Jimi Hendrix

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Lore & Background

Hendrix's musical roots ran deep in American rock and roll and electric blues. He favored overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain, popularizing sounds previously considered undesirable. Rolling Stone noted that while players before him experimented with feedback, Hendrix turned those effects into a 'controlled, fluid vocabulary every bit as personal as the blues.' He was one of the first to make extensive use of tone-altering units like fuzz distortion, Octavia, wah-wah, and Uni-Vibe in mainstream rock. His third studio album, *Electric Ladyland* (1968), became his most successful release and his only number-one album on the US Billboard 200 chart. As the world's highest-paid rock musician at the time, he headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970.

In Their Own Story

Born Johnny Allen Hendrix to Lucille Jeter and Al Hendrix, his early life was marked by instability. In 1942, while stationed in Alabama, Al was denied furlough for childbirth and spent two months in the stockade. Upon release, he found Lucille had given up three of their five children—Joseph, Kathy, and Pamela—to foster care. After divorcing in 1951, Al gained custody of Jimi and his brother Leon. At age nine, Jimi was deeply affected by these experiences; he later confided to a girlfriend that he had been the victim of sexual abuse by a man in uniform. In 1957, he found a one-string ukulele in garbage while helping his father with a side-job and learned 'Hound Dog' by ear following Elvis Presley. After acquiring an acoustic guitar for $5 at age 15, he formed the Velvetones. When his red Silvertone Danelectro was stolen after a gig, Al bought him another. In 1961, caught riding in stolen cars, Jimi chose the Army over prison, where he met Billy Cox and jammed as 'The Casuals.'

Reader's Guide

Hendrix began playing guitar at age 15. After leaving the US Army in 1962, he played on the Chitlin' Circuit with the Isley Brothers and later Little Richard through mid-1965, before joining Curtis Knight and the Squires. In late 1966, bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals became his manager and brought him to England. Within months, Hendrix formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience, featuring rhythm section members Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. This trio produced hits like 'Hey Joe', 'Purple Haze', and 'The Wind Cries Mary'. Later in his career, he reunited with childhood friend Billy Cox to form Band of Gypsys, showcasing a funk-blues style distinct from the Experience's sound.

Did You Know?

• Hendrix was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as part of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
• He became the first musician to use stereophonic phasing effects in recordings.
• After his mother Lucille died in 1958, his father Al refused to take James and Leon to her funeral, instead giving them shots of whiskey.
• Hendrix was drafted by the US Army at age 18 after being caught twice riding in stolen cars.
• His third and final studio album, *Electric Ladyland* (1968), was his only number-one album on the US Billboard 200.