Wiki Spotlight: Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi"
Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September
18, 1970) was an American musician,
singer, songwriter, guitarist, innovator,
and cultural icon. Lauded by music
fans and critics alike, Hendrix
is considered by many to be the
most influential and talented electric
guitarist in rock music history.
He achieved worldwide fame in 1967,
then headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock
Festival before his tragic death
in 1970 at the age of 27.
A self-taught musician, the left-handed
Hendrix played a right-handed Fender
Stratocaster guitar turned upside
down and re-strung to suit him.
As a rock guitarist, Hendrix exploited
and integrated the sonic tools of
feedback and distortion into his
music to an extent that previous
pioneers (such as The Kinks' Dave
Davies, The Yardbirds' Jeff Beck
and The Who's Pete Townshend) had
never achieved. He built upon the
innovations and influence of blues
stylists such as B.B. King, Albert
King, Buddy Guy, T-Bone Walker,
and Muddy Waters, as well as rhythm
and blues and soul guitarists like
Curtis Mayfield, and the traditions
of jazz. Hendrix was also inspired
by rock pioneer Little Richard,
having toured in Richard's back-up
band "The Upsetters" before
forming his own group in 1966. [1]
Hendrix strived to combine what
he called "earth", a blues,
jazz, or funk driven rhythm accompaniment,
with "space", the high-pitched
psychedelic sounds created by his
guitar improvisations. He also integrated
instruments rarely used in rock,
such as the harpsichord, recorder,
and glockenspiel. As a record producer,
Hendrix was an innovator in using
the recording studio as an extension
of his musical ideas: he was notably
one of the first to experiment with
stereophonic and phasing effects
during the recording process. Hendrix
was also an accomplished songwriter
whose compositions have been performed
by countless artists.
Jimi Hendrix was inducted into
the United States Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK
Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
(at 6627 Hollywood Blvd.) was dedicated
in 1994. In 2006, his debut album
Are You Experienced was inducted
into the United States National
Recording Preservation Board's National
Recording Registry. In 2003, Rolling
Stone magazine named Hendrix number
one on their list of the "100
greatest guitarists of all time".
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