sound artist: Jimi hendrix

Jimi Hendrix was a guitarist, producer and songwriter. He’s noted by many to be the most influential electric guitarist of all time. 

 

James Marshall Hendrix ( Also known as Jimi Hendrix) was born November 27 1942 as Johnny Allen Hendrix (his name was later changed by his father)  to al Hendrix and Lucile Hendrix. Hendrix’s parents divorced at a young age and Hendrix’s mother died shortly after. Being born after the Second World War Hendrix lived in poverty and had to watch some of his siblings being given away for adoption. It was through these experiences that Hendrix developed a love for the blues of muddy waters B.B king, Albert king which he discovered though his fathers record collection. Hendrix’s first introduction to the guitar was when he would watch many performers on television and mimic the guitarist’s actions on a broom. After his father watched the young Hendrix try to play a one stringed ukulele he decided to buy his son a guitar. Hendrix dropped out of school and began his career as a guitarist for hire for many rhythm and blues groups such as little Richard and the Isley brothers. However Hendrix often felt suppressed by the groups he worked with who consider him too much of show-off. Around mid 1960’s Hendrix began playing by himself at clubs and cafes more specially café wha. It was here where Hendrix’s was discovered by Chas chandler. Chandler agreed to be Hendrix’s manger and persuaded Hendrix to come to the U.K. Hendrix’s agreed and went with chandler where he formed his own band the Jimi Hendrix experience with noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. Hendrix gained international fame for the release of his 1966 debut album are you experience?. The album showcased a series of experimental r’n’b sounds. Hendrix follow up album axis bold as love and electric lady land also expanded Hendrix’s experimental horizons. On September 18 1970 Hendrix unfortunately died from taking too many sleeping pills with alcohol, he was only 27.

 

Hendrix being unable to read or write music often used colors to describe his feelings or what sound he wanted, an example of this is the song bold as love. This often made things difficult for the rest of his band members. Hendrix also claimed that his purpose was to wake the “sleeping people” with electricity. Though Hendrix is often compared with his fellow experimental peers such as the Beatles and the Who he is often regard as the only one to make the guitar an expression of feeling.      

 

 

What made Hendrix so famous was his experimental and innovative usage of the guitar. One of which is feedback. An electric guitar contains what is known as pickups which literally picks up on the vibration of the guitar strings and transfers it to amplifier. By increasing the volume knob on the guitar the pickups pick up on more than the vibration of guitar stings and begin to pick up the sounds coming from the amplifier this causes an endless circle between the two resulting in feedback. Normally feedback is frowned upon but jimi Hendrix proved that it can be used as artistic expression. The best example of this is his performance of the star spangled banner at Woodstock 1969.   

source: a film about Jimi hendrix( documentary), the last 48 hours of Jimi hendrix(documentary), hendrix ( fictional movie)

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~ by sivaram on April 5, 2009.