Early Life and Career
Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942. His mother named him John Allen, which changed to James Marshall when his father gained custody. He identified as James until his move to London in 1966, and The Animals’ bassist Chas Chandler suggested he swap “James” for “Jimi.”
Hendrix worked as a session musician under the moniker of “Jimmy James,” playing on songs by Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Tina Turner, and the Isley Brothers. After a dispute with Little Richard, he gave up studio work to form his own group called “Jimmy James and the Blue Flames.”
Faith and Music
The guitarist landed in Britain in September 1966. Within 48 hours, Hendrix participated in an onstage jam with the three members of Cream – Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker. He was an instant success, mesmerizing fans with his skills. Hendrix referred to his music as “Electric Church” as he believed that music and faith were inseparable. Seattle’s “Experience Music Project” has a room called “Sky Church”, inspired by Hendrix’s vision to have people from diverse backgrounds come together to play music.
Woodstock
The iconic performance of “Star-Spangled Banner” by Hendrix at Woodstock was not a symbol of national pride; rather, the guitarist meant for the music to represent the atrocities of the war in Vietnam. The stellar performance was captured in the Woodstock film.
Jimi Hendrix often took inspiration from his dreams to write songs. The song “Purple Haze,” he claimed, was inspired by a dream where he was “walking under the sea.” He also explained that one of the lines of the song was inspired by a drowning man in the dream.