The Legend of Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is the greatest musician ever. He play Guitar, a songwriter and a singer. Hendrix's music is timeless and spans various genres, from rock to soul, blues to pop, jazz to rap. Jimi Hendrix has influenced modern musician in many aspects with his talent and style.

Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix at Seattle's King County Hospital on November 27, 1942 at 10:15 a.m. As a young child, Jimmy (as he was called by his family) loved to listen to his father's R&B and blues records and he soon became very interested in music.

Learning to play guitar as a teenager, Hendrix grew up to become a rock guitar legend. He began his career by playing in a number of bands in his youth. Hendrix later enlisted in the United States Army in 1961 and became as a paratrooper. Even as a soldier, Hendrix found time for music, creating a band named The King Casuals. He served in the army until 1965.

In 1966, Jimmy formed a band, in which he played guitar and sang, in the Village. His band was popular and played regularly in Greenwich Village, which led to his meeting with Chas Chandler, the former bass player for the Animals. Chandler saw Hendrix play and was very impressed and at the end of the show He convinced Hendrix to go to London where he joined forces with musicians Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell to create The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience became a sensation in England and their next releases "Wind Cries Mary" and "Purple Haze" were hits. In May of 1967, "Are You Experienced?" was released and stayed at number two on the charts for the rest of the year. The Jimi Hendrix Experience's fame kept rising and in December of 1967, they released their third album, Axis: Bold as Love. His final album as part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladyland (1968) was released and featured the hit “All Along the Watchtower,” which was written by Bob Dylan. The band continued to tour until it split up in 1969.

In 1969, Hendrix performed at legendary musical event, the Woodstock Festival. His rock rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” amazed the crowds and demonstrated his considerable talents as a musician. He was also an accomplished songwriter and musical experimenter.

A few months later, Mitchell and Redding both quit the band, but this did not stop Jimi. He quickly found a six-piece band with Mitchell and formed the Band of Gypsys. They went on to play at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in New York. Once again Jimi performed a stunt for the crowd, this time playing a mangled version of "The Star Spangled Banner."

In August of 1970, Jimi halted production of two albums, one a jazz collaboration with Gil Evans and "The First Ray of the New Rising Sun", to tour in Europe.

On the night of August 17, Jimi took some sleeping pills, hoping to sleep through the next day. Jimi had also been drinking and during the night he vomited, but did not wake up due to the pills he had taken. Jimi was dead at the age of 27. The world since had been missing a great musician and we are left only to speculate what music could have been.