Jimi Hendrix

About Jimi Hendrix

There really isnt much to argue about, Jimi Hendrix is the single greatest guitar player to have ever lived; the instrument was an extension of his mind, body, and soul.

Unlike Robert Johnson before him, there were no crossroads for Hendrix, who languished in anonymity for many years, bouncing from band to band as a backup guitarist.

It wasnt until 1966 that Hendrix got his big break recording a cover of The Leaves Hey Joe, which inspired record producer Chas Chandler to sign him to a contract, and thus his legend was born.

However, no moment stands out more in the psyche of the average Rock enthusiast than his jaw-dropping performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, where a mischievous Hendrix doused his guitar in lighter fluid and beckoned the flames to rise higher as he knelt beside it in almost meditative trance.

Two years later, Hendrix stole the show with his otherworldly rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, which went on to become a cultural touchstone for Woodstock and the entire counterculture movement.

Hendrix produced only three albums (Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland) before dying of asphyxiation on September 18, 1970 at the age of 27.

In four short years Hendrix accomplished what no other artist (visual or otherwise) could have, and with songs such as Voodoo Child (Slight Return), The Wind Cries Mary, and the immortal Purple Haze, helped redefine the very essence of music.

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