Back Stories | The Life & Death of Jimi Hendrix

The Monterey Pop Festival was an experience Steve Miller won’t soon forget. It was there, on June 18, 1967, that he was first saw Jimi Hendrix.

I thought he looked like Eartha Kitt. This is a long way away. Miller played at the California festival as well. I went to watch his set and was knocked out.

I couldn’t believe it. He brought all those old blues and R&B traditions to the stage, playing the guitar behind his head and biting the strings. You had never seen anyone look that cool, act that cool, or kick that many ass. The thing was amazing. He was so far ahead of everyone.

Miller was not the only one who was shocked that day. The charismatic performer’s first major American show was his set in which he doused his Stratocaster in lighter fluid and set it ablaze. It was the beginning of his career that would lead to his death at the age of 27.

THE START

He was born in Seattle in 1942. His childhood was not a good one. Money wasn’t easy to come by. His mother had a drink. Jimi was shuffled between family members. His parents separated before he was born. His mother passed away when he was 15. He got his first guitar at that time. He worked his way through the bands. He was fired for his crazy behavior. He had trouble with the cars that were stolen. His lack of discipline earned him a fast discharge after he joined the army. With Billy Cox, he hit the road, honing his chops on the Chitlin’ Circuit with some of the greatest musicians of all time.

The Isley Brothers and Little Richard were supported by him in New York. The Blue Flames was formed by Hendrix. They found a fan in the girlfriend of the man they were looking for. They didn’t get Hendrix. The former Animals bassist did.

THE U.K.

Hendrix was signed by Michael Jeffery. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed after they flew him to England. Hey Joe was the first single by the trio in 1966. The man who would become keeper of Hendrix’s sonic legacy was Eddie Kramer.

It was always a challenge to be in the studio with Hendrix. The direction could change at the drop of a hat. Jimi would immediately switch to something else if the song wasn’t working out. The band and I were aware of what he was saying. He had a lot of concentration.

They did a good job of serving him. The Experience created Jimi’s albums in 16 months. They came up with a list of some of the greatest songs of all time. Kramer says that they are all good. The most experimental moments of Axis and Electric Ladyland, which really kicked down the doors, came from Are You experienced.

Both his peers and teenage fans wentbsmacked by Hendrix’s gig, which fused his pyrotechnic skill and innovative use of feedback and distortion with his old-school showmanship. West Bromwich’s Ken Downing is among them.

When he was a teenager, K.K. Downing saw him for the first time. It was a life changing experience. I was trying to figure out what was going on. All I wanted to do was play Hendrix’s riffs. I’ve seen him many times. I was completely amazed. Soon, the rest of the world would follow suit. Better and worse.

THE FAME

The star of Hendrix rose quickly. Are you currently experienced? He traveled a lot. He opened the show for the group.

Problems came from fame and wealth. A group of people descended. Drugs and drinking went up. He was arrested for drugs at the Pearson Airport. The music didn’t fare well. Chandler was frustrated and decided to leave. The experience was close by. Miller claims that friends were replaced by criminals. He didn’t have anyone with a lot of knowledge around him. The people who were using him were punks. Everyone wanted to make money off him. He didn’t have anyone to help him. I didn’t like how he treated me.

After the Experience’s last show on June 29, 1969 Hendrix recruited Army buddy Cox on bass, added a guitarist and two percussionists, and played Woodstock, closing the festival with a now-legendary remake of The Beatles.

From there, it was downhill. He recorded a live album with a new band. The Experience was reformed by him. He mentioned that he was going to join ELP and that he was going to fire his manager. The man was in the studio. He played well at the island. He didn’t play well at the Garden. Miller remembers their last gig.

He was addicted to drugs. The Mafia held sway over him. Just before Jimi, we played. We moved our gear off the stage. When we worked together, I sat on the stage and watched him play because he was such a great musician. The guy pulled a gun on me after he told me to get off the stage. They were handling Jimi.

$112,000 in cash was rounded up and given to his handler after he arrived. This was 1970, and it was close to one million dollars. They held it up because it was a big show. They smelled terrible when they came out to play. The man had just shot up. He appeared to be over 100 pounds. They smelled bad and couldn’t play. The people made noise. I wanted to save his life by grabbing him and taking him to my house. You couldn’t get close to him. Four months later, he died.

THE END

Hendrix went to a party in London and ended up in his girlfriend’s apartment. His body was found the next day. He had taken too many sleeping pills, had too much red wine, and had died of a drug overdose. There were rumors that his manager had killed him. There was no proof of anything.

Hendrix was laid to rest in the state of Washington. In 2003 and 2008, Mitchell and Chandler passed away. The music is still going strong.

Here’s what some contemporary players had to say to me about Hendrix and his music.

Slash

Jimi was really nice. Wow! There is a lot of information about him. Jimi Hendrix is one of the best guitar players of all time. Is it possible that he was ranked second by Time Magazine? It’s bullshit. That is sort of embarrassing. It’s flattering but come on.

Josh Homme

Hendrix has been made to look exactly like him. You listen to someone do Hendrix and then you listen to another person do Hendrix. Some of it is like an alien who has no place to hide. I don’t know what he would do. I would love to see him perform in front of a crowd. Someone like that could be used.

Danko Jones

It is difficult to understand his impact on rock. It’s hard to remember that he started all that crazy stuff, but it’s all been used by a lot of bands. Hendrix is more than just a musician for me. A man is fronting a band. Music used to be dominated by white guys. He inspired me more than just music. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to get to the level Jimi Hendrix did.

Derek Trucks

People go through a Hendrix phase. If you play electric guitar, there is a time when you dig into those records so hard. He is a perfect combination of everything I love about Chess Records and Delta blues, along with a time when there was great music being played, like the Beatles and Dylan. You know, he came from all the right places. If you trace it, you can hear all those influences.

Matthew Bellamy (Muse)

I didn’t know a lot about rock when I was a kid. I was fond of jazz, blues and classical music. I remember seeing a video of Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar on fire. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. His live performance is both theatrical and chaotic. The unpredictable elements of that made me think differently about music. I used to think that everything had to be done in a certain way and written down. I didn’t know how to make things happen. Hendrix took it to a whole new level. He moved the guitar in a way that made him look like a musician, and he dressed like one.