House Burning Down: A Deep Dive Retrospective of Jimi Hendrix
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Anyone with even a passing familiarity with rock music knows the name, Jimi Hendrix. He is widely considered one of, if not the, greatest rock guitarist of all time. This stature is because of his technical proficiency but more so as the person who revolutionized how the guitar was played, and by extension how rock music was heard and perceived. Hendrix launched new genres and inspired legions of players by his incredible music and talent.
The Playlist
“Testify” (parts 1 & 2)
“Mercy, Mercy”
“My Diary”
“Stone Free”
“51st Anniversary”
“Highway Chile”
“Can You See Me”
“Love or Confusion”
“Remember”
“Ain’t No Telling”
“She’s So Fine”
“Little Miss Lover”
“Little Miss Strange”
“Long Hot Summer Night”
“Rain Day, Dream Away”
“Still Raining, Still Dreaming”
“House Burning Down”
“Izabella”
However, I was inspired to turn to this profile at this time after recently watching a YouTube video of Police drummer, Stewart Copeland, talking about his favourite drummers. Hendrix’ drummer, Mitch Mitchell, was one of his choices. This wasn’t the first time I’ve heard Mitchell get such praise, and it served to remind me how much there was to explore within the Hendrix discography. Of course, there was Jimi’s virtuosity, but there was his dextrous mix of styles and genres, ably delivered with the top-notch accompaniment of his band, Mitchell and bassist, Noel Redding.
I got into Hendrix in the late 1980s when I went through a classic rock phase late in high school. I bought a couple compilation albums for my vinyl collection and taped Electric Ladyland from my brother’s record collection. I have also been aware of pieces of Hendrix’ biography – born in Seattle, a stint in the army, his discovery in the UK, his untimely death – but have never dove in to put the whole picture together. So, as we do here at Ceremony, we’ll focus on the music but also place it within the context of his intriguing biography.
For this playlist we’ll take the ‘deep dive’ approach, as we usually do with such prolific artists. We’ll eschew the well-known hits and utilize the deeper tracks to explore the music. Of course, given Jimi’s brief career and limited output, combined with the copious releases of his music over the past fifty years, there is nary a song that hasn’t been well-exposed, so compiling a playlist of ‘lesser known’ tracks is impossible. Even the least played songs on his albums have millions of plays on Spotify.
“Testify” (parts 1 & 2) \ Single by The Isley Brothers (1964)
“Mercy, Mercy” \ Mercy! by Don Covay & The Goodtimers (1965)
“My Diary” \ Single by Rosa Lee Brooks (1965)
Hendrix’ father, James Allen Hendrix (known as ‘Al’), was born in Vancouver to American parents, but moved to Seattle when he was twenty-one. It was there he met Lucille Jeter, whose family lineage was descended from slaves. Jimi was their first-borne, arriving in late 1942 as Johnny Allen Hendrix and while Al was in basic training in Alabama in support of WWII.
Lucille struggled raising the kids on her own, enlisting her mother, Clarice, to raise Johnny. Clarice suffered a bout of tuberculosis, so Johnny lived with a friend in Berkely, CA. Upon Al’s return from service in 1945, he returned Johnny to Seattle. The two lived with Lucille’s sister, Delores, and her three kids. Suspecting Johnny’s name had been derived from a man in which Lucille had had an affair, Al changed Johnny’s name to James Marshall. Shortly after, Lucille sought reconciliation with Al and the family was reunited.
Thereafter, there were more comings and goings as Al travelled for business and more children were born, though not all from the marriage as Lucille continued to have affairs. She also took the children on trips or disappeared for days at a time. One can only imagine the kind of upbringing James had during this time. Al and Lucille divorced in 1950, and Al took custody of the children.
A picture of Jimmy, reportedly at 15 with his first guitar
James reportedly took up the guitar in 1957, at the age of fifteen. Al bought him the guitar, a difficult feat given their impoverished existence at the time. James taught himself by learning contemporary songs. He was a left-handed player, but such guitars were very hard to find. Thus, he learned to play a right-handed guitar from the left side, having to flip it around and upside down to do so. He learned to re-string the guitar to accommodate the left-handed approach. This was not unusual for lefties, so Hendrix was not the first to do this. However, he maintained this approach for his entire career, becoming the most famous guitarist to play in this style.
Jimmy Hendrix in the army, armed with his guitar
After dropping out of high school and being caught several times riding in stolen cars, James agreed to enlist in the army as an alternative to being sentenced to jail time. He struggled in the face of the restrictive and disciplined lifestyle, avoiding his duties in favour of his guitar. He played in musical acts on the army bases. After a year, it was clear to the army that James was not going make a worthwhile soldier. He was honourably discharged in 1962, now at the age of twenty.
Hendrix was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and upon release made the short trek to Clarksville, Tennessee. He formed a band, the King Kasuals, and after playing around town, eventually moved down to Nashville. He became a session player, sitting in with many eventual legendary R&B and blues acts on what was known as the ‘Chitlin’ Circuit.’
Hendrix, on left, in Nashville
James, by now more commonly known as Jimmy, moved to New York in January ’64 and settled in Harlem. This began a two-year stint of playing in various bands behind more established artists, especially after he established himself by winning an amateur talent contest at The Apollo. He toured with The Isley Brothers, Little Richard (as part of his backing band, the Upsetters), Curtis Knight and the Squires, and Joey Dee and the Starliters. He made his first television appearance in July 1965 with the Upsetters, backing singers Buddy and Stacy for a performance on Night Train.
Hendrix performing in Harlem, circa 1965
This period also saw Jimmy’s initial studio recordings. First was on the Isley Brothers 1964 two-part single, “Testify.” A couple months later he sat in on Don Covay’s single, “Mercy Mercy” (a song I admittedly have known better for The Rolling Stones cover). Hendrix’ involvement in this recording was mostly a rumour since Covay was inconsistent in acknowledging his contribution. Since 2002, it has been generally accepted after other participants in the recording confirmed that Hendrix not only played, but came up with the guitar part. Hendrix also performed the song regularly in his appearances around New York during that time and later in his early days with his own band.
The next recording was on Little Richard’s, “I Don’t Know What You Got (But It’s Me),” another song penned by Don Covay. It was recorded in Los Angeles, leading Hendrix to spend some time there, during which he connected with singer, Rosa Lee Brooks, who invited him to play on her single, “My Diary” (he also played on the B-side, “Utee”). The song was written by Arthur Lee from the band, Love, creating another notable connection for Hendrix in the burgeoning rock world. These early tracks are interesting in that Hendrix’ style was only subtlety present. Playing others’ music that adhered closely to R&B styles limited the extent to which Jimmy could employ his skills. Clearly skilled at this point, he gave the songs what they needed, but the guitar parts didn’t stand out with distinction. The intro to “My Diary” does have some hints of Hendrix’ elements, indicating his style was emerging.
There were further recordings for other artists as well as Jimmy signing two concurrent recording contracts. The first was in 1965, a two-year contract with Sue Records and Copa Management, and then later in the year he signed a three-year deal with Ed Chalpin, who owned the label for Curtis Knight and The Squires. Hendrix and Knight recorded upwards of thirty tracks together, resulting in several singles being issued under The Squires’ name. However, in 1967 as Hendrix was getting popular, Chalpin licensed the tracks for release through Capitol Records, resulting in the LP, Get that Feeling, which was jointly credited to Hendrix and Knight. These would be the first recordings under Jimmy’s own name.
The contracts were evidence people saw Hendrix as a viable solo artist. This would be tested when he moved down to Greenwich Village in 1966 and landed a residency at the club, Café Wha? He assembled a band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, which included Randy California, who would form the band, Spirit, a year later. In addition to Café Wha? the band would play other clubs around New York, during which Hendrix evolved his playing towards the more expressive and expansive style of R&B and blues that would become his trademark.
“Stone Free” \ B-side to “Hey Joe” (1966)
“51st Anniversary” \ B-side to “Purple Haze” (1967)
“Highway Chile” \ B-side to “The Wind Cries Mary” (1967)
Hendrix met Keith Richards’ girlfriend, Linda Keith, who was taken by Jimmy’s playing. She introduced him to Chas Chandler, bassist of the UK band, The Animals. Chas felt Jimmy’s cover of the Billy Roberts song, “Hey Joe,” would make a good single, and offered to manage and record Jimmy if he’d come to London. Therefore, in September 1966, Hendrix crossed the Atlantic.
Chandler’s first prominent contribution to Hendrix’ career was suggesting he change the spelling of his name to the more distinctive, Jimi. The second contribution was assembling him a band, christened ‘The Jimi Hendrix Experience.’ Guitarist Noel Redding, who had auditioned for the Animals as part of Eric Burdon’s assembling of a new line-up, agreed to come on as a bassist. Mitch Mitchell was hired on drums, having recently been fired from the band, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames (apparently a popular band name at the time!). The trio’s shared love for R&B helped them gel as they began playing around London, scoring some opening slots on tours as they came through town. This led to them signing with Track Records, the label of The Who’s management team, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp.
The Experience’s first recording was the cover of, “Hey Joe,” issued as a single backed by the Hendrix-penned tune, “Stone Free.” The ultra-bluesy, “Hey Joe,” revealed Jimi’s loose, rough style and impressively expressive soloing. It also nicely showed off his very capable vocal abilities, similarly loose and honest, just like his guitar work. “Stone Free” was a more rocking tune but that also leveraged the band’s versatile capabilities, utilizing jazzy choruses against sparse verses and explosive turns. The single was released in December 1966 and delivered The Experience a top ten hit in the UK. It was released the following May in the US but failed to catch on.
As the band played around the UK and Europe, they started to turn heads with Jimi’s impressive playing and increasingly showy style that included destroying his guitar (à la The Who) as well as playing with his teeth and behind the back (tricks he’d long since learned going back to his Chitlin’ circuit days). The psychedelic era was exploding and Jimi’s colourful fashions made for an eye-catching performance that matched the showy music.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967: Mitch Mitchell, Jimi, and Noel Redding
Two more original singles followed in the spring of ’67, “Purple Haze” and “The Wind Cries Mary,” both of which reached the UK top ten. While “The Wind Cries Mary” was a beautiful, bluesy ballad that, much like “Hey Joe,” captured the band in their laid back, sultry best, “Purple Haze” was something else. It would arguably become Hendrix’ signature tune, but with its jarring intro, psychedelic tone, undecipherable lyrics, and the raw, searing guitar-work, the track set itself apart from everything else on the radio. While the UK embraced it, sending it to #3 in the singles chart, it failed to crack the top forty in the US when released in the summer.
This playlist features the B-sides for those singles. “51st Anniversary” was on the flipside of “Purple Haze” in the UK and “Hey Joe” in the US. A more rough and ready tune along the lines of “Stone Free,” it was no less impressive in showcasing The Experience’s mix of bluesy structures enhanced with raw edges. “Highway Chile” backed “The Wind Cries Mary” for the UK release and was another psych-tinged rocker, but this time riding a more pop-styled rhythm. It fit with the mid-‘60s garage rock styles of The Kinks or The Yardbirds.
“Can You See Me”; “Love or Confusion”; “Remember” \ Are You Experienced? (1967)
Hendrix and The Experience’s shows around the UK quickly burnished their growing reputation as entertaining and extraordinary players. It was during this time that Hendrix first set his guitar on fire, a distinct alternative than smashing it, and a move that seemed to better match his fiery playing.
So, as the band recorded their first LP, Are You Experienced?¸ released in the UK in May 1967, let’s talk about Jimi’s playing. In the early tracks on this playlist, it’s clear he played consistent to the rock styles of the early ‘60s. The British Invasion had evolved the basic structures of the early rock ‘n’ roll sound by embracing and amplifying the rawer, more energetic elements of its R&B and blues inspirations. Jimi started in this mold of simpler playing, but once free to explore his talent within his own music, blew past the confines of the established rock strictures.
Over the course of 1966 and early 1967, the advent of psychedelic music was re-shaping the rock universe. The Beatles released Rubber Soul in December 1965, Revolver in August of ’66, and then Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on May 26, 1967 (two weeks after the release of Are You Experienced?). Along with Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, released in May 1966, The Doors self-titled debut in January ’67, and Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane in February ’67, rock was being redefined as an art form through experimentation, increased complexity, and inventive musicianship.
Hendrix, Redding, and Mitchell were in step with this musical revolution. Mitchell’s jazzy drumming was the perfect compliment to Jimi’s freneticism, while Redding’s smooth basslines underpinned the deep, bluesy foundations of the songs. The psychedelic movement focused on the entire sound of the band, using instrumentation to combine and interweave sounds into a surrealistic and trippy whole, often enhanced by increasingly ambitious studio and mixing techniques. While guitar solos were not unusual in the blues, and were a feature of rock, they traditionally were short and contained, serving only to enhance a track or offer a brief interlude. For certain, the electric guitar was the focal point of the rock sound, and there could be complexity and brilliance, but usually in subtle and contained ways. Jimi’s style took the guitar to new heights in the rock realm. His ability to move from smooth melodies to nearly chaotic solos, to shape entire songs around the sound of his guitar, were approaches few had dared to try much less accomplish. After Hendrix, styles such as prog rock and heavy metal were suddenly possible by freeing guitar musicianship from the leash of the pop song formula.
The Experience in 1967
Are You Experienced? went to #2 in the UK album chart and #5 in the US after its release there in August. No singles were issued from the LP in the UK, while “Foxy Lady” (spelled “Foxey” in the US), was issued in the US in December. It failed to crack the top forty. Yet, despite the lack of singles, the LP still featured several tracks that would become some of the band’s most classic tunes, such as “Manic Depression,” I Don’t Live Today,” “Fire,” and the ambitiously psychedelic, sonic experimentations of “3rd Stone from the Sun” and the LP’s title track. The album moved seamlessly between psychedelic rock, pop, jazz, and blues, revealing the dexterity and skill of the trio.
Our playlist focuses on three of the album’s less featured tracks, but which still exemplify the album’s various styles. “Can You See Me” was a straight-up rocker, mixing blues-pop with Mitchell’s lively drums and Jimi’s colourful accents. “Love or Confusion” picks up on the psych-rock sound, featuring extended musical interludes and solos. The Experience was especially strong when it came to the down-tempo tracks, using the space of the slower pacing to let their deep rhythms and rich layers drive home stirring ballads. The mid-tempo, “Remember,” gave us a taste of that, with Jimi flitting around on top of the chugging, heavy rhythm.
The North American release added the prior singles, “Purple Haze,” “Hey Joe,” and “The Wind Cries Mary” to make it an even more impressive album. However, sacrificed the alternative rewards of “Red House,” “Can You See Me,” and “Remember.” This made the US release a bit more of a singles compilation than the proper LP of the UK release.
“Ain’t No Telling”; “She’s So Fine”; “Little Miss Lover” \ Axis: Bold as Love (1967)
In June 1967, rock had a major coming out moment in the US via the three-day Monterey Pop Festival. The quiet California town down the coast from San Francisco celebrated the ‘summer of love’ by featuring the first prominent performances by the likes of The Who, Ravi Shankar, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, and after Paul McCartney coerced the organizers to add them to the bill, The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Along with four originals, The Experience performed covers of Howlin’ Wolf’s, “Killing Floor,” “Wild Thing,” written by Chip Taylor but made famous The Troggs, and Dylan’s, “Like A Rolling Stone.” His renditions of these popular tunes made for an electric and memorable performance, but when he set his guitar on fire, the first time he’d done it in such a prominent spotlight, a legendary rock moment was created. Hendrix was quickly being established as a prominent presence in the fast-changing rock world, and he hadn’t even released his first album in the US yet (the debut LP came out three months later).
Images of Jimi performing at the Monterey Pop Festival, with his guitar on fire, are now an iconic part of rock history
In August, a non-album single was released in the UK, “Burning of the Midnight Lamp,” which cracked the top twenty. It was a wonderful, psychedelic ballad that perfectly combined the artistry of Jimi’s playing with the psych-rock sounds of era.
The second album, Axis: Bold As Love, came out on December 1, 1967, less than six months after the debut. It was issued a month later in the US on January 15, 1968. Same as the first, it reached the top ten in both the UK and US. Once again, no singles were issued from it in the UK, while in February, the jaunty, blues-jazz, “Up from the Skies” was released in the US. It was an odd choice for a single and barely cracked the top 100 in the US.
A more moody, experimental offering, the album had less sensational offerings than their prior output. “Spanish Castle Magic,” “Little Wing,” “Castles Made of Sand,” and the closing title track, “Bold as Love,” would establish themselves as new editions to Hendrix’s roster of classic rock tunes. The album opened with, “Exp,” featuring trippy spoken word parts, stereo panning, guitar feedback, and an overall unstructured psychedelic sonic soundscape. It announced the album as something wholly different, not just from The Experience but from the rest of the rock genre. This was a year ahead of The Beatles self-titled album, the ‘White Album’ that included a similar track, “Revolution 9”.
Our three playlist tracks capture the album’s nuances. “Ain’t No Telling” was a peppy, pop-rock tune. “She’s So Fine” was a track about hippies, written and sung by Redding. It fit with the psych-pop style of the late ‘60s, and would fit with a band like The Monkees, an act the band would briefly tour with in 1967. “Little Miss Lover” was in the true classic rock mold, mixing bluesy rhythms with edgy guitar.
“Little Miss Strange”; “Long Hot Summer Night”; “Rain Day, Dream Away”; “Still Raining, Still Dreaming”; “House Burning Down” \ Electric Ladyland (1968)
After the hectic schedule of recording and touring throughout 1967, the band retreated to the studio for much of the first half of 1968. Eventually moving the recording from their usual Olympic Studios in London to the new Record Plant Studio in New York, it saw Hendrix in a more labourious and collaborative state, both of which served to extend the recording timelines due to the many re-takes and a who’s-who list of guest musicians involved. During the extended recording period Redding shifted his focus to his new band, Fat Mattress, and thus was featured much less on the LP.
Electric Ladyland
Released in October 1968, this time just a week apart in the UK and US, the result of the year’s recording was an epic, double LP, Electric Ladyland. It was their third consecutive top ten in the UK, but in the US scored the band their first #1 LP. This time there would be singles from the LP in both the US and UK. The first preceded the LP, issued in September in the US. It was a cover of Bob Dylan’s, “All Along the Watchtower,” and was a monumental offering. Amazingly, it only barely reached the US top twenty, but would reach #5 in the UK when released a month later. “Crosstown Traffic” was the LP’s other single, released in both the US and UK in 1968, it only just barely reached the top forty in the UK.
Clearly, The Experience was not a singles band, though continued to contribute some of the greatest rock tracks of all time. This LP, along with the singles, added “Have You Ever Been (to Electric Ladyland)” and “Gypsy Eyes,” and included the prior single, “Burning of the Midnight Lamp.” It also featured two tracks of the song, “Voodoo Chile.” The first version was a fifteen-minute blues-jam that included Steve Winwood (from Traffic) on organ and Jack Casady (from Jefferson Airplane) on bass. The second, “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” (spelled “Child” in the UK) was a rocking version that was an instant classic, featuring some of Jimi’s most distinctive playing. It featured significant use of the wah pedal, a frequently used tool for Hendrix and thus helped popularize it. It was reportedly introduced to him by Frank Zappa in 1967, though there are competing histories on this.
To capture the breadth and feel of the double album, we feature five tracks on the playlist. “Little Miss Strange” was a psychedelic pop track written and sung by Noel Redding and featured great guitar and drum sequences and tempo shifts. “Long Hot Summer Night” was a classic Hendrix slow track, capturing a sultry blues feel. “Rain Day, Dream Away” was a jazzy shuffle, a loose jam showcasing the variety The Experience could bring to an album, where you could imagine you’d just dropped in on an impromptu session. It also featured some rare sax on a Hendrix track, provided by Freddie Smith, that was also included on “Still Raining, Still Dreaming,” another jam but more in the psych-rock mold that was heavy on Jimi’s guitar flamboyance. Finally, we check out “House Burning Down,” the second track on side four preceding the bombastic duo finish of “All Along the Watchtower” and “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return).” It was a mix of a marching rock track with psych-rock choruses and the stereo panning and effects established on the prior LP. It showed how the band could move effortlessly between styles, tempos, and harness the full range of their immense talents.
“Izabella” \ B-side to “Stepping Stone” (1970)
1966 through to 1970 was a tumultuous period of change across various facets of society, and that was certainly the case for popular music across Europe and North America. By the end of 1969, Hendrix had established himself at the leading edge of rock’s evolution and revolution when it came to skill and pushing the genre’s sonic boundaries. As a black man, he continued in the traditions of the blues and R&B artists that had created the foundations of rock music, while still carving his own distinct brand both musically and visually in an emerging style of rock that was more aggressive, creative, and flamboyant.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience toured in promotion of the Electric Ladyland album, completing a European leg early in ’69. Over the spring, the gradual separation of Noel Redding and Hendrix culminated in a final recording session and Noel’s departure. Jimi’s increasing control over the band’s writing and musical direction had pushed Redding out, along with the increased use of guest guitarists, not to mention the seeming direct replacement of Noel with Billy Cox. Whether it was Jimi needing to move past the musical bounds of the Experience trio, or the natural challenges of keeping such talented and creative people together, it appeared the time for The Experience was over.
The first compilation album for the band, Smash Hits, was released in 1968 in the UK and then in July of 1969 in the US. “Stone Free” was released as a single in the US and in late ’69, “Let Me Light Your Fire” (a re-naming of “Fire” from the first LP) was issued in the UK. They did not chart.
Performing at Woodstock
In August 1969, Hendrix headlined the Woodstock festival, famed for its large audience and impressive line-up of acts. Originally scheduled to play the festival’s closing on Sunday night, Hendrix didn’t end up hitting the stage until Monday morning and to a much diminished audience. Using an expanded line-up that included Mitchell and Cox, he identified his line-up as, ‘Band of Gypsys.’ Famously, he opened with the now iconic solo guitar rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, adding yet another musical touchstone to the 1960s.
While his original contract with Sue Records expired by the time his career took hold in England, the contract with Ed Chalpin was still in effect and caused legal complications and outstanding obligations for Hendrix. An agreement was struck that Chalpin would release a new LP of original material from Jimi. This was addressed after Hendrix assembled a new trio with Billy Cox and drummer, Buddy Miles. They performed four shows on December 31 and January 1, marking the end of the decade. Out of those shows a live album of all new songs was released, Band of Gypsys. Released in March 1970, it reached the top ten in both the US and UK. Then in May, the Woodstock soundtrack was released featuring Hendrix’s performance. The album reached #1 in the US, an impressive feat for a triple album of live music. The Gypsys trio would play one more show for a benefit and then be disbanded.
In between those live releases, the single “Stepping Stone” was issued in the US under the trio’s name. Not known at the time, it would be the last release from Jimi. The B-side was the song, “Izabella.” A funk-rock track with a harmonic backing vocals and Hendrix’ usual pyrotechnics on the guitar. Unhappy with the recording, Hendrix had it withdrawn before it reached the charts.
Performing on the ‘Cry of Love’ tour, 1970
Through the spring of 1970, Jimi worked on new material. His manager, Michael Jeffery, made an attempt to reunite The Experience, which fell through. In the summer he did a tour through the US dubbed ‘Cry of Love,’ including several festival dates where he played in front of huge crowds, proving the immense draw his music now achieved.
Jimi had purchased the Generation Club, a nightclub in New York’s Greenwich Village, which he planned to re-open after doing work on it. However, given his penchant for extended and expensive recording sessions, it was decided to instead convert it into a recording studio. In the summer of 1970, it was opened as Electric Lady Studios, where Hendrix started on new recordings.
He then travelled to Europe where he continued his tour, which was fraught with problems as Jimi’s performances were uneven and shows were cut short or cancelled. Jimi had always lived a live of excess, including plenty of alcohol and drugs, and the lifestyle along with his constant work – now three years on since his ascension to the upper ranks of the rock world – were coming to bear on his career.
After concluding the tour on September 16, Hendrix returned to London and the apartment of his then girlfriend, German figure skater, Monika Dannemann. After being up all night, they went to sleep early in the morning, during which time Hendrix took a high dosage of sleeping pills. Waking a few hours later, Monika found Jimi unconscious and unresponsive. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance and died a couple hours later. The cause was determined as asphyxiation from vomit.
Hendrix’ death followed that of Brian Jones of The Stones by a year. Janis Joplin followed barely two weeks after Jimi, and then Jim Morrison met his untimely end nine months later – all at the age of 27. Thus, the legend of the ‘27 Club’ was established, since widened to capture anyone of any era or artistic endeavour that passed at that auspicious age.
Dying young, at the height of his career, and as the 1960s were giving way to the new decade, Jimi Hendrix has been forever encapsulated as the most emblematic of the ‘60s culture of psychedelia, drugs, and the blossoming of rock music. His image, from his expansive afro to the flamboyant clothing, matched the outsized and distinctive styles of the era, his music, and guitar playing – upside and backwards, recall. Few have made such a mark in so short a time, and it’s a testament to Hendrix’ talent and the quality of his music that he is still widely listened to today. The list of posthumous releases that have mined his live performances and studio work runs to over one hundred albums and almost thirty singles, reaching the charts over and over. And of course, Jimi revolutionized how the electric guitar was played, forever changing the sound of rock across multiple genres following his departure. Whether it was the finesse of his blues riffs or the impressive range of sounds he could generate, or the signature sound of his expressive solos, Jimi Hendrix was a singular presence that has launched thousands of followers, and all from a four-year career. Impressive.
