Jimi Hendrix - Did You Know?
December 20, 2018Music facts, music trivia, interesting stories and much more. Introducing the "Did You Know" page about American singer, songwriter and guitarist, Jimi Hendrix.
Enjoy!
Jimi Hendrix (real name: Johnny Allen Hendrix) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. His mainstream career spanned only 4 years, but Hendrix is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and also one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.
Considered as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, Jimi Hendrix was entirely self-taught on guitar. He couldn't read music, so instead he communicated his musical visions through colors.
Jimi Hendrix also played the guitar upside-down, because he was left-handed. However, Jimi's father (Al Hendrix), initially tried to force young Jimi to play the guitar right-handed, as Al Hendrix believed that playing left was a sign of the Devil.
Jimi Hendrix was inspired musically by American rock and roll and electric blues. He liked overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain, and was one of the first guitarists that made extensive use of tone-altering effects units, like Octavia, fuzz tone, Uni-Vibe and wah-wah in mainstream rock.
Hendrix won several music awards during his music career, among them are Pop Musician of the Year in 1967 according to readers of Melody Maker, Performer of the Year in 1968 by Rolling Stone, World Top Musician of 1969 and in 1970 according to Disc and Music Echo and Rock Guitarist of the Year according to Guitar Player.
In 1992, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2005, they were also inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranks the band's three studio albums among the 100 greatest albums of all time.
Jimi Hendrix died on September 18, 1970, when he was 27 years old due to an accidental death from barbiturate-related asphyxia.
Jimi Hendrix got the idea for the song "Angel" from a dream he had, where his mother came down from heaven to take him with her.
Hendrix started working on the song "Angel" in 1967 along with "Little Wing" which was a similar song. He gave up on it, but pulled it out and eventually recorded it on July 23, 1970, only a few months before his death on September 18, 1970.
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