Jimi Hendrix: biography, creative path, cause of death

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Jimmi Hendrix is one of the pioneers of virtuoso guitar playing. This man single-handedly managed to expand the concept of rock music to limitless limits. Today, the performer is considered a true legend of a bygone era. What kind of person was he? What can be said about the career and personal life of the cult guitarist? What songs by Jimi Hendrix are worth listening to? Read about all this in our article.

Musician's childhood

Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington on November 27, 1942. The father of our hero Al was an ordinary average African American. Lucille's mother was of Indian descent. On the distant line in the genus of the future star were Indian and Irish branches. Such an amazing symbiosis of individual bloodlines and cultural traditions was largely reflected in the formation of the unique guitar style of the performer.

The parents of little Jimi Hendrix divorced shortly after the birth of their son. Then there was the sudden death of the mother. Because ofthe constant employment of his father, the boy was forced almost all the time to be in the care of his grandfather and grandmother. The upbringing of the latter had a positive effect on the development of the innate talent of the baby, who began to join the high art and creativity. However, the love of playing the guitar was formed by young Jimi Hendrix absolutely spontaneously.

As a teenager, the guy bought a used acoustic instrument for a ridiculous five dollars. The study of the simplest chords followed. Comprehending the basics of playing the guitar took almost all of the boy's free time. After a while, Jimi could no longer imagine himself without music.

Conviction and military service

Closer to adulthood, our hero was forced to leave his favorite pastime. The reason was the participation of young Hendrix in car theft. The guy was convicted and received a prison term of two years in prison. However, useful connections and the experience of a lawyer allowed the young man to avoid imprisonment. Military service has become a replacement for harsh punishment.

Reluctantly accepting the verdict, Jimi Hendrix became a member of the US Airborne Division. However, literally a year later he went to the hospital, having seriously injured his leg after an unsuccessful landing during a parachute jump. Due to injury, he was demobilized. Once at home, our hero again returned to the development of the skill of playing the guitar.

Career start

Leaving the army service behind, the talented musician tookalias Jimi James, starting to perform at concert venues in Nashville, where he moved with longtime friend Billy Cox. Young performers began to collaborate with the popular artist Little Richard. However, soon there was a creative conflict that forced Hendrix to found his own band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames.

After playing for some time in nightclubs, Jimi began working with musician Chas Chandler, who was a member of the famous rock band Animals. Together they went to London. It was here that the guitarist decided to organize the Jimi Hendrix Experience project. With the help of skilled drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, the musician was able to realize his hidden potential to the full. Chas Chandler did everything for the new team to take its place on the metropolitan pop scene as soon as possible. A year later, Jimi Hendrix songs became the main topic of discussion in the creative circles of London.

The finest hour of the artist

In 1967, the Jimi Hendrix group presented their debut album Are You Experienced to a wide audience of listeners. It was during this period that the musician began to attract the attention of the public with his extraordinary antics on stage, setting fire to the guitar during the performance of solo parts. Getting burns on his hands did not prevent our hero from starting recording the second album, which was called Axis: Bold as Love. The release of the record almost failed, because Jimi lost the recordings of some of the compositions. Musical developments were urgently restored, andat the end of the same year, the long-suffering compositions saw the light.

Soon, fans of rock music and authoritative critics recognized the album Are You Experienced as the most talented and successful work of the late 60s. A virtuoso guitarist at one point became a show business star of the first magnitude. In the British charts, the musician's songs were second only to the most famous recordings of The Beatles. The composition Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix, which was included in the release of the record for the American market, was subsequently recognized by the authoritative publication Rolling Stone as worthy of the list of hundreds of the greatest guitar creations in the history of music. Today, the song has the status of one of the anthems of the hippie movement.

Last performance and sudden death

Being a global star, Hendrix began to abuse drugs. The last time the legendary musician took the stage was as part of the Isle of Wight festival in London. Jimi went backstage early, being booed by the audience, who did not want to listen to the guitarist's new compositions.

The interrupted concert turned out to be the final one in the life of the cult performer. On the morning of September 18, 1970, Hendrix was found lifeless in a hotel room at the Samarkand Hotel in London. According to the guitarist's girlfriend Monica Daneman, who also spent the night in the room, the musician took a huge amount of sleeping pills the day before, trying to sleep after a hard day. However, Jimi never managed to wake up.

Jimi Hendrix movies

In memory of the musician who suddenly passed away, aseveral films. In 2010, the documentary Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child, released by director Bob Smeaton, saw the light of day. The film showcases live recordings, family photos, drawings and archived correspondence from the legendary guitarist.

In September 2013, visitors to the Toronto Film Festival were shown the feature film "Jimi: All on My Side". The picture tells about the life and work of a musician at the dawn of his career. The main focus of the film is on the story of the release of the cult record Are You Experienced.