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Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942, Seattle, Washington – September 18, 1970,
London, England) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Hendrix is
recognized as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in rock music
history. After initial success in England, he achieved worldwide fame following his
1967 performance 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 guitarist, Hendrix played a Fender Stratocaster guitar turned upside
down ("left-handed") and restrung to suit him. Hendrix pioneered the technique of
guitar feedback with overdriven amplifiers, incorporating into his music what was
previously an undesirable sound.
He built upon the innovations and influences of blues stylists such as B.B.
King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, and T-Bone Walker, and derived style from rhythm
and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper, and Cornell Dupree,
as well as from traditional jazz. Part of Hendrix's flamboyant stage persona may
have been inspired by rock pioneer Little Richard, with whom he toured as part of
Richard's back-up band, "The Upsetters".
Hendrix strove to combine what he called "earth", a blues, jazz, or funk driven
rhythm accompaniment, with "space", the high-pitched psychedelic sounds created by
his guitar improvisations. As a record producer, Hendrix also broke new ground in
using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas; he was one of the
first to experiment with stereophonic and phasing effects during recording.
Hendrix was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music
Hall of Fame in 2005. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6627 Hollywood
Blvd.) was dedicated in 1994. In 2006, his debut album, Are You Experienced, was
inducted into the United States National Recording Preservation Board's National
Recording Registry. Rolling Stone named Hendrix number 1 on their list of the 100
Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.
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