Happy Birthday Jimi Hendrix (Nov 27, 1942) - "Excuse Me While I Kiss The Sky!"
Hi, WA Friends!
Let's celebrate the birthday of Jimi Marshall Hendrix (nothing to do with the Marshall amplifier company, although Jimi often joked about it).
I find that most people either love or hate his music; there's not much of an in-between. This is the man that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame called "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music." I knew this from the first time I heard his song "Fire" in 1967 on his album "Are You Experienced."
The next day, I put aside my Gibson classical guitar and got myself a Silvertone electric guitar and amp from Sears. I still have both of them. Talk about a musical memorabilia hoarder. They're actually worth some cash on the vintage musical instrument market.
The Fender Stratocaster
I remember when I had to call Fender in Fullerton California, one year later to get them to make me a Stratocaster guitar in Olympic White with a rosewood neck. It was after I saw him playing that guitar in a photo inside the "Electric Ladyland" double album. My mother, who was a professional seamstress, made me an exact copy of his jacket to go with it.
You couldn't get a custom color Stratocaster guitar from a store back then, it had to be ordered, and there was no Fender Custom shop. I still have that guitar, too! I called Fender, long distance, every week to see if the guitar was ready!
Fun Facts
Did you know that at 19 years old, Jimi was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky? That's where he met Billy Cox, who would replace Noel Redding as his bass guitar player for the "Band of Gypsys" album and at his famous Woodstock performance.
Jimi was discovered by Chas Chandler, the bass player for The Animals, who found him playing in a small club and brought him to London to make him famous.
Les Paul looked for Jimi to record him after his son saw him play in a bar and made a bootleg recording on a cassette tape.
Jimi played guitar for Little Richard and the Isley Brothers as an unknown musician.
Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock, and the Isle of Wight
Jimi played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. That was his first US performance after he returned from England as a star. He played the song "Wild Thing"(originally written by The Troggs) and burned his guitar onstage after drenching it in lighter fluid.
Jimi was the closing act at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969 because no artist wanted to follow him onstage. He played his famous version of "The Star Spangled Banner," which is still considered one of the most innovative Rock adaptations of a song today.
The Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 was Jimi's last public performance before his accidental death from a drug overdose.
Jimi's "Secret Sauce"
It's no secret that Jimi's secret weapon was in his hands and mind, but there's an interesting fact about the way he played his guitar upside down that helped define his "Voodoo Child" sound.
Two things happen when you turn a Fender Stratocaster upside-down and string it backward ( so that the thickest string is still on top).
1. the bridge pickup is slanted in the opposite direction. This makes the low notes brighter and gives the high notes more midrange.
2. The headstock is backward, which puts the thickest string on the tuning peg farthest way and the thinnest string on the closest one. This reverses the tension on all the strings, changing the way they vibrate and sound.
You can see this on a photo of my Fender Custom Shop Jimi Hendrix guitar. Like I said, you need a lot more than the guitar to sound exactly like Jimi.
Electric Lady Studios
Jimi and his manager Michael Jeffery had a recording studio built in Greenwich Village, New York City, on 52 W. 8th Street for his private use in 1970 at a cost of approximately 1 million dollars.
It was totally state-of-the-art and freed him from having to record during business hours at a commercially available studio.
Hendrix only recorded twice in his studio before his untimely death on September 18, 1970 at only 27 years old!. It's still available for recording.
Jimi at Electric Lady Studios with Eddie Kramer and Jim Marron
Awards and Recognition
Jimi's awards and recognition are too numerous to list completely, but they include the following.
The Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Hendrix number one on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time!
A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and also into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
A 1999 reader's poll in the Rolling Stone and Guitar World magazine ranked Hendrix among the most important musicians of the 20th century.
Four Hall of Fame Grammy awards.
Inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
Happy Birthday, Jimi Hendrix! 🎂
Keep On Rockin' 🤘
Frank 🎸
Recent Comments
41
Hi Frank….you are a wealth of fascinating information! I’ll bet your vintage collection is a sight to behold. Hang onto that stuff as it’s only getting more collectible! Have a great Sunday.
Susan 😎🎸
Thanks, Susan!
Yes, I really like vintage gear. Some have a high resale value, and others have sentimental value only.
A lot of the older musical equipment is built much better than the new stuff.
Enjoy your Sunday, too!
Frank 🎸
Wow, Happy Birthday, Jacqueline!
Do you play an instrument? If not, maybe you should give the guitar a try! 😎
Frank 🎸
I did. Unfortunately, my fingers didn't like it! I used to play a bit of piano and sing when I was younger, but both are rusty now. A future goal is to get back into both. Some day!
I remember seeing a clip when he went to England and played with cream. Clapton was gobsmacked that anyone could play so well..
The music is just as “strong “ now as it was back then, ..
Hey, Stephen
Yes, when Hendrix jammed with cream, Clapton supposedly put his guitar down and walked off stage, and Eric is a monster guitar player!
Legionary studio is supposed to be making a Hendrix movie with Lenny Kravitz as Hendrix, and it will have the scene with Jimi and Eric.
Jimi's music stood the test of time because it's that good! 😎
Frank 🎸
See more comments
Hi Frank.
Paul Mindra here from Southern Ontario, Canada.
Thank you for this informative post.
Nice.
You are a leader in your area and soon to become an authority.
Well done and thank Wealthy Affiliate for your continued success.
Jimi Hendrix, first and foremost, was an innovator. He innovated the guitar and amplifier in close to every way imaginable. He unleashed the guitar's true potential by using it in a way that it had never been used before. Hendrix wasn't afraid to go loud. - Source Internet
When Jimi Hendrix began playing in London, England, he pulled out all the tricks he'd learned.
That included playing the guitar on his back on the ground; playing in between his legs; and playing with his teeth picking the guitar strings.
His wild performances helped launch him on the British scene in 1966.
Already suffering from poor health due to an incessant bout of influenza and exhaustion from work, nearly two weeks after his final show with The Experience, Hendrix was found dead in the apartment of his girlfriend Monika Dannemann at the Samarkand Hotel in Notting Hill, just two days shy of his 28th birthday.
He passed away on September 18, 1970.
I entered this world on September 18, 1959.
He died when I was eleven and now I am almost 64.
His name is still embedded.
He was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m.
The post-mortem examination concluded that Hendrix aspirated his own vomit and died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates.
At the inquest, the coroner, finding no evidence of suicide, and lacking sufficient evidence of the circumstances, recorded an open verdict.
I'm not sure what an "op[en verdict" is.
His last known words were on an answering machine message he left for his manager and friend Chas Chandler.
He said, “I need help bad, man.”
He was battling pulmonary fibrosis as a result of a fire he became embroiled in when saving the life of his soulmate Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone).
The doctor informed Hendrix that would need a lung transplant in order to survive, leaving the young man stunned.
That was then.
Who did Hendrix say was the best guitarist?
I'm not sure so we would have to ask Rory Gallagher, Jimi's all-time favorite.
Hey, listen, Frank.
I could go on forever. That is what we do here. Learn and then remove the "L."
Keep up your great work and contributions.
I would love to feature your efforts on one and all of my sites where appropriate.
I like what you are doing.
Kindest regards,
Paul.
Thanks, Paul
I really appreciate your adding all the extra info about Jimi! As you said, it's easy to go on forever writing about Hendrix, but I did not want to make my post too long.
Jimi's death left a huge hole in my musical world for years, and it's still there to some degree.
Frank 🎸
Nice.
I trust that you will fulfill that huge hole to make it whole.
You are blessed.
I am not.
Become awesome.
Paul from Canada.