His childhood was lonely, poor, chaotic, riddled with neglect and perhaps abuse. He withdrew into music and carried a broom about, imagining it was a guitar. His first “guitar” was a one-string ukulele he found in the garbage. At 15 he got his first real one and, inspired by Elvis and blues masters Muddy Waters, Albert and B.B. King, he practiced constantly. James “Jimi” Hendrix was on his way.

            After an unsuccessful stint in the army, Jimi began working as an R&B backing musician for established acts such as the Isley Brothers, Sam Cooke, and Little Richard who had him fired after the two clashed. Hendrix got his big break when ex-Animals bassist, Chas Chandler, offered to be his manager and brought him to London where he proceeded to blow away a mesmerized Eric Clapton. Hooking up with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, Jimi had his band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and they took the city by storm, wowing the likes of Pete Townshend, the Beatles, and the Stones.

            The 1967 Monterey Pop Festival broke Jimi in the U.S., and though the press noted the tricks (e.g., playing with his teeth or sacrificially setting his guitar on fire), it was his playing that set Jimi apart. Playing both rhythm and lead simultaneously on his upside down, restrung Fender Stratocaster, the left-handed Hendrix blended rock, blues, soul, and psychedelia, utilizing the wah-wah pedal and artfully incorporating howling distortion and feedback. Among his best-loved tracks are “Hey Joe”, “Purple Haze”, and his completely reimagined take on Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”. The albums, Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland, are all considered classics.

By Woodstock he was headlining, but all was not well. The shy, sensitive Hendrix had long struggled with drugs and alcohol; he was stressed, perhaps depressed, the band had split up, and he’d broken with his manager. He died in London with an excess of barbiturates in his system, essentially choking in his wine, at the age of 27. Accidental overdose? Suicide? Possibly murder? A half-century on, speculation is still rampant. What’s not debatable, however, is that Jimi Hendrix remains the ultimate guitar hero. -Steve Williams (7/24/23) – Recording Artists Blog Post #30