Information AboutJimi Hendrix |
Jimi Hendrix (. Later, Hendrix headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival before his death in 1970, at the age of 27. A self-taught guitarist, Hendrix usually played a Fender Stratocaster guitar turned upside down (so that the right-handed guitar could be played left-handed) and restrung to suit him. Hendrix helped pioneer the technique of guitar Feedback with overdriven amplifiers, incorporating into his music what was previously an undesirable sound. He built upon the innovations and influences of blues stylists such as B.B. King , Muddy Waters , Albert King , and T-Bone Walker , and derived style from rhythm and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield , Steve Cropper , and Cornell Dupree , as well as from traditional jazz. Part of Hendrix's flamboyant stage persona may have been inspired by rock pioneer Little Richard , with whom he toured as part of Richard's back-up band, "The Upsetters". Hendrix is also widely thought to be influenced by Pete Townshend of The Who , a band performing in London when Hendrix started his career there. Carlos Santana has also suggested that Hendrix's music might have been influenced by his Native American heritage.http://www.djnoble.demon.co.uk/ints/CARLOSS.ANT.html Hendrix strove to combine what he called ''"earth"'', a Blues , Jazz , or Funk driven rhythm accompaniment, with ''"space"'', the high-pitched Psychedelic sounds created by his guitar improvisations. As a Record Producer , Hendrix also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas; he was one of the first to experiment with Stereophonic and Phasing effects during recording. BIOGRAPHY Early life See Also: Early life of Jimi Hendrix Early career For the next three years, Hendrix made a precarious living on the Chitlin Circuit , performing in black-oriented venues throughout the South with both the King Kasuals and in backing bands for various soul, R&B, and blues musicians, including Chuck Jackson , Slim Harpo , Tommy Tucker , Sam Cooke , and Jackie Wilson . The Chitlin Circuit was an important phase of Jimi's career, since the refinement of his style and blues roots occurred there. His work garnered him little fame or profit, and the extremes of racism and poverty that he endured left an indelible mark on his memories of this era. Frustrated by his experiences in the South, Hendrix decided to try his luck in , where he quickly befriended Lithofayne "Fayne" Pridgeon (who later became his girlfriend) and the Allen twins, Arthur and Albert (now known as Taharqa and Tunde-Ra Aleem). The Allen twins quickly became loyal friends who kept Hendrix out of trouble in New York. The twins also performed as backup singers (under the name Ghetto Fighters) on some of his recordings, most notably the funk anthem "Freedom". Pridgeon, a beautiful Harlem native with connections throughout the area's music scene, provided Hendrix with shelter, support, and encouragement during the poorest and most desperate years of his life. In February 1964, Hendrix won first prize in the Apollo Theater amateur contest. The win was encouraging, but in general he found breaking into the New York scene difficult. In 1965, guitar pioneer and producer Les Paul watched Hendrix audition for a nightclub gig in Greenwich Village , NYC , and was awestruck by his performance. An errand forced Les Paul to leave the club before he had the chance to speak with Hendrix. When he returned later to contact and sign Hendrix, Les Paul found that the club owner had turned Hendrix down for being too loud and crazy and that Hendrix had disappeared. That year, Hendrix earned a spot as the new guitarist for the Isley Brothers ' band and joined their national tour, which included the southern Chitlin' Circuit . Hendrix played his first successful studio session on the two-part Isley Brothers hit "Testify". In Nashville , he left the Isleys to tour with Gorgeous George Odell. In Atlanta , he earned a spot in the backing band of Little Richard , '' The Upsetters ''. Although Hendrix idolized Richard, he clashed frequently with the star over tardiness, wardrobe, and, above all, Hendrix's flashy stage antics. For a short while, Hendrix quit and toured with Ike And Tina Turner , but was quickly fired for playing wild guitar solos and returned to Little Richard's band. Months later, he was banished from The Upsetters after missing the tour bus in Washington, D.C. . Around this time he refined his flamboyant guitar stage style, much of which was influenced by Johnny "Guitar" Watson . In 1965, Hendrix joined a New York-based band, Curtis Knight And The Squires , after meeting Knight in the lobby of a seedy midtown hotel where both men were living at the time. Hendrix then toured for two months with Joey Dee And The Starliters before rejoining the Squires in New York. On October 15 , 1965 , Hendrix signed a three-year recording contract with entrepreneur Ed Chalpin, receiving $1 and 1% royalty on records with Curtis Knight. While the relationship with Chalpin was short-lived, his contract remained in force, which caused considerable problems for Hendrix later on in his career. The legal dispute was eventually settled. During a brief excursion to Vancouver in 1965, Hendrix played in Motown band Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers with Taylor and Tommy Chong (of Cheech And Chong fame). In 1966, Hendrix formed his own band, Jimmy James and The Blue Flames, composed of various friends he would casually meet at Manny's Music Shop, including a 15-year old runaway from California named Randy Wolfe. Since there were two musicians named "Randy" in the group, Hendrix dubbed Wolfe "Randy California" and the other "Randy Texas". Randy California would later co-found the band Spirit with Ed Cassidy . Hendrix and his new band quickly gained local attention and played throughout New York City, but their primary spot was a residency at the Cafe Wha? on MacDougal Street in the West Village. During this period, Hendrix met and worked with singer-guitarist Ellen McIlwaine and guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter , who was an employee at Manny's. Hendrix also met Frank Zappa during this time, who is credited as having introduced Hendrix to the newly-invented Wah-wah . The Jimi Hendrix Experience Early in 1966 at the Cheetah Club on West 21st Street, Linda Keith, the girlfriend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards , befriended Hendrix and recommended him to Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and producer Seymour Stein . Neither man took a liking to Hendrix's music, however, and they both passed. She then referred him to Chas Chandler , who was ending his tenure as bassist in The Animals and looking for talent to manage and produce. Chandler was enamored with the song " Hey Joe " and was convinced that he could create a hit single by remaking it into a rock song. Impressed with Hendrix's version, Chandler brought him to London and signed him to a management and production contract with himself and ex- Animals manager Michael Jeffery . Chandler then helped Hendrix form a new band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience , with guitarist-turned- Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell , both British musicians. Shortly before the Experience was formed, Chandler introduced Hendrix to Pete Townshend and to Eric Clapton , who had only recently formed Cream . At Chandler's request, Cream let Hendrix join them on stage for a gig. Hendrix and Clapton remained friends up until Hendrix's death. UK success After a number of European club appearances, word of Hendrix spread through the London music community. His showmanship and virtuosity made instant fans of reigning guitar heroes Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck , as well as members of The Beatles and The Who , whose managers signed Hendrix to The Who's record label, Track Records . Hendrix's first single was a cover of " Hey Joe ", crafted after folk-singer Tim Rose 's slower revision of the song and adapted to Hendrix's emerging style. Backing the first single was Jimi's first songwriting effort, " Stone Free ". Further success came with " Purple Haze " and " The Wind Cries Mary ". The three singles were all UK Top 10 hits. Onstage, Hendrix was also making a huge impression with fiery renditions of the B.B. King hit "Rock Me Baby" and an ultra-fast revision of Howlin Wolf 's blues classic, "Killing Floor". ''Are You Experienced?'' See Also: Are You Experienced (album) The first Jimi Hendrix Experience album, '' Are You Experienced '', was released in the United Kingdom on May 12 , 1967 . It contained no previous UK singles or any B sides (" Hey Joe / Stone Free ", " Purple Haze / 51st Anniversary " and "The Wind Cries Mary/Highway Chile"). Only The Beatles ' '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band '' prevented ''Are You Experienced'' from reaching No. 1 on the UK charts. At this time, the Experience extensively toured the United Kingdom and parts of Europe. This allowed Hendrix to develop his stage presence, which reached a high point on , Eric Clapton , Spencer Davis , Jack Bruce , and pop singer Lulu . Jimi chose to open the show with his own rendition of " Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ", crafted minutes before taking the stage, much to McCartney's astonishment and delight. Months later, Reprise Records released the US version of ''Are You Experienced'' with a new cover by Karl Ferris, removing "Red House," "Remember" and "Can You See Me" to make room for the first three UK single A-sides. Where the UK album kicked off with " Foxy Lady ", the American one started with "Purple Haze". The UK and US versions both offered a startling introduction to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and the album was a blueprint for what had become possible on the electric guitar. US success Although quite popular in Europe at this time, the Experience had yet to crack America. Their chance came when Paul McCartney recommended the group to the organizers of the Monterey International Pop Festival . This proved to be a great opportunity for Hendrix, not only because of the large audience present at the event, but also because the performances were filmed by D. A. Pennebaker and later shown in movie theaters throughout the country as the concert documentary '' Monterey Pop '', which immortalized Hendrix's iconic burning and smashing of his guitar at the finale of his performance. Following the festival, the Experience played a short-lived gig as the opening act for pop group The Monkees on their first American tour. The Monkees asked for Hendrix because they were fans, but their mostly teenage audience did not warm to his outlandish stage act and he abruptly quit the tour after a few dates. Chas Chandler later admitted that being "thrown" from The Monkees tour was engineered to gain maximum media impact and publicity for Hendrix. At the time, a story circulated claiming that Hendrix was removed from the tour because of complaints made by the Daughters Of The American Revolution that his stage conduct was "lewd and indecent". Australian journalist Lillian Roxon , accompanying the tour, concocted the story. The claim was repeated in Roxon's 1969 Rock Encyclopedia but she later admitted it was fabricated. Meanwhile in England, Hendrix's wild-man image and musical gimmickry (such as playing the guitar with his teeth and behind his back) continued to bring publicity, but Hendrix was already advancing musically and becoming frustrated by media and audience concentration on his stage tricks and hit singles.
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