Jimi Hendrix: Life and Death of an Electric Alchemist

Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, with sensitive content and explicit language removed or modified:

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Even if you never cared for his songs, you surely heard of him. He was a musical prodigy, the first real electric guitar hero. He grew from humble beginnings and a fractured family to establish himself as one of the most influential guitarists of all time, a major force in 20th-century music. Get ready to jam out on your air-guitar with today’s protagonist: Jimi Hendrix.

Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on November 27, 1942, in Seattle. His father, Al, later renamed him James Marshall, or Jimmy for short. Young Jimmy descended from a family of professional entertainers. His grandmother, Nora Rose, was a dancer with a traveling vaudeville troupe, and her husband, Bertran, was a stagehand and roadie for the same outfit. By 1912, the traveling couple had settled in Vancouver, Canada, and in 1919, they had their second born, James Allen, or ‘Al’. Young Al inherited from Nora a love of music and competitive dancing. In 1941, Al got engaged to Lucille Jeter, a lively and beautiful 16-year-old from Roslyn, Washington. They had met that very same year at a concert featuring legendary Jazz pianist Fats Waller. They were married the following year and welcomed Johnny, later known as Jimmy, on November 27.

It is important to note that Jimi Hendrix was named ‘Johnny’ at birth because it was a symptom of Al and Lucille’s fast-deteriorating relationship. Since their engagement days, Lucille had never let go of what she loved the most: partying and enjoying the nightlife. Unfortunately, her drinking problem worsened, leading to frequent, violent arguments between her and Al. The couple stuck together for four more years and had even more children together: Leon, Joseph, Cathy, and finally Pamela, in 1951.

In December of that same year, Al and Lucille finally separated, and Al took over custody of his children. Money was always tight for the single father. Joseph, Cathy, and Pamela were all assigned to foster families. Al took on multiple jobs—janitor, gas station attendant, gardener—which allowed him to look after Jimmy and Leon. But even so, the two brothers spent much of the early 1950s under the care of relatives, friends, or neighbors. Eventually, Al was forced to foster his eldest sons, too, for a brief period. In 1953, Al was able to stabilize his financial situation, and he was granted custody of Jimmy once more.

Al and Jimmy’s relationship may have been close, or tense, or both, varying on accounts. They surely bonded over music. From an early age, Jimmy developed a fascination for legendary Blues guitarists and vocalists in Al’s record collection. Artists like B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and, most of all, the legendary Robert Johnson, who had learned his guitar skills after signing a covenant at a crossroads; whose fingerplay was so skillful that he sounded like two guitarists playing at once; and who died at 27 after drinking a shot of poisoned whiskey.

This fascination for Blues guitar would soon be noticed by Al. You see, Al Hendrix ran a tight ship around the home, and while he was out, he required Jimmy to keep his bedroom tidy and clean. When he returned home, he would often notice some broom straw on Jimmy’s bedroom floor. In Al’s version of the story, he discovered that Jimmy would sit on his bed, listening to Blues tracks while strumming the broom as if it were a guitar. Moved by this passion, Al got Jimmy his first instrument: an old ukulele with one string. In another version of events, Al would discipline Jimmy whenever he returned home to find straw on the floor. Whatever the truth about their relationship, Al did encourage his son’s musical talent. In 1957, Al allowed Jimmy to graduate from one-string uke to a full six-stringed acoustic guitar he had bought for five dollars. Jimmy had a keen musical ear and immediately learned how to tune his guitar and play songs.

In the summer of 1958, Jimmy joined his first band, The Velvetones. The following year, Al got him his first electric guitar, a Supro Ozark 1560S: a simple model with a single pick-up coil. By going electric, Jimmy and the Velvetones could play their first concert. Even though they were too young for the nightclub circuit, Jimmy could still hone his skills playing teen dances in recreation halls and housing projects.

Jimmy’s reputation grew, and in 1959, he was invited to join another band, the Rocking Kings. But he felt trapped in a small scene of house parties and recreation centers, already aware of his potential and the unique sound he was able to create. Even at this early stage, the sound of his electric guitar had a unique quality to it, thanks to a very practical reason— as a left-handed musician, Jimmy could not afford to buy a left-handed guitar, so he had to make do with second-hand standard guitars for righties. He made everything work by swapping the position of the strings, but he did not want to flip the position of the coils, or pick-ups. The result? A signature mix of bright high notes and delicate low ones.

An opportunity arose for young Jimi in 1960 when he was invited to join James Thomas and His Tomcats. This was a professionally managed band, specialized in higher-end venues, like military officers’ clubs. Soon, Jimi would be spending more time with the officers.

Jimmy’s childhood and household had been unstable and fractured, only slightly mitigated by Al’s strict discipline. By 1960, Jimmy had dropped out of Garfield High School. According to him, he had been expelled for ‘smart-mouthing’ a teacher. In between gigs and rehearsals, Jimmy was helping Al with his new landscaping business to make a few extra bucks, but it was never enough to cover Jimmy’s taste for expensive and flashy clothing. According to some accounts, he wasn’t afraid to take risks to fund his lifestyle.

At the end of the month, Hendrix joined the Army – probably as an alternative to serving a jail sentence. In June of 1961, Private Hendrix was training with the 101st Airborne Division. It was only at this stage that Al sent him his new guitar, a Danelectro Bronze Standard. Jimmy was not the only musician at Fort Campbell. Billy Cox, a bass player, was able to spot Jimmy’s talent, which he later described as “coming from a creative musical space somewhere between Beethoven and John Lee Hooker.”

After his discharge, Jimmy left Fort Campbell with $400 in his pocket, after selling his guitar to an Army buddy. He collected his final Army wages and moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, settling around a Jazz Bar that he liked. Stranded in Tennessee, all Jimmy could do was return to Fort Campbell and beg his friend to return him the guitar. With his trusty six-strings, Jimmy was able to make a few bucks playing solo gigs and sustain himself until Billy Cox finished his service in September.

By September of 1962, bass player Billy Cox had also left the Army. Billy and Jimmy reassembled the King Kasuals and set their sights on one of the capital cities of American music, Nashville. Very soon, the Kasuals became the kings of the black nightclub scene in Nashville, supporting touring soul stars. Things were looking up for Jimmy, and he was even able to afford train tickets to visit Grandma Nora in Vancouver. This happened around Christmas of 1963: during his stay in Canada, Hendrix joined a local band for a short tour, which earned him the attention of early rock ‘n’ roll icon Little Richard.

Little Richard hired him as a session guitarist in his band, touring and recording with the legend. During 1964 and 1965, Jimmy became a sought-after session musician, playing recording studios from New York to Los Angeles. One of his best-known records of the time is ‘Testify’ by the Isley Brothers, an early, energetic funk piece, where Jimmy first displays his lead guitar chops on vinyl.

During this period, Hendrix became infatuated with Lithofayne Pridgon, a former lover of King of Soul Sam Cooke, who was well connected to the New York black music scene. The infatuation was reciprocal, with Lithofayne describing him as “skinny, raw-boned, overworked, underfed-looking.”

In late 1965, Jimmy had settled in the Greenwich Village district of New York. He had formed a new ensemble, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, with whom he played in various nightclubs. It was at the Cheetah Club that in 1966 he was spotted by a British model called Linda Keith – the girlfriend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Linda invited Jimmy to a party and discovered that, though he may have displayed the bravado and confidence of a guitar hero while on stage, regular Jimmy was shy, polite, afflicted by low self-esteem, and in need of a good meal.

Linda immediately realized Jimmy’s star potential and wanted to help him. She loaned him one of Keith Richards’ guitars, a white Fender Stratocaster. She then invited a series of influential managers and producers to listen to Hendrix play.

Third time was the lucky one when Linda invited Chas Chandler to attend yet another gig. Chandler was the bass player with The Animals, now turned manager. He agreed with Linda that Jimmy was a full-on rock star just waiting to be launched. Chas convinced Jimmy to fly with him to London where he would manage the guitarist’s budding career. On September 23, 1966, the bassist and the guitarist took off from New York, headed to England. It was mid-flight that Chas proposed a new spelling for his client’s stage name. Jimi Hendrix was born.

Once in London, Chandler organized auditions to form Jimi’s band, settling on a ‘power trio’ format, whereby Jimi would cover both guitar and lead vocal duties. The slots were filled by guitarist Noel Redding and a whirlwind of a drummer called Mitch Mitchell. Under Jeffery’s guidance, the band was christened ‘The Jimi Hendrix Experience’ and immediately set to work on a record.

Before the album could be released, Jimi was, as ever, strapped for cash and in need of playing small gigs. It was at one of these semi-improvised sessions that Chandler introduced him to DJ and hairdresser Kathy Etchingham. It took Jimi one pick-up line: “I think you are beautiful.” And a couple of hours later they were spending the night in Jimi’s hotel.

The early morning drama did not deter Kathy, who became Jimi’s regular girlfriend in London. She stuck by him during the recording sessions of The Experience’s debut album, while they led a simple and quiet life. Jimi, Noel, and Mitch released their debut single: a cover of “Hey Joe.” The next single was an original Hendrix tune, one that would introduce the world to his pyrotechnic lead guitar as well as songwriting talent: “Purple Haze.”

The success of these singles granted The Jimi Hendrix Experience a slot at the Monterey International Pop Festival in California. The power trio took to the stage on June 18, 1967, unleashing on the audience a barrage of original tunes and covers that literally set the stage on fire.

The first LP of the trio, Are You Experienced?, hit the record stores in August of 1967. The music critics’ initial response was unenthusiastic. Not everybody agreed. Many appreciated Jimi’s alchemist brew of psychedelia, 12-bar blues, hard rock, and aggressive funk. Are You Experienced? went on to spend 106 weeks on the Billboard 200, eventually selling more than five million copies in the U.S. alone.

Jimi Hendrix is routinely praised for his lead guitar work—his imaginative, fast, lengthy solos. But “Foxey Lady” is a clear example of Jimi’s powerful rhythm guitar playing; in other words, the chords and riffs that make the backbone of a song, and the hallmark of a good songwriter.

Lyrically speaking, the song is about one “cute little heartbreaker … a sweet little love maker.” Although never confirmed by Hendrix himself, the Foxey Lady is almost certainly his lover from the early New York days.

After the success of Are You Experienced, Hendrix was a global superstar, with all its benefits and added pressures. His trio was expected to tour and record constantly, abiding by an exhausting schedule. In early January, the Experience was touring Sweden when Jimi was reported checking in at Gothenburg police headquarters, apparently on charges of possession of illegal substances.

Kathy noted how during this period Jimi’s normally sweet character started to change, becoming aggressive with his friends and even damaging hotel rooms. Kathy described how “he started to look really rough. His hair was breaking off, he didn’t have healthy skin, he looked as if he’d aged 10 years in two and a half.” Kathy Etchingham decided she had to move on, and the couple split up in 1969.

All the drama in the background did not prevent The Experience from delivering two albums in 1968: Axis: Bold as Love and Electric Ladyland. The follow-up record, Electric Ladyland, is widely considered Jimi’s masterpiece.

The Experience immediately started touring to promote Ladyland, amidst growing tensions fueled by Jimi’s addiction problems and Redding’s growing dissatisfaction with his bass guitar duties. But trouble was always behind the corner: after a tour in Canada in May, Jimi was tried and fined for possession of narcotics in Toronto. Shortly afterward, Noel Redding decided to call it quits after a show in Denver. The Jimi Hendrix Experience had officially disbanded.

The break-up did not deter Jimi. He got back in touch with his old army buddy, bassist Billy Cox. With the trusty Mitch Mitchell on drums, they assembled a new band, Gypsy Sun & Rainbows. The new combo ravished audiences at the Woodstock Festival.

Shortly after Woodstock, Jimi was involved in one of the most puzzling events of his life. One night, Jimi had ventured into town looking to buy some cocaine. As he entered a club frequented by dealers, he was spotted by two young men who saw an occasion to make some serious money and they kidnapped the rockstar! They held him in captivity for two days, during which they contacted his management asking for either a ransom in cash or a stake in royalties from future records.

Jeffery insisted he get back to work immediately, but not with the Gypsy Sun and Rainbows. Instead, he suggested that Jimi reform a power trio, as this was a more popular—and more profitable—line-up. Jimi was clearly not happy, as he preferred larger ensembles, which allowed for more experimentation and improvisation.

The following months saw Jimi partially reunite with the original Experience lineup for some jams and recording sessions, but nothing concrete materialized. He was also preoccupied with more personal matters. On March 9, 1970, news got to him that ex-girlfriend Kathy had just married.

In a desperate attempt to win her back, Jimi flew from New York to London the next day and implored her to leave her husband and to move to New York with him. Hendrix assured her that he had rid himself of all his bad habits, but it was futile. He had realized far too late that Kathy was the love of his life, and he had lost her.

On September 17, he was back in London, and he spent the night with his latest partner, German painter Monika Danneman. The morning after, she found Jimi unconscious in his bed, having choked on his own vomit while asleep. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The police found evidence that he may have overdosed on sleeping pills, the likely cause of an accidental death. But not everybody agreed.

Whatever the causes, Jimi Hendrix left this world too early, aged only 27 years, like his early idol Robert Johnson. Like many other rock stars of his age, he was a victim of the schemes of greedy managers and the demands and pressures of fame. Luckily for all of us, his legacy did not fade away.

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This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing explicit language and sensitive content.