mUSIC bLOG 7

JIMI HENDRIX

Week One

Well today, I decided I would test out some of my skills on writing HTML code to create my weekly music blog. So for these next few blogs, I will be giving you the story line and history of the legendary rockstar and guitarist, Jimi Hendrix using computer programming haha!

• Birth and Childhood

Jimi Hendrix, born as "Johnny Allen Hendrix", came to life on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. Jimi was born into the lives of two very young parents, his father Al being 23 and his mother Lucille being 17 at the time. As Lucille was pregnant with Jimi, Al was sent off to fight in World War II leaving Lucille to deal with the baby by herself. As Al was away, Lucille found a lot of help from grandmother Nora as well as from Lucille's sister Delores. He was the first to be born of his other four siblings, Leon, Joseph, Kathy, and Pamela. Three of children, Joseph,Kathy,and Pamela faced serious health issues. When Al returned home from war, Jimi was now three,and Al had finally met back up with Lucille. Soon though, he found that a few of the children were now in foster homes, or up for adoption. The two parents would fight and argue A LOT! Much of this fighting could've possibly been explained by the constant abuse of alcohol. Jimi had later told media that many times, he would hide in the closet and cover his eyes to keep from seeing his parents fight. He grew up in a very impoverished family, moving all around Seattle. At the age of nine, Jimi's parents had gotten a divorce, and his father Al had won custody of himself and Leon. Sadly, seven years later his mother passed away from cirrhosis of the liver. Al taught the two boys how "men" deal with their sadness, by drinking shots of whiskey.

The Teenage Years and Early Adulthood of Jimi Hendrix

At the age of 15, Jimi had purchased his first guitar from a friend family friend for five dollars! All throughout high school, Jimi would practice hours and hours on end to perfect his playing. His brother Leon has told many that Jimi would sit in his room all day and practice playing the same couple of notes for the whole time. He was very devoted towards his music, and used this to get away from all the pain and suffering he had suffered in his earlier years. Jimi would listen to many famous rock and blues musicians of the day, such as: Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf, and B.B. King. In his mid years of high school, Jimi had been in and out of a couple of bands that would play around in local bars. One time, Jimi's guitar had been stolen so his father Al bought him a brand new Silvertone Danelectro, painted it red, and had Jimi's first girlfriend's name "Betty Jean" put on the guitar. About a year or so before Jimi was to graduate, he was expelled from Garfield High School by racist faculty members, for holding hands in study hall with a white girl. In 1961, Jimi was given the choice to either be sentenced to two years in prison, for riding in stolen vehicles or to join the army. Jimi quickly joined the army and was assigned to the 101st Airborne. Time shortly showed that he was not cut out to be a soldier, sleeping during duty, not always being properly dressed, playing music on base, and not being a very accurate marksman. For these things, as well as protecting his guitar, he was laughed at and once beaten. Soon, two men Raymond Ross and Billy Cox befriended Jimi. Over time, Billy Cox and Jimi had formed a very tight-knit friendship and started a band The Casuals while still in the military. Soon after, private Hendrix's Captain, Captain Batchman had him discharged from the military for obviously not being cut out for the service.

Week Two

Musical Career (Brief)

In 1966, Jimi was introduced to ex-Animals bassist, Chas Chandler. Chas saw some extreme talent in Jimi that no one else at the time would take advantage of. So shortly after, he brought Jimi to London, where Chas helped form a band for Jimi, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The band consisted of guitarist and lead singer, Jimi Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell, and bassist Noel Redding. Soon after the band was formed, Jimi was given the opportunity to play on stage with one of his favorite bands, Cream. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was extremely successful in the UK, but found it tougher to top the charts in the United States. In June of 1969, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played its final show. Then, bassist Noel Redding announced to the public that he would not be playing for the band anymore, as well as drummer Mitch Mitchell taking a break from the band. Soon after, Jimi had hired bassist Billy Cox, his old army pal, and Ed Shaughnessy filled in for the two men. The band was then renamed to Gypsy Sun and the Rainbows. The next huge and upcoming event in music was Woodstock. Jimi was ready for Woodstock, but he became very nervous when he heard how many people he would be playing in front of. If he kept his spot in the middle of the show, he would be playing in front of the max crowd of 400,000 people. When he heard this, he asked that his band play at the very end of the show, only playing in front of 30-40,000 people now. Near the end of his playing time at Woodstock, Jimi created a sense of awe to those still at the show when he played "The Star-Spangled Banner" on his guitar. Being in the years surrounding the Vietnam War, many found this very patriotic and inspiring.

Drug Use and Death

Jimi Hendrix has been known throughout the years for extended use of drugs and alcohol. In his fame, it has been reported that Jimi had also slept with a large number of women. Jimi used a wide variety of drugs, ranging from Marijuana and hashish, to LSD, even to some Amphetamines. There have been many recorded times, when he had attacked and fought with people after doing drugs or becoming drunk. He would take and use all these narcotics while he was on tour. One time, in May of 1969, Jimi was going through customs in a Canadian Airport. Next thing you know, he was caught concealing small doses of hashish and heroin in his bag. He was then arrested and charged for drug possession, but he later told the press that a fan had planted the drugs in his bag without him knowing. On September 17, 1970 Jimi was out at a night of partying. At 3am he was picked up by his girlfriend and brought back to her apartment. Early the next morning, Jimi Hendrix passed away. He had been brought to the hospital late in the night, as he was unconscious and unresponsive. Later it had been found that Jimi had taken 8 of his girlfriend's sleeping pills, when the daily amount was to only be half of a pill. The police were certain that he was unaware of this amount, because of the info on the medicine being written in a different language. The reported cause of death due to the pills and alcohol, was that Jimi had asphyxiated in his own vomit. This news shocked the world and many of his loyal fans. It's a shame that such a legend and inspiration died so young, but he will forever be remembered for his incredible artistry.

RIP Jimi Hendrix

photo credits: Jimi Hendrix Bio

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