Jimi Hendrix
...Jimi Hendrix
Experience rocked the nation with their first album, Are You
Experienced?. Hendrix's life was cut short by the tragedy of drugs in
1970, when he was only twenty seven years old. In these three years
the sound of rock changed greatly, and Hendrix's guitar playing was a
major influence.
Jimi was born in Seattle, Washington on November 27, 1942.
As a young boy, whenever the chance came, Jimi would try to play
along with his R & B records. However, music was not his life long
dream. At first, the army was. In the late 1950's, Hendrix enlisted in
the 101st Airborne Division. After sustaining a back injury during a
jump, he received a medical discharge. After his army career came to
an abrupt end, he decided to go into the music field. By this time he
had become an accomplished guitarist, and was soon to become
known as the greatest guitarist ever (Stambler, pg. 290).
However, he did not start out at the top. Jimi started out
playing as part of the back-up for small time R & B groups. It did not
take long before his work was in demand with some of the best
known artists in the field, such as B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner,
Solomon Burke, Jackie Wilson, Littler Richard, Wilson Pickett, and
King Curtis (Clifford, pg. 181). Using the name Jimmy James, he
toured with a bunch of R & B shows, including six months as a
member of James Brown's Famous Flames (Stambler, pg. 290).
At the Cafe Wha! in New York, in 1966, Hendrix decided to
try singing. Jimi lucked out when a man by the name of Charles
"Chas" Chandler from Eric Burdon's Animals heard him at the club
and thought he was sensational. When Chas heard him again later
that year, he talked Jimi into moving to England where he would
really get the chance to start his career (Stambler, pg. 290).
Along with Chas, Hendrix auditioned some musicians to
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