James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. Despite a limited mainstream exposure of four years, he is widely considered one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.
After law enforcement authorities had twice caught Hendrix riding in stolen cars, they gave him a choice between spending time in prison or serving in the US military he chose the latter and enlisted in the Army in May 1961. Inspired musically by American rock and roll and electric blues, during his service Hendrix formed a band called the Casuals. In June 1962 he was granted an honorable discharge on the basis of unsuitability, and in 1963, he moved to Clarksville, Tennessee and formed the King Kasuals, playing numerous gigs on the Chitlin' circuit. By early 1964 he had moved to Harlem, where he earned a spot in the Isley Brothers' backing band. Later that year he found work with Little Richard, whom he played with through mid-1965. He then joined Curtis Knight and the Squires before moving to England in late 1966 after having been discovered by bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals. Following his initial success in Europe with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, he achieved fame in the US after his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. He headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, before dying from barbiturate related asphyxia at the age of 27.
Instrumental in developing the previously undesirable technique of guitar amplifier feedback, Hendrix favored overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain. He helped to popularize the use of the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock, and pioneered experimentation with stereophonic phasing effects in rock music recordings.
Hendrix was the recipient of several music awards during his lifetime and posthumously, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone ranked his three non-posthumous studio albums, Are You Experienced, Axis Bold as Love and Electric Ladyland among the 100 greatest albums of all time. Rolling Stone ranked him as the greatest guitarist of all time and the sixth greatest artist of all time.
Jimi Hendrix's mixed genealogy included African American, Irish, and Cherokee ancestors. His paternal great-great-grandmother Zenora was a full-blooded Cherokee from Georgia who married an Irishman named Moore. They had a son Robert, who married a black girl named Fanny. In 1883, Robert and Fanny had a daughter whom they named Zenora Nora Rose Moore, Hendrix's paternal grandmother.[1][nb 1] The illegitimate son of a black slave woman, also called Fanny, and her white overseer, Jimi's paternal grandfather, Bertran Philander Ross Hendrix (born 1866) was named after his biological father, a grain merchant from Urbana, Ohio, and one of the wealthiest white men in the area at the time.[4] On June 10, 1919, Hendrix and Moore had a son they named James Allen Ross Hendrix (died 2002); people called him Al.[5]
In 1941, Al met Lucille Jeter (1925–1958) at a dance in Seattle; they married on March 31, 1942.[6] Drafted into the United States Army to serve in World War II, Al went to war three days after their wedding.[7] The first of Lucile's five children, Johnny Allen Hendrix was born November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. In 1946, due to being unable to consult his father Al at the time of birth, his parents changed Johnny's name to James Marshall Hendrix, in honor of Al and Al's late brother Leon Marshall.[8][nb 2][nb 3]
Stationed in Alabama at the time of Johnny's birth, Al was denied the standard military furlough afforded servicemen for childbirth and placed by his commanding officer in the stockade to prevent his going AWOL to see his infant son in Seattle. He spent two months locked-up without trial, and while in the stockade, received a telegram announcing his son's birth.[10][nb 4] During Al's three-year absence, Lucille struggled to raise their son, often neglecting him in favor of nightlife.[12] During this period he was mostly cared for by family members and friends, especially Lucille's sister Delores Hall and her friend Dorothy Harding.[13][14] Al received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army on September 1, 1945. Two months later, unable to find Lucille, Al went to the Berkeley home of a family friend named Mrs. Champ, who had taken care of and had attempted to adopt Jimi, and saw his son for the first time.[15][16]
After returning from service Al reunited with Lucille, but his difficulty finding steady work left the family impoverished. Both he and Lucille struggled with alcohol abuse, and they often fought when intoxicated. His parents' violence sometimes made Hendrix withdraw and hide in a closet in their home.[17] Jimi's relationship with his brother Leon (born 1948) was close but precarious; with Leon in and out of foster care, they lived with an almost constant threat of fraternal separation.[18] In addition to Leon, Jimi had three other younger siblings Joseph, born in 1949, Kathy in 1950, and Pamela, 1951, all of whom Al and Lucille gave up to foster care and adoption.[19] The family frequently moved, staying in cheap hotels and apartments around Seattle. On occasion, family would take Hendrix to Vancouver to stay at his grandmother's. A shy and sensitive boy, Hendrix was deeply affected by these experiences.[20] In later years, he confided to a girlfriend that he had been the victim of sexual abuse by a man in uniform.[21]
On December 17, 1951, when Hendrix was nine years old, his parents divorced; the court granted Al custody of Jimi and Leon.[22] At thirty-three, Lucille had developed cirrhosis of the liver; she died on February 2, 1958 when her spleen ruptured.[23] Instead of taking Jimi and Leon to attend their mother's funeral, Al gave them shots of whiskey and told them that was how men are supposed to deal with loss.[23][nb 5

First instruments
At Horace Mann Elementary School in Seattle during the mid-1950s, Hendrix's habit of carrying a broom with him to emulate a guitar gained the attention of the school's social worker. After more than a year of his clinging to a broom like a security blanket, she wrote a letter requesting school funding intended for underprivileged children insisting that leaving him without a guitar might result in psychological damage.[24] Her efforts failed, and Al refused to buy him a guitar.[24][nb 6]
In 1957, while helping Al with a side-job, Jimi found a ukulele amongst the garbage that they were removing from a wealthy older woman's home. The woman told him that he could keep the instrument, which had only one string.[26] Learning by ear, he played single notes, following along to Elvis Presley songs, particularly Presley's cover of Leiber and Stoller's Hound Dog.[27][nb 7] In mid-1958, at age 15, Hendrix acquired his first acoustic guitar, for $5.[29] Hendrix earnestly applied himself, playing the instrument for several hours daily, watching others and getting tips from more experienced guitarists, and listening to blues artists such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, and Robert Johnson.[30] The first tune Hendrix learned how to play was the theme from Peter Gunn.[31]
Soon after he acquired the acoustic guitar, Hendrix formed his first band, the Velvetones. Without an electric guitar, he could barely be heard over the sound of the group. After about three months, he realized that he needed an electric guitar in order to continue.[32] In mid-1959 his father bought him a white Supro Ozark, his first electric guitar.[32] His first gig was with an unnamed band in the basement of a synagogue, Seattle's Temple De Hirsch. After too much showing off, the band fired him between sets.[33] Hendrix later joined the Rocking Kings, which played professionally at venues such as the Birdland club. When someone stole his guitar after he left it backstage overnight, Al bought him a red SilvertoneDanelectro.[34]
Hendrix completed his studies at Washington Junior High School, but he did not graduate from Garfield High School.[35] The school later awarded him an honorary diploma and in the 1990s they placed a bust of him in the school library.[36][nb 8]

Army
Before he reached the age of 19 years, law enforcement authorities had twice caught Hendrix riding in stolen cars. When given a choice between spending time in prison or joining the Army, he chose the latter and enlisted on May 31, 1961.[37] After completing eight weeks of basic training at Fort Ord, California, the Army assigned him to the 101st Airborne Division and stationed him at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.[38] He arrived there on November 8, and soon after he wrote to his father There's nothing but physical training and harassment here for two weeks, then when you go to jump school ... you get hell. They work you to death, fussing and fighting.[39] In his next letter home, Hendrix, who had left his guitar at his girlfriend, Betty Jean Morgan's house in Seattle, asked his father to send him the guitar as soon as possible, stating I really need it now.[39] His father obliged and soon after the red SilvertoneDanelectro on which Hendrix had hand-painted the words Betty Jean, arrived safely at Ford Ord.[40] His apparent obsession with the instrument contributed to his neglect of his duties, which led to verbal taunting and physical abuse from his peers, who at least once hid the guitar from him until he had begged for its return.[41]
In November 1961, fellow serviceman Billy Cox walked past the service club and heard Hendrix playing guitar inside.[42] Cox, intrigued by the proficient playing, which he described as a combination of John Lee Hooker and Beethoven, immediately checked-out a bass guitar and the two jammed.[43] Within a few weeks, they began performing at base clubs on the weekends with other musicians in a loosely organized band called the Casuals.[44]
Hendrix completed his paratrooper training in just over eight months, and Major General C.W.G. Rich awarded him the prestigious Screaming Eagles patch on January 11, 1962.[39] By February, his personal conduct had begun to draw criticism from his superiors. They labeled him an unqualified marksmen and often caught him napping while on duty and failing to report for bed checks.[45] On May 24, Hendrix's platoon sergeant, James C. Spears filed a report in which he stated He has no interest whatsoever in the Army ... It is my opinion that Private Hendrix will never come up to the standards required of a soldier. I feel that the military service will benefit if he is discharged as soon as possible.[46] On June 29, 1962, Captain Gilbert Batchman granted Hendrix an honorable discharge on the basis of unsuitability.[47] Hendrix later spoke of his dislike of the army and falsely claimed that he had received a medical discharge after breaking his ankle during his 26th parachute jump.[48][nb 9]

Music career
 
Early years
In September 1963, after Cox was discharged from the Army, he and Hendrix relocated to Clarksville, Tennessee and formed a new band called the King Kasuals.[50] Hendrix had watched Butch Snipes play with his teeth in Seattle and by now Alphonso 'Baby Boo' Young, the other guitarist in the band, also performed this guitar gimmick.[51] Not to be upstaged, it was then that Hendrix learned to play with his teeth, according to Hendrix the idea of doing that came to me in a town in Tennessee. Down there you have to play with your teeth or else you get shot. There's a trail of broken teeth all over the stage.[52] Although they began playing low-paying gigs at obscure venues, the band eventually moved to Nashville's Jefferson Street, the traditional heart of Nashville's black community and home to a thriving rhythm and blues music scene.[53] While in Nashville, they earned a brief residency playing at a popular venue in town, the Club del Morocco.[54] For the next two years, Hendrix made a living performing at a circuit of venues throughout the South who were affiliated with the Theater Owners' Booking Association (TOBA), widely known as the Chitlin' Circuit. In addition to performing in his own band, Hendrix performed in backing bands for various soul, R&B, and blues musicians, including Wilson Pickett, Chuck Jackson, Slim Harpo, Tommy Tucker, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson.[55]
In January 1964, feeling he had outgrown the circuit artistically and frustrated by having to follow the rules of bandleaders, Hendrix decided to venture out on his own. He moved into the Hotel Theresa in Harlem, where he soon befriended LithofaynePridgeon, known as Faye, she became his girlfriend.[56] Pridgeon, a Harlem native with connections throughout the area's music scene, provided Hendrix with shelter, support, and encouragement.[57] He also met the Allen twins, Arthur and Albert.[58][nb 10] In February 1964, Hendrix won first prize in the Apollo Theater amateur contest.[60] Hoping to land a gig, he played the club circuit and sat in with various bands. At the recommendation of a former associate of Joe Tex, Ronnie Isley granted Hendrix an audition that led to an offer to become the guitarist with the Isley Brothers' back-up band, the I.B. Specials; Hendrix readily accepted.[61]

First recordings
In March 1964, Hendrix recorded the two-part single Testify with the Isley Brothers. Released in June 1964, it failed to chart. After touring with the band through the summer of 1964, he quit after a gig in Nashville.[61][nb 11] In September 1964, Hendrix joined Little Richard's touring band, the Upsetters.[63][nb 12] During a stop in Los Angeles, Hendrix recorded his first and only single with Richard, I Don't Know What You Got (But It's Got Me), written by Don Covay and released by Vee-Jay Records.[65][nb 13] In July 1965, on Nashville's Channel 5 Night Train, he made his first television appearance. Performing in Little Richard's ensemble band, Hendrix backed up vocalists Buddy and Stacy on Shotgun. The video recording of the show marks the earliest known footage of Hendrix performing.[63] He often clashed with Richard over tardiness, wardrobe, and his stage antics, so in late July 1965, Richard's brother Robert fired him.[67] He then briefly rejoined the Isley Brothers, and recorded a second single with them, Move Over and Let Me Dance backed with Have You Ever Been Disappointed.[68]
Later that year, Hendrix joined a New York–based R&B band, Curtis Knight and the Squires, after meeting Knight in the lobby of a hotel where both men were staying.[69] Hendrix performed on and off with them for eight months.[70] In October 1965, he and Knight recorded the single, How Would You Feel backed with Welcome Home[71] and on October 15 Hendrix signed a three-year recording contract with entrepreneur Ed Chalpin. While the relationship with Chalpin was short-lived, his contract remained in force, which caused considerable problems for Hendrix later on in his career.[72][nb 14] During his time with Curtis Knight and the Squires, Hendrix briefly toured with Joey Dee and the Starliters and worked with King Curtis on several recordings including Ray Sharpe's two-part single, Help Me.[74]
In mid-1966, Hendrix recorded with Lonnie Youngblood, a saxophone player who occasionally performed with Curtis Knight.[75] The sessions produced two singles for Youngblood Go GoShoesGo Go Place and Soul Food (That's What I Like)Goodbye Bessie Mae.[76] Singles for other artists also came out of the sessions, including the Icemen's (My Girl) She's a Fox (I Wonder) What It Takes and Jimmy Norman's That Little Old Groove MakerYou're Only Hurting Yourself.[77][nb 15] Hendrix earned his first composer credits for two instrumentals, Hornets Nest and Knock Yourself Out, released as a Curtis Knight and the Squires single in 1966.[79]
In early 1966, Hendrix formed his own band, the Blue Flame, which included Randy Palmer (bass), Danny Casey (drums), and a 15-year-old guitarist named Randy Wolfe.[80][nb 16] By June 1966, the Blue Flame had begun playing at several clubs in New York, but their primary venue was a residency at the Cafe Wha on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village.[82] They gave their last concerts at the Cafe au Go Go, as John Hammond Jr.'s backing group.[83][nb 17]

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Experience in 1968
In May 1966, Hendrix, struggling to earn a living wage playing the R&B circuit, briefly rejoined Curtis Knight and the Squires for an engagement at one of New York City's most popular nightspots, the Cheetah Club.[84] During a performance, Linda Keith, the girlfriend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards noticed Hendrix. She commented [His] playing mesmerised me.[84] She arranged for him to join her for a drink, and the two soon became friends.[84]
Keith recommended Hendrix to Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, and producer Seymour Stein. They failed to see Hendrix's musical potential, and rejected him.[85] She then referred Hendrix to Chas Chandler, who was leaving the Animals and interested in managing and producing artists. Chandler liked the song Hey Joe and was convinced he could create a hit single with the right artist.[86] Impressed with Hendrix's version of the song, Chandler brought him to London on September 23, 1966, and signed him to a management and production contract with himself and ex-Animals manager Michael Jeffery.[87][nb 18] Chandler then helped Hendrix form a new band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, with guitarist-turned-bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell.[90] Chandler also convinced Hendrix to change the spelling of his first name from Jimmy to Jimi.[91]
Chandler introduced Hendrix to Eric Clapton, who had recently co-founded Cream.[92] On September 30, Chandler brought Hendrix to the London Polytechnic at Regent Street, where Cream was scheduled to perform, and it was then that Hendrix and Clapton first met. Clapton commented He asked if he could play a couple of numbers. I said, 'Of course', but I had a funny feeling about him.[93] Halfway through Cream's set, Hendrix took the stage and performed a frantic version of the Howlin' Wolf song Killing Floor.[93] Clapton described the performance He played just about every style you could think of, and not in a flashy way. I mean he did a few of his tricks, like playing with his teeth and behind his back, but it wasn't in an upstaging sense at all, and that was it ... He walked off, and my life was never the same again.