Jimi Hendrix

Name: Jimi Hendrix
Uploaded: 2023-09-18T03:18:25+03:00
Channel: Radio Flora TM
Description: James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) On 18th Sept 1970, Jimi Hendrix was pronounced

September 18, 2023 31

James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)

On 18th Sept 1970, Jimi Hendrix was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Mary Abbot’s Hospital in London at the age of 27 after choking on his own vomit. Hendrix left the message ‘I need help bad man’, on his managers answer phone earlier that night. He had taken nine pills of the barbiturate Vesparax, that along with alcohol, caused a fatal overdose.

It was barely four years from coming into the spotlight at the Scotch of St James in London to his dying in a west London hotel room. But in that time Jimi Hendrix lit up music and perhaps did more than any other musician apart from The Beatles to open people’s eyes, ears and minds to what was possible. Certainly, no one did as much with a guitar, whether it was getting sounds out of it, setting it on fire or using it as a manifestation of his sexual desire.

Between September 1966 and September 1970, Jimi Hendrix played over 600 shows. That Jimi died so young is ultimately a tragedy. That he brightened up so many lives with his unforgettable performances on stage is something to be savored.

Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on 27 November 1942, at Seattle’s King County Hospital. Jimi took an interest in music at an early age, drawing influence from B.B. King, Buddy Holly, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Johnson. He was also particularly fond of Elvis Presley. The 15-year-old went to see the King of Rock’n’Roll perform when he played a show in Jimi’s hometown of Seattle in 1957.

In 1961, Hendrix followed in his father’s footsteps by enlisting in the United States Army. While training as a paratrooper, Hendrix still found time for music, forming a band named the King Kasuals. Hendrix served in the army until 1962 when he was honorably discharged after injuring himself during a parachute jump.

Prior to his rise to fame, Jimi recorded 24 singles as a backing guitarist with American R&B artists, such as The Isley Brothers and Little Richard. Other studio work included that with Don Covay and The Goodtimers (1964, ‘Mercy, Mercy’), Frank Howard and The Commanders (1965, ‘I’m So Glad’), Rosa Lee Brooks (1965 ‘My Diary’), and in 1966 he appeared on singles by Curtis Knight (‘How Would You Feel’), Lonnie Youngblood (‘Go Go Shoes’), The Icemen ‘(My Girl) She’s a Fox’), and Jimmy Norman (‘You’re Only Hurting Yourself’).

Despite only recording three studio albums before his death – Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967) and Electric Ladyland (1968) – Hendrix is widely acknowledged as being one of the greatest guitar players of all time. His unique sound is partly due to his unorthodox playing style: unlike most left-handed guitarists who string their instruments in mirror image, he simply flips a regular guitar upside down. A natural showman, he is known for playing the guitar behind his head, picking out notes with his teeth, and even on occasion lighting his instrument on fire at the climax of his shows.

A year before his death, Hendrix told a reporter, “I tell you when I die I’m going to have a funeral. I’m going to have a jam session. And, knowing me, I’ll probably get busted at my own funeral.” This prediction almost comes true at his wake beneath the Seattle Space Needle, thanks to childhood friend and promoter Tom Hulett. After a full set from The Buddy Miles Express, Miles Davis is joined on stage by Experience members Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, who improvise together into the early evening, with Hendrix’s cousin Eddie Hall playing guitar.