On Sunday, it was officially the anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix. He passed away in the wee hours in Notting Hill of the UK on September 18th, 1970.
It’s been 52 years since the mysterious death of one of the greatest musicians ever. James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. He served in the US Army for about a year at 18. He would be discharged.
Hendrix started playing guitar at 15. Eventually, he was part of a backing band for both the Isley Brothers and Little Richard. It was the latter who he played with until the middle of 1965. At 23, he then backed Curtis Knight and the Squires for about a year before relocating to England with Animals’ bassist Chas Chandler, who was his manager.
It was under the guidance of Chandler that Hendrix formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience along with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding in late 1966. The Experience quickly produced three top 10 hits in the UK. That included “Hey Joe”, “Purple Haze” and “The Wind Cries Mary”.
Somehow, Jimi Hendrix went from a virtual unknown to a world renowned must see act in stunning fashion. The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the memorable debut album appropriately entitled, Are You Experienced.
Considered by many to be one of the greatest albums of all-time, it defied logic. Well, if you’ve listened to Hendrix’ distorted sounds with amplifier feedback he created on the guitar, you can understand what made him a unique artist. But the chemistry he had with Mitchell and Redding is unmistakable.
Although they only had three albums with Axis: Bold As Love a very successful follow-up to Are You Experienced in 1967, they truly were amazing. Ironically, Electric Ladyland which eventually was named a studio Hendrix wanted to work on more new stuff in, became the third and final album the Experience ever released in ’68.
Although they were only together for three years, the Experience wowed audiences on tour with a style that was unlike anything else fans had seen. In fact, during a chance encounter in which he was introduced to Eric Clapton of Cream, Hendrix jammed on stage. Clapton walked away in astonishment due to Jimi’s unorthodox playing style. That’s how floored he was by Hendrix, who would become a close friend.
It’s poetic in a sense that Clapton and Hendrix would grow close. Especially after he felt Jimi’s guitar playing blew him away. Having been fortunate enough to see Clapton perform live in concert with Steve Winwood, Eric’s a living legend who is definitely in my top five list. I think it’s cool they were friends. You could feel it in how Clapton and Winwood did a great tribute of “Little Wing,” at Madison Square Garden in February 2009.
Anyone who’s heard Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile” and “Voodoo Child”, can understand how rare an artist he was. But even more so, he never was bashful. If you’ve seen him interviewed by Dick Cavett, who brought attention to his guitar playing, Jimi was very humble. His reaction to it was that of a shy, soft spoken artist who had respect for his peers.
There are so many shows that are referenced. Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 brought him fame in the States. The awe inspiring energetic cover of “Wild Thing”, is remembered as one of the most iconic moments. It ended with Jimi setting his guitar on fire as a sacrifice. The reaction of the fans tells the story of disbelief.
It changed so much. Pretty soon, the demand for The Experience to play as a headliner became immense. Even though he was only around for four years, it’s amazing what he achieved along with Mitchell and Redding, who eventually left the Experience citing creative differences in 1969.
By the time Woodstock came, Hendrix remade the band by adding Army buddy Billy Cox who replaced Redding on bass. He also added Larry Lee as a rhythm guitarist and conga players Juma Sultan and Jerry Velez for the Woodstock Music Festival.
Although according to Mitchell they never connected musically, Hendrix’s performance as the final act remains memorable. They didn’t come on until 8 AM on Monday, August 18, 1969. Even with so many gone having left after the third day, the 30,000 to 40,000 who stayed got to witness a powerful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Hendrix, who used distortion and feedback to mimick rockets and bombs.
Having seen the performance on video many times, I’m always blown away by it. It’s hard to imagine what the audience who stayed felt in that moment. Of course, our Dad stayed for it. To think of what he would’ve missed.
One of my favorite things about that special performance is how they just went right into the electrifying “Purple Haze”. Unbelievable. I am partial to “Izabella”, which sounds phenomenal on the Live Woodstock album. I actually still have the cassette.
The second link above is three different takes of “Izabella”, at the Shokan House. These were rehearsals for Woodstock. I’d say it worked out well. It was during that show that Hendrix came up with Gypsy Sun and Rainbows. For short, the Band of Gypsys. A bit different from the Experience.
Although they were only together a short time with Buddy Miles playing drums in place of Mitchell, they released one live album in 1970 as Hendrix was winding down due to many distractions including his reliance on drugs which drove Chandler away. The best track is the powerful “Machine Gun.” It sounds like a locomotive. “Hear My Train A Comin'”, is superb. That’s always been one of my favorites.
Under manager Michael Jeffery, things unraveled beyond repair. Having just watched an interesting documentary over the weekend, the insiders who were close to the situation indicated that Jeffery might’ve had mob ties. There was also the rumor that he gave Hendrix LSD before a disastrous live performance to sabotage the newly formed band. Something both Cox and Miles said.
Whatever the reason, Jeffery wasn’t satisfied with the lineup. He had hoped to reform the Experience which would then include Redding, who left on bad terms. Yet he was informed that Cox would play bass making his return useless in New York. Hendrix was said to prefer Cox at that point over Redding. Although, he indicated it wasn’t personal.
When Hendrix was found passed out in his hotel room on the morning of September 18, 1969, the stories don’t match up. Either he was discovered by close friend Monika Dannenman, who said she drove him back to her flat at 3 AM. Hendrix had not slept in over two days. He took some of her sleeping tablets. It’s believed he took as many as nine before they went to bed early in the morning.
Dannenman called for an ambulance at 11:18 AM after finding Hendrix unconscious. It arrived nine minutes later. He was transported to St Mary Abbots Hospital. He was pronounced dead by Dr. John Bannister at 12:45 PM.
The results of a post-mortem examination performed by a pathologist is that Hendrix died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates. The reasoning behind the untimely death is that he choked on his own vomit.
However, they declared it an open verdict due to “insufficient evidence of the circumstances.” What does that mean? Who knows. There also was the strange tale of them finding red wine in his lungs. He also could’ve been dear for hours which would not back up what Dannenman told authorities.
Whatever happened, Hendrix was gone. Taken too soon like Janis Joplin, who would die over two weeks later, he became part of the 27 Club. It includes Jim Morrison and Brian Jones. It’s taken on quite a stature with Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse added to the growing list that also claimed Canned Heat lead vocalist Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan of The Grateful Dead.
There’s something nostalgic about great musicians who succumb at a young age. They’re remembered fondly for their work. In the classic case of Hendrix, he changed the way the guitar was played and was a huge influence on the rock and roll scene.
Hendrix wasn’t just outside the box. But he drew inspiration from friend Billy Davis (Rock Hall Of Fame), Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Elmore James and B.B. King. He appreciated the blues and was interested on going in that direction.
A posthumous album, The Cry of Love was released in 1971. Considered an authentic Hendrix album, it featured hits “Freedom”, “Ezy Ryder”, “Angel” and “Night Bird Flying.” They used several additional musicians including Redding and Miles to help complete it. Winwood is also on “Ezy Ryder”, doing backing vocals. He jammed with Hendrix when he was the lead singer for Traffic.
It’s interesting to note that some of the tracks were prominently featured on Voodoo Soup (1995) and First Rays of the New Rising Sun. Ironically both of which I still have. They were released two years apart.
Hendrix recorded most of the songs in the Electric Lady Studios located in Greenwich Village.
There’s so much more that can be said on Hendrix. The great cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” I also like his cover of “Like A Rolling Stone.” He did a nice cover of “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, paying homage to The Beatles. Paul McCartney remarked that he was honored by it.
The final live American performance was in Maui, Hawaii on August 1, 1970. Unlike the final performances overseas where he lost control due to distractions which included a hostile crowd that forced the band off stage, Maui holds up well.
Even over half a century later, the music he created holds up. Jimi Hendrix remains all this time later. Like most legendary acts, his legacy remains one that stands out. Picture yourself sitting high above the clouds in a different dimension beyond comprehension. That’s what it’s like listening to Hendrix.
Legends Never Die. Legends Are Forever.
Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)
HITTING BACK 