Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942, Seattle, Washington – September 18, 1970, London, England) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in rock music history. After initial success in England, he achieved worldwide fame following his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, Hendrix headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival before his death in 1970, at the age of 27. A self-taught musician, he played a Fender Stratocaster guitar turned upside down ("left-handed") and restrung to suit him. He pioneered the technique of guitar feedback with overdriven amplifiers, incorporating what was previously an undesirable sound into his music. He built upon the innovations and influences of blues stylists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and Albert King, and derived style from R&B and soul guitarists like Curtis Mayfield and Steve Cropper, as well as from traditional jazz. Part of Hendrix's flamboyant stage persona may have been inspired by rock pioneer Little Richard, with whom he toured as part of Richard's back-up band, "The Upsetters". Hendrix strove to combine what he called "earth", a blues, jazz, or funk driven rhythm accompaniment, with "space", the high-pitched psychedelic sounds created by his guitar improvisations. As a record producer, he broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas; he was one of the first to experiment with stereophonic and phasing effects during recording. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6627 Hollywood Blvd.) was dedicated in 1994. In 2006, his debut album, Are You Experienced, was inducted into the United States National Recording Preservation Board's National Recording Registry. Rolling Stone named him number one on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time in 2003. Jimi's music was my introduction to blues. In Sting's memoir "Broken Music" he sights Hendrix as the first black man he ever saw, during a local concert in Newcastle in England. Imagine the impact this flamboyant black man on stage with a guitar must have had on 16-year-old Sting. No wonder he's one of my favorite living recording artist today.

Visit Jimi at: www.jimihendrix.com.

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