Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942, Seattle, Washington – September 18, 1970, London, England), born Johnny Allen Hendrix and later renamed James Marshall Hendrix, was a guitarist, singer and songwriter.
Hendrix’s parents divorced when he was 9 years old, and in 1958 his mother passed away. He went to live with his grandmother because of his unstable household. Hendrix never graduated from high school.
Hendrix is recognized as one of the the greatest and most influential guitarists in rock music history. It was the U.K. that first recognised the brilliance of the musician who could neither read nor write music. However in 1967 he gained world wide fame after playing at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, Hendrix headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival before his death in 1970, at the age of 27.
A self-taught musician, the left-handed Hendrix played a Fender Stratocaster guitar turned upside down and restrung to suit him. Hendrix pioneered the technique of guitar feedback with overdriven amplifiers, incorporating what was previously an undesirable sound into his music.
An true innovator.
