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Jimi Hendrix

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Born Johnny Allen Hendrix (later changed to James Marshall) on November 27, 1942, in Seattle, Washington. 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 when he was discharged because of an injury.

After leaving the military, Hendrix pursued his music, working as a session musician and playing backup for such performers as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, and the Isley Brothers. He also formed a group of his own called Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, which played gigs around New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. In mid-1966, Hendrix met Chas Chandler, a former member of the Animals, a successful rock group, who became his manager. Chandler convinced Hendrix to go to London where he joined forces with musicians Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell to create The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Released in 1967, the band's first single, “Hey Joe,” was an instant smash in Britain, and soon followed by such other hits as “Purple Haze” and “The Wind Cried Mary.” On tour in Europe to support his first album, Are You Experienced?, Hendrix delighted audiences with his outrageous guitar-playing skills and his innovative, experimental sound. He won over American music fans with his stunning performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967, which ended with Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire. Quickly becoming a rock music superstar, Hendrix scored again with his second album, Axis: Bold as Love (1968). 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.

That same year, Hendrix performed at another 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. Hendrix even had his own recording studio in which he could work with different performers and try out new songs and sounds.

Jimi Hendrix - A Jazz Experience, Part 3

by Ludovico Granvassu
November 29, 2024

Yes, Jimi Hendrix was a rock guitar god, but he inspired scores of jazz players, and fans. After all, he is the first non-jazz musician to enter the DownBeat Hall of Fame, back in 1970 (the year of his passing). Enjoy our third and final segment of this week's tribute to Jimi Hendrix, and yet more jazz renditions of Jimi Hendrix classics.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 World ...

Radio & Podcasts

Jimi Hendrix - A Jazz Experience, Part 2

by Ludovico Granvassu
November 26, 2024

As we have been exploring how Jimi Hendrix has inspired the jazz world, this segment focuses on the connections between Hendrix and Miles Davis and musicians close to him.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Gil Evans, Laurent Cugny “Stone Free" Rhythm-a-ning (Polygram) 0:16 Host talks 10:56 Gil Evans “Gypsy Eyes" Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix (RCA Victor) 12:42 Host talks 16:25 Mike Stern “Who Knows" Give and ...

Radio & Podcasts

Jimi Hendrix - A Jazz Experience, Part 1

by Ludovico Granvassu
November 24, 2024

November is Jimi Hendrix's birth month and so we decided to focus this week's edition on jazz renditions of the Jimi Hendrix songbook. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Jimi Hendrix “The Star Spangled Banner" Live at Woodstock (Legacy) 0:16 Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra “Crosstown Traffic" Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra (First Word Excursions) 0:42 Host talks 5:21 Booker T. & the M.G.'s “Foxy Lady" Soul Limbo (Stax) 7:00 Host ...

Album Review

Jimi Hendrix: Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision

Read "Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
October 6, 2024

Dyed-in-the-wool cynics, Jimi Hendrix fans or not, may well perceive Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision as a thinly-veiled means to camouflage the reality that the late guitar hero's vault may have been archived to its fullest possible extent. But the film at the heart of the collection acts as a prism of sorts, shedding so different a light on the multi-faced music of Hendrix music, the (over) familiarity of the content allows for new perspectives on the creative ...

Album Review

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At The Hollywood Bowl – August 18, 1967

Read "Live At The Hollywood Bowl – August 18, 1967" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
November 18, 2023

The archiving of Jimi Hendrix' vault has apparently reached the point where what happens on a given release is less important than when it happened. So it is with Live At The Hollywood Bowl--August 18, 1967, the setlist for which is similar to that of his ground-breaking June '67 performance at Monterey Pop, one the late rock icon would soon come to rue as he continued live appearances beyond a short stint in July '67 opening for the ...

Album Review

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Los Angeles Forum April 26, 1969

Read "Los Angeles Forum April 26, 1969" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
November 20, 2022

The Jimi Hendrix Experience's Los Angeles Forum April 26, 1969 is an integral component of one of the earliest posthumous Jimi Hendrix anthologies, the four x CD set Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story (Reprise, 1990). Yet it appeared there in slightly truncated form, and until this standalone release, the entire concert has never been issued in its entirety. With various selections having been packaged in something of piecemeal fashion over the years, it is only now, in 2022, complete with ...

Book Review

Jimi by Janie Hendrix and John McDermott

by Doug Collette
November 8, 2022

Jimi Janie Hendrix and John McDermott 320 Pages ISBN: # 978-1797220017 Chronicle Chroma 2022 Released to coincide with what would have been Jimi Hendrix's 80th birthday, this archetypal coffee table book is yet another in a long line of biographies recounting the life and times of the archetypal guitar hero. But this one comes in the form of a combination of text and photos that, as suggested by its cover art, depicts the ...

Video / DVD

Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live At The Isle of Wight to be released on Blu-Ray for the first time ever on June 17

Source: Michael Ricci
May 20, 2014

Tuesday, June 17 will mark the first Blu-ray release of Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live At The Isle of Wight, the enrapturing film that documents the guitar legend’s August 1970 performance before an audience of 600,000. It was the largest show attendance-wise he would ever play and came just 18 days before his untimely death. Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live At The Isle of Wight, is available on Amazon and will be released by Experience Hendrix LLC and ...
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TV / Film

Legendary Jimi Hendrix Live At Woodstock Performance Set For Global Theatrical Release From November 26, 2012

Source: 1888 Media
November 12, 2012

London, UK – In Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's Birth, for the first time ever, see Jimi Hendrix’s unforgettable August 1969 Woodstock concert in select cinemas globally. This special edition theatrical presentation, under the auspices of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. has been carefully reassembled from the extensive archive of film footage helmed by Academy Award winning director Michael Wadleigh and his hand picked team of skilled camera operators and support personnel under the auspices of Experience Hendrix, LLC, ...
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Video / DVD

Historic Jimi Plays Berkeley Concert Documentary Now on Blu-Ray/DVD and Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child Blu-Ray Both Coming July 10

Source: Sony Music Entertainment/Legacy
June 3, 2012

EXPERIENCE HENDRIX LLC & LEGACY RECORDINGS RELEASING RESTORED & NEWLY EXPANDED EDITION OF HISTORIC JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY CONCERT DOCUMENTARY ON BLU-RAY AND DVD Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child Blu-ray Also Coming Tuesday, July 10 Experience Hendrix LLC and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release a restored and newly expanded edition of Jimi Plays Berkeley, on Blu-ray and DVD, on Tuesday, July 10. An historic documentary film chronicling the two concerts Jimi Hendrix performed ...
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Recording

The Complete Digital Jimi Hendrix Experience Now on the iPhone and Ipad

Source: Sony Music Entertainment/Legacy
November 18, 2011

The Free Jimi Hendrix App Brings a New Level of Interaction to Music Fans through a Digitally Immersive Artist Experience New York, NY and Denver, CO: Sony Music Entertainment and Experience Hendrix LLC today announced its Jimi Hendrix—The Complete Experience App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store. The app, developed by Universal Mind, comes just in time to commemorate the iconic artist's birthday on November 27th. With Jimi Hendrix—The Complete Experience, music lovers ...
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102

Rights

Trial To Determine Damages Suffered By Experience Hendrix In Trademark Infringement Case Set To Begin May 2, 2011

Source: Michael Ricci
March 10, 2011

Seattle, March 10, 2011—In March, 2009, Experience Hendrix, LLC, the Hendrix family-owned company founded by James A. “Al" Hendrix, father of Jimi Hendrix, entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix, filed a lawsuit against Andrew Pitsicalis and his companies. That suit, filed in Federal District Court, contended that unauthorized use of Experience Hendrix and Authentic Hendrix' trademarks by Pitsicalis, including the companies' headshot logos and Jimi Hendrix signature marks, was an infringement of those federally registered trademarks. ...
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Recording

Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero, NOW Available on DVD

Source: Just Roots PR
September 21, 2010

Image Entertainment is proud to release Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero, now available on DVD. Needing no introduction, Jimi Hendrix is world renowned for changing the landscape of rock & roll and revolutionizing the way a guitar is played. Narrated by Slash and with interviews from such rock legends as Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Crosby, Stills, Nash and more, Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero gives an essential perspective on the prodigy that was Jimi Hendrix. Synopsis: Classic Artists could not ...
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139

Book / Magazine

Jimi Hendrix: Nobody Cages Me!

Source: Corey Washington
August 23, 2010

New book shows how Jimi's music expanded deep into other genres besides Rock 40 Yrs. After his death, Jimi's influence is still felt! Augusta, GA—From author Corey Washington comes a book for die hard Hendrix fans, those sitting on the fence, and outsiders looking in. Forty years after Jimi's untimely death (Sept. 18th, 1970), Nobody Cages Me! explores his unassuming, yet ubiquitous influence over the genres of Jazz, Funk, R&B, and yes, even Hip-Hop. Jimi Hendrix is primarily looked at ...
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110

Music Industry

Exclusive Deal for Hendrix at ScatterTunes

Source: All About Jazz
March 20, 2010

Experience Hendrix, LLC in partnership with Sony Legacy inked an exclusive deal with ScatterTunes to re-release the partial catalog of Jimi Hendrix as well as his latest, “Valleys of Neptune," via their V-Album technology.

The V-Album, short for Virtual-Album, was created by ScatterTunes founder and CEO Witt Stewart of Texas. A music veteran of more than 30 years, Stewart aims to fortify catalog items with digital technology that bridges the gap between conventional releases and a product packed with bonus ...
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408

Music Industry

Jimi Hendrix's Last Days and Lost Music

Source: All About Jazz
March 20, 2010

On August 26th, 1970, Jimi Hendrix celebrated the official opening of his Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan's West Village.

It would be the last time he ever set foot in his beloved recording sanctuary; he died three weeks later in London at age 27 after ingesting a powerful dose of the sedative Vesperax.

But a month prior to the party, the man Rolling Stone would later name the Greatest Guitarist of All Time laid down a few special tracks, including ...
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109

Recording

Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune (Experience Hendrix)

Source: Master of a Small House
March 18, 2010

Please excuse the prevalence of first-person commentary in this piece, but it just seems the smoother route to go in describing my personal reactions to this release. The commodification of Hendrix continues with this latest posthumous collection of odds and sods on the Sony-licensed Experience Hendrix imprint. I've lost track of the legal-wrangling within and without the Hendrix family and at this late date it really doesn't matter that much. A few truly revelatory releases have surfaced under the Dagger ...
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