ENCORE OF THE MONTH
October, 2020
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix is a guitar god. If you ever see a list of the greatest guitarists of all time and Jimmy Hendrix is not at the top of that list or close to the top then you know it is not a credible list. Bands like Sonic Youth and The Jesus and Mary Chain have used guitar distortion and feedback as a key part of their repertoire but it was Jimi Hendrix who started it all. He showed the world that you could not only control the feedback you could use it to produce rock and roll gold. Jimi's version of the 'Star Spangled Banner' live at Woodstock leaves me wanting more.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience produced three albums and they are all considered to be rock classics. One of my favorite songs of all time is 'All Along the Watchtower'. It was a cover of a Bob Dylan song. The irony is that Bob Dylan changed the way he performed the song so that it was more like the Jimi Hendrix arrangement. Bob played it that way as a tribute to Hendrix.
You know you've done something right when your music inspires someone to spend over a billion dollars to build a museum. If you are ever in Seattle make sure you check out Paul Allen's museum which is just next door to the Space Needle. Don't know how to get there? Well just jump onto the monorail and catch it to the end of the line. The museum houses an extensive display on the legend that is Jimi Hendrix. There is also some other great stuff on Nirvana and other bands that have come out of Seattle. If the museum is not enough for you there is also the Jimii Hendrix Statue you can check out in downtown at 1604 Broadway. Jimi was a showman and his live performances have stood the test of time. 'Purple Haze' was the third single from the first album 'Are you experienced' and his performance of that song at the Atlanta Pop Festival rocks.
Jimi Hendrix's songs have stood the test of time. How he delivered those songs were the stuff that legends are made from. Check out the 'Hey Joe' video. Yes he is playing that guitar with his teeth.
Jimi Hendrix died from a drug overdose in his adopted hometown of London in 1970 at the age of 27. He is best remembered as one of the greatest instrumentalists of all time.
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