James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 - September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Widely hailed by music fans and critics alike as one of the greatest electric guitarists of all time, he remains one of the most influential rock guitarists and songwriters in recording history.
Hendrix was not very popular in America at the outset of his musical career, only later gaining recognition after taking a trip to England in 1966 with
The Animals ' Chas Chandler, where he subsequently formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell . While The Experience quickly became popular in England, they remained relatively unrecognised outside the country.
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It was not until their 1967 performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in the States that The Experience became, quite literally overnight, one of the most popular bands of the era.
Hendrix was mostly self-taught on the guitar. He was ambidextrous but chose to play the guitar upside-down and re-strung for playing left-handed, which suggests that he was more comfortable left-handed. As a guitarist, he built upon the innovations of blues stylists such as B.B. King , Albert King , Buddy Guy , T-Bone Walker , and Muddy Waters , as well as those of rhythm and blues and soul music guitarists such as Curtis Mayfield . Hendrix's music was also influenced by jazz; he often cited Rahsaan Roland Kirk as his favourite musician. In addition, Hendrix extended the tradition of rock guitar; although previous guitarists, such as The Kinks ' Dave Davies , Jeff Beck , and The Who 's Pete Townshend , had employed techniques such as feedback, distortion and other effects as sonic tools, Hendrix was able to exploit them to a previously undreamed-of extent, and made them an integral part of his own private, unique genre, which he called "Red".
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