Name: Johnny Hendrix AKA Jimi Hendrix
Born: 27th of November, 1941, Seattle, Washington, USA
Bands he's been in: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Preferred Guitar: Fender Stratocaster
Favourite Songs that Jimi plays:
Early Years
Jimi's father, AI, took notice of Jimi's interest in guitars when he came home and found broom straw all over Jimi's room. Before he had left, he had asked Jimi to sweep his room, it turns out that Jimi had swept the room but then sat on the edge of his bed strumming the end of the broom like a guitar. AI then went and found a one string ukulele for Jimi. This helped Jimi's playing ability, that was all self taught, improve dramatically. In 1958, AI bought Jimi a 5 dollar acoustic guitar from a friend and this gave Jimi the opportunity to join his first band, The Velvetones. Then in 1959, AI purchased Jimi's first electric guitar, which he used in another band called The Rocking Kings.
Army
In the year of 1961, went off and joined the United States Army and a year later earned the 'Screaming Eagles' patch in the paratroop division. But even the army couldn't keep him from doing what he loved, playing the guitar. So while he was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, he joined up with bassist Billy Cox to make The King Casuals. An injury during a parachute jump forced Jimi to be discharged from the army and so instead he made himself a stage name, Jimmy James, and played as a session guitarist. Jimi played several acts before creating his own band, 'Jimmy James and the Blue Flames'.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
In the later of 1965, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, played at small venues in Greenwich Villiage. At one of these venues Chad Chandler, the bassist from Animals, spotted Jimi and liked what he heard. He then got Jimi to sign an agreement to change his name to Jimi and come to London to form a new band. Chandler became Jimi's manager and soon got Mitch Mitchel, drummer, and Noel Redding, bassist, to create 'The Jimi Hendrix Experience'. Their first single, "Hey Joe", spent a good ten weeks in the UK Top Chart, this single was then followed by one of the most popular rock albums of all time, 'Are You Experienced?'. This album included songs such as "Purple Haze" and "Fire". After many more albums, The Jimi Hendrix Experience disbanded in 1969. 1969 was a busy year for Jimi, playing at Woodstock, Art Fair and many more massive performances. At the end of performances Jimi sometimes smashed or set his guitars alight. Unfortunately everything ended for Jimi on 18th of September 1970, aged 27. There have been a lot of theories of his death including, he choked on his own vomit while sleeping, a shot of heroine into his temple, nine sleeping pills, his manager killed him, there is even a theory that he committed suicide because he wrote a depressing poem! Whatever killed him, still remains a mystery.
Jimi Hendrix, the man that died too young...
