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Hendrix, Jimi (1942-1970)

HistoryLink.org Essay 2498 : Printer-Friendly Format

Jimi Hendrix, 30 years after his death, is considered a major force in twentieth century music. He was born and raised in Seattle where he learned to play guitar for high school dances. Although he was self-taught and could not read music, he is now (2005) recognized as a musical genius. He is noted for his speed and precision in playing, his control of feedback as a melodic element, and his ability to dance, sing, and play, all at the same time. Although celebrated as a premier Northwest artist, Hendrix's relationship with his home town was conflicted and perhaps distant.

Early Years

He was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on November 27, 1942, in Seattle of African American and Cherokee ancestry. His father Al Hendrix renamed him James Marshall Hendrix in 1946. Al was a single parent and worked at a variety of jobs in Seattle, including gas pump attendant, janitor, and finally as a gardener. Jimmy, as he was called, and his brother Leon were lodged with relatives and in seven different foster homes.

His father gave him an old ukulele as a toy and Jimmy taught himself to play. He purchased his first guitar, a used acoustic model, for $5. His first electric guitar was also used, a gift from his father, and he practiced at the homes of friends who owned amplifiers. Jimmy learned to play well enough to join several bands including the Rocking Kings. With James Thomas and His Tomcats, he performed at Seafair picnics. At one high school dance at the Birdland Ballroom (at 2203 E Madison Street), his guitar was stolen from the stage.

How He Played

He was forced to borrow right-hand guitars, but did not, as often repeated, play upside down. According to music historian Pete Blecha:

"Jimi ... didn't do this. He did flip a right-handed guitar over, but then had to remove all the strings, replace the "nut" (string guide) at the neck's end, and then restring the guitar, but in the standard fashion, i.e. big string high, little string low. The fact is, Jimi didn't just borrow right-handed guitars and miraculously play them -- as a left-handed player he had to do considerable adjustments before he was able to do his thing musically ... The guitars looked upside down but they weren't played upside down" (Blecha to Crowley).

The Army Interlude

Hendrix dropped out of Garfield High School to work (perhaps he was expelled for talking back to a teacher, as he later claimed). It was in high school that Jimmy began to experiment with drugs. After two arrests for riding in a stolen car in one week in May 1961, he exchanged jail time for enlistment in the Army. At Fort Campbell, Kentucky, he played off-duty with local bands, which occasionally took up a collection to retrieve his guitar from a pawnbroker.

Although most biographies published over the years relied on Hendrix's own statements that he'd exited the 101st Airborne Division in July 1962 after breaking his ankle during his 26-parachute training jump, new information has recently surfaced that casts considerable doubt on that claim. In 2005 some of Hendrix's military records were released under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request (posted at TheSmokingGun.com), which reveal that the guitarist had been a rather problematic soldier -- one who, among other infractions, was "unable to conform to military rules and regulations," and was severely distracted "while performing duties" due to excessive "thinking about his guitar" -- which led to a recommendation that he be discharged under Army Regulation #635-208, the classification for "Undesirable" status.

In addition, Charles R. Cross's 2005 biography references other Army medical documents that show that Hendrix actually declared himself to have homosexual tendencies (a surefire way to get mustered out early). Finally, emails from a contemporary 101st paratrooper (Farrand to HistoryLink) contend that the 26-jump story was impossible: A soldier in training for the eight months that Hendrix was, "couldn’t, under the best of circumstances, have had more than 8-9 jumps." Though Hendrix earned a bit of a reputation as a teller of tall tales, his service did finally end -- for whatever reason, or combinations thereof -- on July 2, 1962.

Professional Musician

From 1962 to 1965, Hendrix toured the country playing backup for Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, the Isley Brothers, and others. In late 1965, he formed Jimmy James and the Blue Flames and they played in Greenwich Village coffee houses. Guitarist Chas Chandler of The Animals noticed Hendrix and convinced him to go to London in 1966. There, Hendrix selected bass guitarist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell to form The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was then that Hendrix adopted the spelling for his first name that became synonymous with his music. The group toured England and they released the album Are You Experienced consisting of songs written by Hendrix including "Purple Haze."

Hendrix returned to the United States in June 1967 to play at the Monterey International Pops Festival where his music and guitar smashing catapulted him to the top of the pop charts. After two more albums, Axis: Bold as Love (1968) and Electric Ladyland (1968) the Experience dissolved in June 1969.

Home Town

Hendrix's relationship with Seattle seems to have been strained. On February 12, 1968, he appeared at the Seattle Center Arena, his first visit back home after becoming a star. The audience did not respond to his satisfaction, perhaps because the performance was suspended several times to replace blown-out sound equipment. Tom Robbins wrote in the Seattle countercultural newspaper Helix, "Listening to rock in the Arena is like making love in a file cabinet. It's a study in frustration." Hendrix is said to have shouted, "I hate you Seattle. I hate you Seattle. I hate you Seattle" (Black).

He returned again on September 6, 1968, to play at the Seattle Center Coliseum. Unhappily, his managers controlled visits with his family.

On July 26, 1970, he was the headliner at Sicks' Stadium. When rain was predicted, Hendrix requested a rubber mat for the band so that they wouldn't be electrocuted. Hours of steady downpour drenched the preceding acts and he was outraged when soaked fans began to leave. Offered the keys to the city he remarked, "The only keys I expected to see were from the jailhouse" (Black).

Rock Star

After The Experience disbanded, Hendrix formed Gypsy Suns and Rainbows, but that band soon folded. He appeared at the Woodstock Rock Festival with Sky Church performing his version of "The Star Spangled Banner" that occasionally earned him death threats. With Army buddy Billy Cox (bass) and Buddy Miles (drums), he started The Band of Gypsys. He also built Electric Lady Studios in New York City to develop and record his music.

Hendrix was a frequent user of drugs including LSD and he used pills to get rest between appearances. He died in London on September 18, 1970, not of an overdose as is often reported, but by choking on vomit while under the influence of barbiturates.

Jimi Hendrix was buried on October 1, 1970, at Greenwood Cemetery in Renton, Washington. A memorial service was cancelled because of lack of time and because of official concerns about problems with crowds.

Hendrix's contributions to music cannot be overstated. He was a major force in twentieth century music. Although he was self-taught and could not read music, he is now (2000) recognized as a musical genius. He is noted for his speed and precision in playing, his control of feedback as a melodic element, and his ability to dance, sing, and play, all at the same time. His "pioneering use of effects like phasing, wah wah and fuzz tone have become part of the rock guitarists' vocabulary" (Rolling Stone, Hopkins). "His poetry, lyrics and serious writings are now becoming available as a body of work itself" (Henderson).

In 1995, Hendrix's father and sister Janie regained control of his estate, estimated at that time to be worth between $40 million and $100 million.

In 1968, Jimi Hendrix said:

"It's funny the way most people love the dead. Once you are dead, you are made for life."

In 2000, Seattle's EMP, a $250-million-dollar music museum, was founded to honor Jimi Hendrix.

Sources:
Chris Welch, Hendrix: A Biography (New York: Quick Fox, 1978); Tom Nolan, Jimi Hendrix: A Biography in Words and Pictures (New York: Sire Books, 1977); David Henderson, Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child of the Aquarian Age (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1978); Jerry Hopkins, Hit and Run: The Jimi Hendrix Story (New York: Putnam, 1983); Johnny Black, Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience (New York: Thunder Mouth Press, 1999; David Henderson, 'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky: The Life of Jimi Hendrix (New York: Bantam, 1996); Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 13, 1968, p. 38; Charles Cross, Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix, (New York: Hyperion, ca. 2005), 93-94; Pat Farrand email to HistoryLink.org, November 27-29-30, 2005, in possession of HistoryLink.org (www.historyLink.org); "Jimi's Private Parts," The Smoking Gun website accessed on November 28, 2005 (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/).
Note: Additions and corrections were contributed by Pete Blecha on October 25, 2002, and again on November 30, 2005, this last regarding the facts of Jimi Hendrix's military service. On May 17, 2008, the essay was corrected to note that Buddy Miles was the drummer for The Band of Gypsys.

By David Wilma, June 13, 2000

Jimmy Hendrix in Seattle, ca. 1958
Courtesy Al Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix's distinctive left hand technique with a right-hand guitar.
Courtesy Al Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix with Sky Church at Woodstock Rock Festival, 1969.
Courtesy Al Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix album cover
Courtesy Alan J. Stein