Jimi Hendrix didn't invent the guitar, but he knew how to use it like few others. James Marshall Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942, in Seattle, USA. From a family of African, Mexican, and Native American descent, Hendrix spent part of his childhood in Canada with his grandmother, a Native American. His mother died when he was 10 years old.
At 16, the musician began playing guitar in a band called the Velvetones. At 17, he got his first guitar and went to play in a group called Thomas & The Tomcats. Later, he joined the army battalion, but stayed for a short time.
In 1963, Jimi Hendrix moved to New York. After playing with artists such as Sam Cooke and Little Richard, he formed his first band, Jimmy James And The Blue Flames, in 1965. The band gave several performances. It was during these performances that Chas Chandler, former bassist of The Animals, noticed the musician's talent and decided to become his manager. In 1966, Chas Chandler took Hendrix to England, leaving The Blue Flames. Along with his English band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience—Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums—Hendrix began playing numerous shows and signed a contract with MCA Records.
In 1967, his first album, the classic Are You Experienced, was released. Hendrix and his band's American debut took place at the Monterey Festival in June of that year in California, where the musician burned his guitar after the show, leaving the audience euphoric. Also in 1967, his second album, Axis: Bold as Love, was released, and in 1968, his third, Electric Ladyland.
In the late 1960s, Jimi Hendrix participated as a musician in the works of various artists. And his band went through several reformations. He died on September 18, 1970, after taking barbiturates, falling asleep, and choking on his own vomit. It was the end of the man with the psychedelic look, who, with original techniques, revolutionized music and the use of the guitar. Hendrix was left-handed and used a Fender Telecaster guitar with the strings reversed. His riffs and solos influenced other musicians, mainly in hard rock and heavy metal.
Hendrix's discography is extensive. Several compilations were released after his death. We highlight two: The BBC Sessions from 1998, with tracks taken from the archives of the famous English station, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience from 2000, a box set released on the 30th anniversary of Hendrix's death, with four CDs containing unreleased recordings, remastered old recordings, and covers of Bob Dylan ("Like A Rolling Stone" and "All Along the Watchtower"), The Beatles ("Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"), Van Morrison ("Gloria"), among others. Jimi Hendrix went down in history as one of the greatest rock guitarists.
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