How Did Jimi Hendrix Influence Society

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Jimi Hendrix was one of the biggest musical influences of the 1960’s. His music delighted audiences throughout the world due to his impeccable guitar playing ability and unique sound. Because he was unable to read or write sheet music, it is incredible that his rise to fame happened in just 4 short years. His music continues to influence artists throughout the world, from Miles Davis to Eric Clapton. This report will present information about the musical phenomenon that was Jimi Hendrix, specifically his childhood, his rise to fame, and how his musical language has influenced hundreds of other artists throughout the music industry.

This paragraph will discuss Jimi Hendrix’s background. Born on November 27th

as Johnny Allen Hendrix, (later changed to James Marshall by his father), he took an interest in music at a very young age. In the summer of 1958, his father purchased Little Jimmy, (Hendrix’s childhood nickname), his first guitar, an acoustic. Soon after, Jimmy joined his first band, “The Velvetones.” Hendrix said goodbye after 3 months to pursue his own interests, and was soon after given another guitar from his father, his first electric, which he used when joining The Rocking Kings. In 1961, Hendrix made the bold decision to enlist in the army. Even while in the army, Hendrix’s mind was solely on music. When stationed in Kentucky, Hendrix formed a band entitled The King Casuals, with Billy Cox, who played the bass. Shortly afterwards, Hendrix was discharged due to an injury resulting from a parachute jump.
This section will examine Jimi Hendrix’s rise to fame.

After leaving the army, Hendrix began working as a session guitarist under the persona “Jimmy James.” Hendrix landed multiple gigs with big acts, such as Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, and the Isley Brothers just to name a few. Hendrix thereafter formed his own band, “Jimmy James and the Blues Flames”, changing his role from backup guitarist to the spotlight of lead guitar. Throughout 1965 and 1966, his band played at different venues in Greenwich Village, at one point, meeting and conversing with “Animals’” bassist Chas Chandler, who later signed Hendrix to an agreement to form a new band in London. First changing Hendrix’s persona to “Jimi,” Chandler assembled Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which quickly became the talk of London in the fall of 1966. The first single released by The Experience, “Hey Joe,” sat in the UK charts for ten weeks, capping out at No. 6. “Hey Joe” was quickly followed by the release of their first full-length album, “Are You Experienced,” an artistic, psychedelic compilation of music fueled by voices of a generation. “Are You Experienced” remains one of the best-selling albums of all time, featuring hits like “Purple Haze,” and “Foxy Lady”. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was astoundingly successful in Britain, however, they were an even bigger success in America. After performing at the Monterey International Pop Festival, The Jimi Hendrix

Experience became an overnight success. Following “Are You Experienced” came “Axis: Bold as Love,” in which Hendrix took control of the production in their own studio, “Electric Lady Studios” in New York City. Despite their overwhelming success, the stress of their music production along with their hectic touring schedule caused the group to go their separate ways in 1968. Be that as it may, 1969 arguably brought more musical growth to Jimi Hendrix than any other year of his life. He performed at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in the summer of 1969, joining forces with a groovy ensemble known as “Gypsy Sun and Rainbows.” The performance was topped off with a renegade version of “Star Spangled Banner,” which brought the exhausted and mud-covered audience into a frenzy. The year 1969 also gave rise to many ground-breaking collaborations, which made way for an album entitled “Hendrix: Live At The Fillmore East,” in 1999. In 1970, Hendrix brought back drummer Mitch Mitchell, and with Billy Cox on bass, the reunited trio was once again, “The Jimi Hendrix Experience.” The band began recording several tracks for another album, entitled “First Rays of the New Rising Sun.” Sadly, Hendrix was never able to see this vision become a reality, with his crazy touring schedule and then tragic death due to overdose on September 18, 1970. Fortunately, years later, the recordings that “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” produced for “First Rays of the New Rising Sun” were issued through the support of his family in 1997.
This segment will break down the style of Jimi Hendrix’s music and explain its effect on other musicians, from 1970-present day.

Jimi Hendrix best-liked overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain, and helped to develop the previously ill-favored technique of “guitar amplifier feedback,” which is resonance of the guitar looping over and over. He also popularized the use of the “wah-wah pedal” in mainstream rock, and was the first artist to use stereophonic phasing effects in musical recordings. Musicians before him had experimented with distortion and amplifier feedback, but Hendrix turned those effects into a “fluid vocabulary,” as Holly George-Warren of Rolling Stone commented. Because of his groundbreaking sound, many popular artists used his music as inspiration and followed in his footsteps, such as David Bowie, who wrote songs inspired directly by Hendrix, Dave Grohl of “Nirvana,” and “The Foo Fighters,” and Slash of “Guns and Roses,” who said that his exposure to Hendrix’s music at a young age motivated him to pick up the

guitar.
This report has reviewed the life and influence of Jimi Hendrix, from his upbringing, to his rise to fame, and his large influence on rock and roll music that we know today. Jimi Hendrix produced an amazing collection of songs in his short-lived career, embracing styles of music ranging from jazz, to blues and ballads, to rock. Although Hendrix passed at a very young age, his legacy will continue to live in the music that he created and inspired.