Contents
Jimi Hendrix
Transforming electric-guitar playing through distortion, feedback and inventive performance.
Purple Haze · The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Born
- 27 November 1942
- Birthplace
- Seattle, Washington, United States
- Died
- 18 September 1970
More people
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter whose brief recording career changed rock music. He treated amplification and studio effects as creative instruments, combining blues roots with experimental sound.
Early life
Seattle beginnings
Born Johnny Allen Hendrix and later renamed James Marshall, he grew up in Seattle and taught himself guitar.
Army service
He enlisted in the US Army in 1961 and formed a musical partnership with bassist Billy Cox.
Career
- Early 1960s
Working guitarist
He played behind touring performers, including the Isley Brothers and Little Richard.
- 1966
London breakthrough
Chas Chandler brought him to London, where he formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
- 1967
International success
Are You Experienced and the Monterey Pop Festival brought wide attention.
- 1969–1970
New directions
Woodstock and Band of Gypsys followed the original Experience’s breakup.
Selected work
Are You Experienced
His debut combined psychedelic sound with concise, forceful songs.
Electric Ladyland
A double album expanded his studio experiments and musical range.
Woodstock performance
His electric-guitar version of The Star-Spangled Banner became an emblematic festival moment.
Beyond work
A studio of his own
He helped create Electric Lady Studios in New York shortly before his death.
Short life
He died in London at 27, leaving recordings that continued to be released and studied.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Original photographer unknown. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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