He was called the greatest electric guitarist, but Jimi Hendrix chafed at such labels. He was a frustrated musician who wanted to learn how to read music, wished he sang better and complained about not being able to play sounds he heard in his head on his guitar. He eventually wanted to learn how to play other instruments.
The Jimi Hendrix you never knew —
He was called the greatest electric guitarist, but Jimi Hendrix chafed at such labels. He was a frustrated musician who wanted to learn how to read music, wished he sang better and complained about not being able to play sounds he heard in his head on his guitar. He eventually wanted to learn how to play other instruments.
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Hendrix was already tired of being a rock star when he died. What musical direction would he have taken had he lived? Some say he would have embraced jazz fusion, others say funk music. The theories are tantalizing. Imagine Hendrix playing with the fusion bassist Jaco Pastorius. Here, Hendrix arrives in London with his tour manager just two weeks before Hendrix's death.
The Jimi Hendrix you never knew —
Hendrix was already tired of being a rock star when he died. What musical direction would he have taken had he lived? Some say he would have embraced jazz fusion, others say funk music. The theories are tantalizing. Imagine Hendrix playing with the fusion bassist Jaco Pastorius. Here, Hendrix arrives in London with his tour manager just two weeks before Hendrix's death.
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He wasn't just African-American; Hendrix also had Native American ancestors. He would pay homage to his Native American roots with songs such as "I Don't Live Today" and wore a Native American-inspired outfit at Woodstock.
The Jimi Hendrix you never knew —
He wasn't just African-American; Hendrix also had Native American ancestors. He would pay homage to his Native American roots with songs such as "I Don't Live Today" and wore a Native American-inspired outfit at Woodstock.
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Hendrix had an uncanny ear for music, but he was deficient in another one of his five senses: his vision. He had terrible eyesight and refused to wear glasses. He once even wrecked his sports car because of his cloudy vision.
The Jimi Hendrix you never knew —
Hendrix had an uncanny ear for music, but he was deficient in another one of his five senses: his vision. He had terrible eyesight and refused to wear glasses. He once even wrecked his sports car because of his cloudy vision.
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He stood 5-foot-11 and was rail-thin with a size 28 waist. But Hendrix seemed born to play guitar. He had freakishly large hands that seemed as if they belonged to someone much taller. Some theorize that his hands helped him summon some of the unearthly sounds he coaxed out of his guitar.
The Jimi Hendrix you never knew —
He stood 5-foot-11 and was rail-thin with a size 28 waist. But Hendrix seemed born to play guitar. He had freakishly large hands that seemed as if they belonged to someone much taller. Some theorize that his hands helped him summon some of the unearthly sounds he coaxed out of his guitar.
Getty Images/Hulton Archive