James Marshall Hendrix was born 24th November 1942. in Seattle. His love for guitars starts in early childhood. With 15 he gets his first electric guitar, and since then they are unseparated. That guitar was made for right-handed people, but since he was left-handed he made it easier to play, kinda fixed strings. In high school when he was 16 he starts a band. His musical influences are jazz and blues legends like legende kao Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Robert Johnson, and his father Al Hendrix.
After earlier come back from army he starts his music career. In the beginning he plays like backup player with some famous musicians of that age, and then he meets Ches Chandrer, bassist of group Animals, who became his manager,  goes in London and there starts a band called The Jimi Hendrix Experience. They had their first gig in Paris venue “Olympia”, and in antumn 1966. they record single “Hey Joe” which was no.6 in British charts. After that comes out the most famous Hendrix single  “purple Haze” which enters on 3rd place.
Jimi plays on charity concert Monterey Pop Festival in front of 50 000 viitors along with most famous musicians. There he proved himself as great guitarist that can do everything with guitar.
His creativity can be seen on album “Are You Experienced” which came on 2nd place of brithish charts and after festival on 5th place on American charts. He played mostly on his Fender Stratocaster and because of that creativity and ability many big guitarist could envy him.
He plays American anthem in front of 400 000 people on Woodstock,  and then he releases live album which was recorded on silvester night 1970. During concerti in New York he leaves the stage like sign of protest that he doesn’t want to play anymore with Band of Gypsies.
He comes back to London, starts to record his new album “First Ray Of The Rising Sun” with reunited groun “Experience”, and he never finishes it because of death.
18th September 1970. in hotel Smarkand in London he overdosed himself with sleeping pills at age of 27.
He stayed in memory like one of the biggest guitarists of all time, and althought we actually don’t even know number of official albums, we will always remember him because of his big hits.

Text: Maja Trstenjak (maja@venia-mag.net)