hendrix paper

[CoKeS]

yo para... i tried to post my paper, but it was too big to fit in one post. next time your on, IM me and ill send it to you so you can host it.

[soniktruth]

Joe Burns October 28, 2003
Research Paper 8-9 B/D


“In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first.” This quote by Jimi Hendrix sums up what he set out to do in his life and with his music. We him and his band mates made their first appearance in the late 60s, the type of music they played was drastically different then most of the rock and roll being released at the time. Even though there were still great records being put out by bands such as The Who, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles, there was something about how Jimi played the guitar that seemed new and interesting. People were waiting for something, or someone to come along and change music, and the world for the best; this person was Jimi Hendrix.
Johnny Allen Hendrix, his name was later changed to Jimi to make him more commercial, was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. Even as a young child, Jimi loved music. He would listen to his father’s blues and jazz albums for hours each day. Listening to these records got more intense when his parents divorced when he was very young and was sent to live with his father, Al Hendrix. Recognizing his sons love for music, his father bought Jimi a cheap guitar to further explore his musical interests. He practiced the guitar a lot when he was a teenager, but he had to stop playing for a brief period when he joined the army at age seventeen. Jimi enlisted as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division. He made 25 successful jumps, but during his 26th, he broke his ankle and received and honorable discharge in July of 1962. After the army,

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Jimi immediately started playing music again. He went on tour with well known musicians such as B.B. King, the Isley Brothers, Little Richard, and King Curtis. Jimi didn’t like the discipline it took to play and record with these bands, he wanted more freedom in the studio and on the stage, so after a while, he dropped off the tours. The experience he gained while on the road with these acts would later help him greatly. By now, it was 1965 and Jimi was living in New York City. Jimi and his close friend, Curtis Knight, signed a record deal with Ed Chaplin. This decision was not thoroughly thought through because Jimi just wanted to play music and release an album. The two of them formed a band called Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. One night, they were playing a show in a café in Greenwich Village and Chas Chandler, a member of the Animals, was told to see them. Hendrix’s guitar playing fascinated Chandler and he convinced him to travel to England with him so he could make an album and play for audiences who would appreciate him. This was the break that Jimi needed. After signing with Chandler, Hendrix would release three of the most important rock and roll albums ever, Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold As Love, and Electric Ladyland.
After arriving in England in September 1966, Jimi and his two producers, Chas Chandler and Mike Jefferies, started searching for a rhythm section to back Jimi and his guitar playing. They decided to make his group a trio so that most of the attention would primarily focus on the guitar. They chose Noel Redding to play bass and Mitch Mitchell was selected to be on percussion. The band was

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very cultural diverse since Jimi was African American and Noel and Mitch were English. After the positions were filled, it was time for the trio to come up with a name. They decided to name themselves the Jimi Hendrix Experience and in October, they made their European debut in France. After their first show, the band started receiving praise from critics and other musicians, such as Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend, who was the guitarist for The Who. After a string of club shows around France and England, the band went into the studio and started recording their finest piece of work.
Are You Experienced? Was released in 1967 and it is The Experiences greatest effort. It’s the one album that showed Jimi was at the top of his musical and lyrical talent. When it was released, people were blown away. No one has ever heard a guitar sound like the way it did on this record. Hendrix used his infamous wah-wah pedal to produce foreign sounds that have never or rarely been heard before in modern rock and roll. On all of his songs, Jimi showed off that he was a master of the solo and was a genius when it came to improvisation. Everybody knew that he could write classic rock songs, but he could also produce amazing ballads. The first single off the album, “Hey Joe,” was a perfect example of this. The lyrics tell the story of a man who catches his wife cheating on him, so he decides to find her and kill her. Even though the lyrics to the song were straight forward, the track still remains a classic today. The public reacted quite well to “Hey Joe,” but it wasn’t until after the release of the second single that the band really took off. “Purple Haze,” was the second

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cut off the record to be released as a single. The open riffs of the song are now nationally known, along with the chorus. “Purple Haze” was one of the best songs Jimi has every written musically, not lyrically. And it still remains his most famous song to date.
After the release of The Experiences’ first album, it was time for the band to start touring to promote the record. During their live shows, Hendrix would play his guitar behind his back, between his legs, and sometimes laying down on the floor in “sexual positions.” These actions sparked major criticism from many people. But the criticism didn’t faze Hendrix, it only made him stronger.
A little less then a year later, Jimi Hendrix and his band mates released their second record, titled Axis: Bold As Love. With this album, you could tell that Hendrix’s blues and jazz influences were heavier than on Are You Experienced? It also found Jimi at another high concerning his lyrics. The songs on Axis: Bold As Love reveal more about Hendrix then on his first record. This album contains some of the best and well known songs they recorded, such as “Little Wing,” “If 6 Was 9,” and “Castles Made Of Sand.” After the release of this collection of songs, The Experience set out on its longest and most grueling tour they’ve ever done; 54 shows in 47 days. During the tour, the band slowly started to fall apart, even though they would still make one more record before officially calling it quits.
The exhausting U.S. tour was especially difficult for Jimi as an individual. At every show, the audience was expecting him to unleash fierce and squealing

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improvisational solos, and then set fire to his guitar. Jimi wasn’t all about that type of behavior though, he would much rather have the audience pay more attention to the music he was creating because it was something amazing that deserves recognition. Along with this, the relationship between Jimi and bassist Noel Redding started to deteriorate. The main reason for this situation was that Redding wasn’t happy with what he was told to play live; he would rather have the freedom to play what he wanted, like Jimi did. As The Experience was falling apart, they still found time to put out one more album before they broke up.
Electric Ladyland, the last installment of The Jimi Hendrix Experience was released in 1968. It was an epic album, spanning over two vinyl records. Some of the songs on this work of art are still considered classics to this day, like most of Jimi’s songs. But the one track that has the most lasting impact today is “All Along The Watch Tower.” This song was originally written by Bob Dylan but Hendrix covered it and made a masterpiece. He added his trademark guitar playing to the song and made it something amazing. Whether it was with blaring distortion, or the beauty of reverb, Jimi had an amazing talent for creating music. After this record, The Experience decided to call it quits due to the problems between Hendrix and Redding. As a result of this, a new band was formed by Jimi, call The Band of Gypsies.
The Band of Gypsies was the African American nationalism of Jimi. The three members in the band were all black; with Jimi on the guitar, Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums. This new band lacked the chemistry that Jimi

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had with The Experience, but they will always be remembered for the performance they put on at Woodstock in 1969. On the finally day of the three day long festival, Hendrix and his Band of Gypsies took the stage early in the morning and woke everyone up with an enthralling version of the “Star Spangled Banner.” It was just Jimi on the guitar with no back up and it was one of the greatest performances ever. The way he turned a song of such beauty and patriotism into a rock and roll moment that won’t ever be forgotten is something only a few people can do, and Jimi Hendrix was one of these people. At Woodstock during the “Star Spangled Banner” performance, the crowd could tell they were witnessing something special. The way Jimi and his guitar seemed to be like they belonged to each other is not something you see a lot these days. There aren’t a lot of artists and bands that share the same love of music like Jimi did and it’s something that our world needs more of because music speaks to everyone. The music that Jimi Hendrix made joined a large number of people who, if they all didn’t listen to him, might not of had anything in common or to talk about.
But in 1970, Hendrix’s life came to an abrupt end. While in London recording songs for his next album, he died due to drug related complications. He took too many sleeping pills one night because he wanted to get some rest, so in his sleep, he choked on his own vomit and suffocated. When his girlfriend at the time tried to wake him, he showed no signs of life. Along with Hendrix’s death, he left behind a lot of “what if’s?” All of his fans were eager to see what

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his next studio recording, because like all of his other records, it would have been something extraordinary and mind blowing.
While the world came to terms with Jimi’s untimely death, his music was still affecting his fans, other musicians, and more importantly, the world. Some of the biggest bands of the 1970s have all said that Jimi Hendrix was an influence in their music. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and even Bob Marley and the Wailers all claim Hendrix as an icon and someone who they admire very much. Fans were left wondering if Hendrix’s last studio effort would ever be released and in 1997, they got what they wanted. First Ray of the New Rising Sun was released after years of legal issues. It was another impressive CD, if it was put out on vinyl, it would have been two records long. Even in 2003, we are still feeling the affects of Jimi’s afterlife. Multiple live albums have been released, including Live At Berkley, Live At Woodstock, and Live at the Isle of Wright. To accompany all this live material, there is also an extensive collection of tribute albums that were released over the years. Some of the artists that have paid homage to the late performer were The Cure, Eric Clapton, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and Jeff Beck. And obviously, Jimi Hendrix has been hailed one of the greatest guitarists off all time. In a recent Rolling Stone magazine, there was an article about the 50 greatest guitarists and Jimi got first place. That speaks volumes when you are ranked higher than legendary musicians such as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, George Harrison of The Beatles, and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. Jimi deserves honors like this because when he was first

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starting to become a musician, he sacrificed a lot to get to where he is now; lots of hours in the studio, extensive touring, and talking to the press are just some of the things Jimi did for his love and devotion to music.

[CoKeS]

i wanna hear what ya'll think, and i know the grammar sucks and it stops at seven pages....

[soniktruth]

[shadow=purple,left,300]i give it an...[/shadow]




...j/k i like it....need more drug stories....#nosmileys

[SpectralfiRes]

Good article. Learned a few things. I give it a B only because of the few grammer/spelling mistakes.

[piesore]

Yeah, the B is understandable. It's fine, there's not much wrong with it, it's just straightfoward and gets the job done, nothing more, nothing less.

[soniktruth]

hey cokes, what grade did you end up getting?

[CoKeS]

paran0id_andr0id said:

hey cokes, what grade did you end up getting?

85 because i didnt cite any of my sources