Description

Of all the artists to emerge in the late 1960s, none inspired greater awe than Jimi Hendrix. After touring with numerous R&B bands, the guitarist moved to London in 1966 and assembled the Jimi Hendrix Experience. His U.S. return at the Monterey Pop Festival, an intense star-making performance, began a rollercoaster of fame, drugs, and musical triumph that ended with his death at 27. In his short lifetime, Hendrix completed three remarkable studio albums and brought a fire and emotion to rock music that no one had heard before, leaving the world to wonder what he might have done had he had a little more time.

Biography

b. Johnny Allen Hendrix, 27 November 1942, Seattle, Washington, USA, d. 18 September 1970, London, England. (His father subsequently changed his son's name to James Marshall Hendrix.) More superlatives have been bestowed upon Hendrix than any other rock guitarist. Unquestionably one of music's most influential figures, he brought an unparalleled vision to the art of playing electric guitar. Self-taught (and with the burden of being left-handed with a right-handed guitar), he spent hours absorbing the recorded legacy of southern-blues practitioners, from Robert Johnson to B.B. King. The aspiring musician joined several local R&B bands while still at school, before enlisting as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division. It was during this period that Hendrix met Billy Cox, a bass player with whom he collaborated at several stages during his career. Together they formed the King Kasuals, an in-service attraction later resurrected when both men returned to civilian life.
Hendrix was discharged in July 1962 after breaking his right ankle. He began working with various touring revues, backing, among others, the Impressions, Sam Cooke and the Valentinos. He enjoyed lengthier spells with the Isley Brothers, Little Richard and King Curtis, recording with each of these acts, but was unable to adapt to the discipline their performances required. The experience and stagecraft gained during this formative period proved essential to the artist's subsequent development. By 1965 Hendrix was living in New York. In October he joined struggling soul singer Curtis Knight, signing a punitive contract with the latter's manager, Ed Chalpin. This ill-advised decision returned to haunt the guitarist. In June the following year, Hendrix, now calling himself Jimmy James, formed a group initially dubbed the Rainflowers, then Jimmy James And The Blue Flames. The quartet, which also featured future Spirit member Randy California, was appearing at the Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village when Chas Chandler was advised to see them. The Animals' bass player immediately recognized the guitarist's extraordinary talent and persuaded him to go to London in search of a more receptive audience.
Hendrix arrived in England in September 1966. Chandler became his co-manager in partnership with Mike Jeffries (aka Jeffreys), and immediately began auditions for a suitable backing group. Noel Redding (b. 25 December 1945, Folkestone, Kent, England, d. 11 May 2003, Clonakilty, Ireland) was selected on bass, having recently failed to join the New Animals, while John "Mitch" Mitchell (b. 9 July 1947, Ealing, Middlesex, England), a veteran of the Riot Squad and Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, became the trio's drummer. The new unit, dubbed the Jimi Hendrix Experience, made its debut the following month at Evereux in France. On returning to England they began a string of club engagements that attracted pop's aristocracy, including Pete Townshend and Eric Clapton. In December the trio released their first single, the understated, resonant "Hey Joe". Its UK Top 10 placing encouraged a truly dynamic follow-up in "Purple Haze", which climbed to number 3 in the same charts. "Purple Haze" was memorable for Hendrix's guitar pyrotechnics and a lyric that incorporated the artist's classic line: "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky".
On tour, Hendrix's trademark Fender Stratocaster and Marshall Amplifier were punished night after night, as the trio enhanced its reputation with exceptional live appearances. Here Hendrix drew on black culture and his own heritage to produce a startling visual and aural bombardment. Framed by a halo of long, wiry hair, his slight figure was clad in a bright, rainbow-mocking costume. Although never a demonstrative vocalist, his delivery was curiously effective. Hendrix's playing technique, meanwhile, although still drawing its roots from the blues, encompassed an emotional range far greater than any contemporary guitarist. Rapier-like runs vied with measured solos, matching energy with ingenuity, while a wealth of technical possibilities - distortion, feedback and sheer volume - brought texture to his overall approach. This assault was enhanced by a flamboyant stage persona in which Hendrix used the guitar as a physical appendage. He played his instrument behind his back, between his legs or, in simulated sexual ecstasy, on the floor. Such practices brought criticism from radical quarters, who claimed the artist had become an "Uncle Tom", employing tricks to ingratiate himself with the white audience - accusations that neglected similar showmanship from generations of black performers, from Charley Patton to "T-Bone" Walker. Redding's clean, uncluttered basslines provided the backbone to Hendrix's improvisations, while Mitchell's drumming, as instinctive as his leader's guitar playing, was a perfect foil.
Their concessions to the pop world now receding, the Jimi Hendrix Experience completed an astonishing debut album (Are You Experienced) that ranged from the apocalyptic vision of "I Don't Live Today", to the blues of "Red House" and the funk of "Fire" and "Foxy Lady". Hendrix returned to America in June 1967 to appear, sensationally, at the Monterey Pop Festival. His performance was a musical and visual feast, culminating in a sequence that saw him playing the guitar with his teeth, and then burning the instrument with lighter fuel. He was now fêted in his homeland, and following an ill-advised tour supporting the Monkees, the Jimi Hendrix Experience enjoyed reverential audiences on the country's nascent concert circuit. Axis: Bold As Love revealed a new lyrical capability, notably in the title track and the jazz-influenced "Up From The Skies". "Little Wing", a delicate love song bathed in unhurried guitar splashes, offered a gentle perspective, closer to that of the artist's shy, offstage demeanour. Released in December 1967, the collection completed a triumphant year, artistically and commercially, but within months the fragile peace began to collapse. In January 1968 the trio embarked on a gruelling American tour encompassing 54 concerts in 47 days. Hendrix was by this time tiring of the wild man image that had brought him initial attention, but he was perceived as diffident by spectators anticipating gimmickry. An impulsive artist, he was unable to disguise below-par performances, while his relationship with Redding grew increasingly fraught as the bass player rebelled against the set patterns he was expected to play.
The last official Jimi Hendrix Experience album, Electric Ladyland, was released in October 1968. This extravagant double set was initially deemed "self-indulgent", but is now recognized as a major work. It revealed the guitarist's desire to expand the increasingly limiting trio format, and contributions from members of Traffic (Chris Wood and Steve Winwood) and Jefferson Airplane (Jack Casady), in addition to the presence of keyboardist Al Kooper, drummer Buddy Miles and organist Mike Finnigan, embellished several selections. The collection featured a succession of virtuoso performances - "Gypsy Eyes", "Crosstown Traffic" - while the astonishing "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", a posthumous UK number 1 single, showed how Hendrix had brought rhythm, purpose and mastery to the recently invented wah-wah pedal. Electric Ladyland included the UK hits "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" and "All Along The Watchtower" (Hendrix's only US Top 20 hit). The latter, an urgent restatement of the cryptic Bob Dylan song, was particularly impressive, and received the ultimate accolade when the composer adopted Hendrix's interpretation when performing it live on his 1974 tour.
Despite such creativity, the guitarist's private and professional life was becoming problematic. He was arrested in Toronto for possessing heroin, but although the charges were later dismissed, the proceedings clouded much of 1969. Chas Chandler had, meanwhile, withdrawn from the managerial partnership and although Redding sought solace with a concurrent band, Fat Mattress, his differences with Hendrix were now irreconcilable. The Experience played its final concert on 29 June 1969; Hendrix subsequently formed Gypsies Sons And Rainbows with Mitchell, Billy Cox (bass), Larry Lee (rhythm guitar), Juma Sultan and Jerry Velez (both percussion). This short-lived unit closed the Woodstock Festival, during which Hendrix performed his famed rendition of the "The Star-Spangled Banner". Perceived by some critics as a political statement, it came as the guitarist was increasingly being subjected to pressures from different causes.
In October he formed an all-black group, Band Of Gypsies, with Cox and Buddy Miles, intending to accentuate the African-American dimension in his music. The trio made its debut on 31 December 1969, but its potential was marred by Miles' comparatively flat, pedestrian drumming and unimaginative compositions. Part of the set was issued as Band Of Gypsies, but despite the inclusion of the exceptional "Machine Gun", this inconsistent album was only released to appease former manager Chalpin, who acquired the rights in part-settlement of a miserly early contract. The Band Of Gypsies broke up after a mere three concerts and initially Hendrix confined his efforts to completing the building of his Electric Ladyland recording studio. He then started work on another double set, First Rays Of The New Rising Sun (finally released in 1997), and later resumed performing with Cox and Mitchell. His final concerts were largely frustrating, as the aims of the artist and the expectations of his audience grew increasingly separate. His final UK appearance, at the Isle Of Wight festival, encapsulated this dilemma, yet still drew an enthralling performance. The guitarist returned to London following a short European tour. On 18 September 1970, his girlfriend, Monika Dannemann, became alarmed when she was unable to rouse him from sleep. An ambulance was called, but Hendrix was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. The inquest recorded an open verdict, with death caused by suffocation due to inhalation of vomit. Eric Burdon claimed at the time to possess a suicide note, but this has never been confirmed.
Two posthumous releases, Cry Of Love and Rainbow Bridge, mixed portions of the artist's final recordings with masters from earlier sources. These were fitting tributes, but many others were tawdry cash-ins, recorded in dubious circumstances, mispackaged and mistitled. In November 1993 a tribute album, Stone Free, was released, containing a formidable list of performers including the Pretenders, Eric Clapton, Cure, Jeff Beck, Pat Metheny and Nigel Kennedy, a small testament to the huge influence Hendrix has wielded and will continue to wield as the most inventive rock guitarist of all time.
The litigation regarding ownership of Hendrix's recordings that had been running for many years was resolved in January 1997, when the Hendrix family finally won back the rights from Alan Douglas. This was made possible by the financial weight of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who, in addition to helping with legal expenses, financed the creation of a Jimi Hendrix Museum in Seattle. A major reissuing programme took place in 1997, including out-takes from the recording of Electric Ladyland. The reissued catalogue on Experience/MCA Records is now the definitive and final word, redressing the imbalance created by earlier archive releases.
The Hendrix legacy also rests in his prevailing influence on fellow musicians of all ages. Countless guitarists have imitated his technique; few have mastered it, while none at all have matched him as an inspirational player. The electric guitar in the hands of Hendrix was transformed into an extension of his body and as such puts him on an unassailable pedestal as the greatest.
DISCOGRAPHY: Are You Experienced (Track 1967)*****, Axis: Bold As Love (Track 1967)*****, Electric Ladyland (Track 1968)*****, Band Of Gypsies (Track 1970)***, shared with Otis Redding Monterey International Pop Festival (Reprise 1970)****, Cry Of Love (Polydor 1971)***, Experience (Ember 1971)**, Isle Of Wight (Polydor 1971)**, Rainbow Bridge (Reprise 1971)**, Hendrix In The West (Polydor 1971)***, More Experience (Ember 1972)*, War Heroes (Polydor 1972)**, Loose Ends (Polydor 1974)**, Crash Landing (Polydor 1975)**, Midnight Lightnin' (Polydor 1975)**, Nine To The Universe (Polydor 1980)**, The Jimi Hendrix Concerts (Columbia 1982)***, Jimi Plays Monterey (Polydor 1986)***, Live At Winterland (Polydor 1987)***, Radio One (Castle 1988)****, Live And Unreleased (Castle 1989)***, First Rays Of The New Rising Sun (Experience/MCA 1997)***, South Saturn Delta (Experience 1997)***, Original Soundtrack To The Motion Picture "Experience" (Charly 1998)**, Live At The Fillmore East (MCA 1999)****, Live At Woodstock (MCA 1999)***, The Albert Hall Experience (Charly 2001)**, Live At Clark University 1968 recording (Dagger 2002)*, The Last Experience 3-CD box set (Charly 2002)****, Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live At The Isle Of Wight (Polydor 2002)***, The Rainbow Bridge Concert (Purple Haze 2002)***, Live At Berkeley 1970 recording (Experience Hendrix 2003)***.
COMPILATIONS: Smash Hits (Track 1968)****, The Essential Jimi Hendrix (Polydor 1978)****, The Essential Jimi Hendrix Volume Two (Polydor 1979)***, The Singles Album (Polydor 1983)****, Kiss The Sky (Polydor 1984)***, Cornerstones (Polydor 1990)***, Blues (Polydor 1994)***, Exp Over Sweden (Univibes 1993)**, Jimi In Denmark (Univibes 1995)**, BBC Sessions (Experience/MCA 1998)****, Experience Hendrix: The Best Of Jimi Hendrix (Experience/MCA 1998)****, The Jimi Hendrix Experience 4-CD box set (Experience/MCA 2000)****, The Summer Of Love Sessions (Freud 2001)**, Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection (Universal 2001)****, The Axis Outtakes (Purple Haze 2003)**, Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (Experience Hendrix/MCA 2003)***, Astro Man 6-CD box set (Alchemy 2003)***.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Plays Berkeley (Palace Video 1986), Jimi Plays Monterey (Virgin Vision 1986), Jimi Hendrix (Warner Home Video 1986), Experience (Palace Video 1987), Rainbow Bridge (Hendring Video 1988), Live At The Isle Of Wight 1970 (Rhino Home Video 1990), Jimi At Woodstock (BMG 1995), Jimi At The Atlanta Pop Festival (BMG 1995), Jimi Hendrix Experience (BMG 1995), Plays The Great Pop Festivals (BMG 1995), The Dick Cavett Show (MCA Music Video 2002), Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live At The Isle Of Wight (Universal 2002), The Berkeley Concerts (Universal 2003), Feedback (Direct Video Distribution 2004).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Jimi: An Intimate Biography Of Jimi Hendrix, Curtis Knight. Jimi Hendrix, Alain Dister. Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child Of The Aquarian Age, David Henderson. Scuze Me While I Kiss The Sky: The Life Of Jimi Hendrix, David Henderson. Hendrix: A Biography, Chris Welch. Hendrix: An Illustrated Biography, Victor Sampson. The Jimi Hendrix Story, Jerry Hopkins. Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix And Post-War Pop, Charles Shaar Murray. Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy, Harry Shapiro and Caesar Glebbeek. Are You Experienced?, Noel Redding and Carole Appleby. The Hendrix Experience, Mitch Mitchell and John Platt. And The Man With The Guitar, Jon Price and Gary Geldeart. The Jimi Hendrix Experience In 1967 (Limited Edition), Gered Mankowitz and Robert Whitaker (photographers). Jimi Hendrix: A Visual Documentary, His Life, Loves And Music, Tony Brown. Jimi Hendrix: Starchild, Curtis Knight. Hendrix: Setting The Record Straight, John McDermott with Eddie Kramer. The Illustrated Jimi Hendrix, Geoffrey Guiliano. Cherokee Mist - The Lost Writings Of Jimi Hendrix, Bill Nitopi (compiler). Voodoo Child: The Illustrated Legend Of Jimi Hendrix, Martin L. Green and Bill Sienkiewicz. The Ultimate Experience, Adrian Boot and Chris Salewicz. The Lost Writings Of Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix. The Complete Studio Recording Sessions 1963-1970, John McDermott. Complete Guide To The Music Of, John Robertson. The Inner World Of Jimi Hendrix, Monika Dannemann. Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jerry Hopkins. Jimi Hendrix: Voices From Home, Mary Willix. The Man, The Music, The Memorabilia, Caesar Glebbeek and Douglas Noble. Eye Witness: The Illustrated Jimi Hendrix Concerts, Ben Valkhoff. Hendrix: The Final Days, Tony Brown. The Jimi Hendrix Companion, Chris Potash (ed.). Through Gypsy Eyes: My Life, The Sixties And Jimi Hendrix, Kathy Etchingham. Eyewitness Hendrix, Johnny Black. Jimi Hendrix Concert Files, Tony Brown. Black Gold: The Lost Archives Of Jimi Hendrix, Steven Roby. Jimi Hendrix, Rita J. Markel. Not Necessarily Stoned, But Beautiful: The Making Of Are You Experienced, Sean Egan. Voodoo Child: Jimi Hendrix - The Stories Behind Every Song, David Stubbs. Jimi Hendrix: The Musician, Keith Shadwick. Midnight Lightning: Jimi Hendrix And The Black Experience, Greg Tate.

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