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".
More: Wikipedia about Jimi
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