Johnny Allen Hendrix was born on the 27th of November 1942. His mom called him that, but his dad soon changed his name to James Marshall ‘’Jimi’’ Hendrix. He was one of the most well-known American guitar players.
He was also a singer and a songwriter and he has been recognized as one of the greatest musicians in the world.
Continue reading and discover all these amazing facts about Jimi Hendrix.
Jimi Hendrix Facts
1. Jimi Hendrix’s background history is very interesting
Hendrix was born in Seattle, and his mom was a Cherokee Indian and his father was Al Hendrix, a soldier who was fighting in World War II by the time he was born.
His father returned to America from Europe in 1945, and he soon divorced Jimi’s mom. His dad took him away from his mom, and he raised him.
Apparently, the first instrument Jimi tried was a ukulele, and he was soon trying to convince his dad to buy him a guitar.
2. Jimi Hendrix’s dad encouraged his talents in music
Jimi Hendrix’s dad bought him his first guitar when he was only 15 years old. A year later, Al bought Jimi his second guitar which was an electric guitar.
An interesting fact about Jimi Hendrix is that he was self-taught and he couldn’t even read music. Despite this, he succeeded and became one of the greatest guitar players that have ever existed.
It has been said that Hendrix used to play his guitar upside-down because he was left-handed and it was much easier for him to play this way.
Even though his dad was quite happy when Jimi entered the U.S Forces, he would still be supportive of his son whenever he played music.
3. Jimi Hendrix was a workaholic
Hendrix used to work as a session guitarist for many international bands. He used to present himself as Jimmy James, as he hadn’t really discovered his true talent nor his direction in terms of his musical career.
By the end of 1965, Hendrix had been playing with Ike and Tina Turner, The Isley Brothers, Sam Cooke, and Little Richard.
Hendrix was able to experiment a lot during these years and he became known for his innovative and wild guitar playing techniques.
Jimi was always playing his guitar. In fact, he would take his instruments wherever he would go, and people were always asking him to play because it was a truly amazing experience to watch him come to live with his skills.
4. Jimi Hendrix spent some time in England
Hendrix arrived at Heathrow in September 1966. And this was the moment when it actually hit him: he was soon becoming a famous rock star as all his work was finally paying off.
It was during his time in London when he went from being called Jimmy James to being known as Jimi Hendrix.
Shortly after arriving in London, Jimi had an opportunity he couldn’t refuse as he was asked to play his guitar on stage alongside Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce.
However, it was also during his stay in London that things got a little bit wilder in Hendrix’s personal life, mainly because he started drinking a lot of alcohol and he was doing drugs alongside other artists.
5. Jimi Hendrix moved back to the United States
After a short stay in London, Hendrix decided it was time to move back to his country.
But he felt really misunderstood and he didn’t find his way in the United States. He kept on drinking and consuming drugs, and, on top of that, he started to steal some cars, an interesting Jimi Hendrix fact. He was caught up and a judge gave him the choice to either serve time in prison or serve his country in the Army.
Of course, he chose the freedom of being in the forces. This was before the Vietnam War got into full swing, so things weren’t really that hectic and Hendrix thought this was going to be an easier punishment.
He enlisted himself in the United States’ Paratrooper Division, but, he later claimed that he had been medically discharged because he had an accident during his training.
6. Jimi Hendrix had a volatile temperament
At the Monterey Pop Festival, which happened in 1967, Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire, and he was truly happy to do so.
His shows were always filled with energy and that’s why his fans loved him so much. He created a performance that would never be forgotten.
He headlined many festivals, and he played over 600 shows all over the world from 1966 to 1970.
He even left the tour in the middle of a concert where he was the opening show for The Monkees. He later explained that he felt the tour was a disaster and that he didn’t really feel comfortable when playing.
7. Jimi Hendrix was all people would talk about after seeing him live
Hendrix was outrageous and his personality really shone through his music. He had incredible guitar playing techniques and he was often showing off when playing with his teeth or when he would put the guitar behind his back.
An interesting fact about Jimi Hendrix is that he would also play without even touching the strings of his guitar and he pretty much always played his Fender Stratocaster guitar upside down as he was left-handed.
He was a showman and he loved it, but this was only a part of him. Deep inside he had a lot of problems and he wasn’t able to solve them.
Conclusion
Hendrix died in London on September 18, 1970. He died when he was only 27 years old, and he became part of the ‘’27 club’’ which are a group of artists, athletes and actors who died at this age.
Hendrix wasn’t feeling well before his death. In fact, people were worried about him as he looked really fragile and ill. He had aspirated on his own vomit after taking Barbiturate.
No musician has compared to Jimi Hendrix as he was truly unique and incredible at what he did.
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