We Lost Another Genius and Free Spirit

In 1942, Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington. His
father Al raised him right. Jimi was given an acoustic guitar
at age 5. He practiced & became great with it. Then, he m-
astered the electric guitar.

He did well in school & knew that he was talented. He was
influenced by Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry,
T-Bone Walker, Ace Hall, & B.B. King. Jimi's first band
was called the Velvetones.

Jimi listened to a lot of blues, rock, folk, psychedelia, & m-
ore. He was all right with playing in the background. He hel-
ped out in bands for Little Richard & Wilson Pickett. He al-
so played with that band Curtis Night & the Squires.

Performing in the background was definitely college for Jimi.
He did learn from the best & utilized the guitar so creatively.
He stood way out for sure.

In 1961, he went to the Army, followed orders, jumped out
of a plane, broke his ankle, & got booted out. Of course, h-
is main option was to return to music. It was surely his de-
stiny.

He was intelligent and focused. He continued assisting in
ground-breaking acts. Colette Harron & Faye Pridgon are
still foxy ladies, & they were Jimi's friends. HAH-HAH!!!!

In 1966, he went to explore in London, England. He alrea-
dy knew musicians like Ellen McIlwaine. Jimi wanted to s-
pread his wings. He got an apartment with his girlfriend. He
liked walking around to clubs, bars, taverns, and pubs.

He met folks from all walks of life. Chas Chandler & Mike
Jeffery recognized Jimi's talents. Chas was a former band
member of the Animals. Mike had connections in the rec-
ord industry. The 3 of them decided to do business togeth-
er. Jimi already knew Mike though.

Mike ended up being the main manager but Chas had m-
anaging duties too. Jimi was already being featured in ban-
ds and doing his own shows. He just needed folks to und-
erstand his techniques & sincerely back him up consisten-
tly.

Jimi did meet the owner of Track Records & made an aw-
esome deal with him. Of course, that deal allowed Jimi to
maintain 100% creative control. HA!

He met Noel Redding & Mitch Mitchell & they clicked in-
stantly. Those three formed a band called Jimi Hendrix E-
xperience. Eddie Kramer was Jimi's true friend & engine-
er who helped them create their masterpieces.

The band did work very hard in rehearsals & their shows.
They built a large fan-base quickly. They did bold tours &
made classics that still resonate strongly.

Jimi met the Rolling Stones & the Beatles. He even did
a rocking rendition of the Beatles' song that is called: “S-
gt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band!” HAH!!! Jimi did it b-
ecause he knew that his cover songs were interesting. He
got most of his fame in England & then received more in
every other country.

In 1967, the Jimi Hendrix Experience performed at the Mo-
nterrey Pop Festival. They also played at that Top of the P-
ops. There was nothing pop about their music though. They
remained raw through it all and still was extremely success-
ful.

In 1968, they did their first major tour. They completed 57 g-
igs in 55 days & rocked very hard. After finding out that Bil-
ly Cox was going to be an additional bass/electric guitar pl-
ayer for the band, Noel left/bailed.

Billy was like a brother to Jimi & they were in the Army toge-
ther. Billy is still gifted too. They totally trusted each other. T-
hose are the reasons why Jimi offered him the position. Noel
moved on to do harmonizing elsewhere.

In 1969, Jimi formed another band called Gypsy Sun & The
Rainbows. It consisted of Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, Jerry
Velez, Billy Cox, Juma Sultan, & Larry Lee. They also rock-
ed very hard and added many more layers to Jimi's sound.

He did a special rendition of the Star Spangled banner. He d-
id it at Woodstock '69 and that fest was the brightest spot of
his career.

In 1970, he kept on expanding his sound and getting better. J-
imi formed another raw band called Band of Gypsys. It includ-
ed him, Billy Cox, & Buddy Miles. They played at that Isle of
Wight Festival in London. They performed at a fest in Germa-
ny a few hours later.

That year, he had some folks build that Electric Lady Studios.
Kramer certainly was in charge of creating it. Chas and Mike
could not control Jimi or get him to conform. Jimi always ma-
de the music the way the he wanted to.

He was not concerned about what was popular or his fame.
Jimi was a great businessman even though he was not inte-
nsely focused on that business side of it.

Ever since he was a kid, he usually had a guitar strapped onto
him ready to play. HAH! That made him one of the best guitar
players ever. He had so many ideas & innovations because he
let his imagination run wild.

Jimi was never selfish or egotistical. He was fully able to include
suggestions from any band member. Noel can even testify to th-
at. HA!

He got an apartment in the Village area of New York, walked a-
round without bodyguards, and walked around without an entou-
rage. He went to local pubs, clubs, and bars to hang out & meet
people.

Then, Jimi went back to London to spend time with his girlfriend.
He was getting fed up with his fame and the pressure. He always
had problems sleeping. He consumed too many sleeping pills. Ji-
mi went to rest and never woke up.

He died at age 27, just as he was making more deep lyrics & dif-
ferent sounds. Jimi Hendrix passed away September 18, 1970. We
lost another genius and free spirit.