, Jimi Hendrix once again took the stage, however, booed by the audience, left it again.

That interrupted performance eventually became the last appearance of the artist on stage. On September 18, 1970, he was found dead in a room at the Samarkand Hotel in London. According to his then girlfriend Monica Charlotte Daneman, who was with the musician at the time of his death, Jimmy died by choking on vomit caused by taking nine sleeping pills. Seeing how her friend was dying, the girl still did not dare to call an ambulance, since various drugs were scattered throughout the room at that moment.


After the death of the musician, his friends and acquaintances released about fifteen more live recordings of the guitarist. Jimi Hendrix's posthumous discography includes over 350 different compositions.