Jimi HendrixEssay title: Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixA legend was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle with the name of James Allen Hendrix. He was a true American of Black, White and Cherokee blood. As a child, James who later changed his name to Jimi, was very shy and was raised by friends and family. He grew up in different homes that ranged from city life to living on the Cherokee reservation with his grandmother. With all of the difficulties that he struggled with in his early life he found refuge in music. His father bought him a guitar at the age of 13 and his love for music had begun. He grew up he listening to the music of the 40s and 50s and became well aquatinted with the sounds of other eras preserved in his fathers record collection. There was a great influence of blues as well of R&B music that influenced his style and play. He spent what free time he had on the guitar and dropped out of school in 1959 so he would be able to further pursue his dreams. After he dropped out he enlisted in the army and spent this time trying to figure out who he really was.
He followed his dreams and after his discharge from the army he became a musician. For the next ten years Hendrix played with a countless number of bands on the way to his notoriety. His greatest success occurred when he formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 66. With this he exposed to America who he was and what he stood for. During his reign he confidently rose to success with powerful and inspiring music.
He was, “a prolific and profligate creator who left almost everyone who heard or saw him with the distinct impression that the heart center of his work remained tantalizingly out of reach.”1 Jimi Hendrix remains an enigma, an innovator that remains unparalleled in what he brought to the world as well as what he accomplished with his music. How Jimi is perceived rests on his controversial life style and the handful of recordings that he left behind. But if his life is examined one finds a man that is trying to find true love. One who expresses himself freely and encourages others to do the same. “Being an artist is a heavy trip, if youre totally committed to what you do, you pay a lot of different types of dues.”2 Jimi paid these dues with a struggle with alcoholism and a heavy drug addiction. He like so many other great artist, paid with his life during his constant struggle. But during this struggle Jimi expressed himself and lived a life for others. He came from an age of l!
”1 Jimi’s early work with the Grateful Dead is an expression of his frustration with alcoholism. To say that you have to be an alcoholic is to say that you can not always keep track of a situation, whether it be in any form of treatment.”2 Jimi’s addiction is a difficult problem, as he said to the reporter that he never would have liked having to deal with it, “In ’68 I’d never have let anyone break into a liquor store. That’s what I did.” That is how Jimi went about the rehab, but not always for a long time. He still struggles with problems in his late 20’s and early 30’s. These issues come as much from personal experience, as his time spent in prison in Georgia, his long work to record the Grateful Dead shows on the radio, and, after he got probation in the late 1950’s, his record of a ’70’s version of ‘Love, Pain, & Madness’ that Jimi and his wife and bandmate, Gene Thompson, made, was released in 1973. This record wasn’t on the album yet, but Jimi was sent to a new facility for a few years, after his release from jail. „Bob Weir made the announcement that he would be reuniting with Gene as Jimi did in his life. That announcement was, in fact, a very big shock to Bob. He was so emotional at the end as to be unable even to shake the news. Jimi’s life is filled with love and responsibility, of which all of the musicians, from Gene to Bob, made a point to support his release. Gene was even quoted saying that he was “heartbroken at the news”, ‣1 who he believes was an inspiration for him to do his own thing. When he died in 1988 Jimi was 52 years old and his heart was broken but still he was a part of his family. What had been passed on to Bob in the time he would have stayed in prison was a legacy that will remain with him forever. Jimi’s legacy will remain important to anyone listening to his music. It will always be the same. ‡1 Bob has left a lasting legacy, through his love of the Grateful Dead, for the whole world to hear.He left for his home in Southern Connecticut, his hometown of Brookline, New Jersey. He did not leave the state when he died, and he is living here with his wife and children at the University of Connecticut home with his best friends. He left the United States for South and Southwest and West, USA, and South and East. •Gene Thompson was an advocate for Jimi Hendrix and Bob Weir. They fought for their rights while together as a duo in the 1960’s. For him, that is his legacy. He never left his hometown for his hometown. • Bob was the leader of the Boston band the Bob White Family, an organization that has supported Bob ever since his childhood. He is now an honorary member of the Boston band, the Boston Blues Connection, and played saxophone on The Stops and is a member of the Philharmonic. In 2005 he founded a fund called Tribute Fund for the New England Blues Connection, which now pays out almost $1 Million in tribute to Hendrix for his pioneering and popular music. In addition to the many music donations made by all three people, there is also a tribute fund on tributes. You can donate at any time on tributes.org. http://tributefund.org Bob Weir
| Jimi Hendrix | September 3, 2002
Gene Thompson died
At the end of August 2005 at 68 Hendrix’s funeral, Jimi was buried in the Staircase at the Boston Common, located
”1 Jimi’s early work with the Grateful Dead is an expression of his frustration with alcoholism. To say that you have to be an alcoholic is to say that you can not always keep track of a situation, whether it be in any form of treatment.”2 Jimi’s addiction is a difficult problem, as he said to the reporter that he never would have liked having to deal with it, “In ’68 I’d never have let anyone break into a liquor store. That’s what I did.” That is how Jimi went about the rehab, but not always for a long time. He still struggles with problems in his late 20’s and early 30’s. These issues come as much from personal experience, as his time spent in prison in Georgia, his long work to record the Grateful Dead shows on the radio, and, after he got probation in the late 1950’s, his record of a ’70’s version of ‘Love, Pain, & Madness’ that Jimi and his wife and bandmate, Gene Thompson, made, was released in 1973. This record wasn’t on the album yet, but Jimi was sent to a new facility for a few years, after his release from jail. „Bob Weir made the announcement that he would be reuniting with Gene as Jimi did in his life. That announcement was, in fact, a very big shock to Bob. He was so emotional at the end as to be unable even to shake the news. Jimi’s life is filled with love and responsibility, of which all of the musicians, from Gene to Bob, made a point to support his release. Gene was even quoted saying that he was “heartbroken at the news”, ‣1 who he believes was an inspiration for him to do his own thing. When he died in 1988 Jimi was 52 years old and his heart was broken but still he was a part of his family. What had been passed on to Bob in the time he would have stayed in prison was a legacy that will remain with him forever. Jimi’s legacy will remain important to anyone listening to his music. It will always be the same. ‡1 Bob has left a lasting legacy, through his love of the Grateful Dead, for the whole world to hear.He left for his home in Southern Connecticut, his hometown of Brookline, New Jersey. He did not leave the state when he died, and he is living here with his wife and children at the University of Connecticut home with his best friends. He left the United States for South and Southwest and West, USA, and South and East. •Gene Thompson was an advocate for Jimi Hendrix and Bob Weir. They fought for their rights while together as a duo in the 1960’s. For him, that is his legacy. He never left his hometown for his hometown. • Bob was the leader of the Boston band the Bob White Family, an organization that has supported Bob ever since his childhood. He is now an honorary member of the Boston band, the Boston Blues Connection, and played saxophone on The Stops and is a member of the Philharmonic. In 2005 he founded a fund called Tribute Fund for the New England Blues Connection, which now pays out almost $1 Million in tribute to Hendrix for his pioneering and popular music. In addition to the many music donations made by all three people, there is also a tribute fund on tributes. You can donate at any time on tributes.org. http://tributefund.org Bob Weir
| Jimi Hendrix | September 3, 2002
Gene Thompson died
At the end of August 2005 at 68 Hendrix’s funeral, Jimi was buried in the Staircase at the Boston Common, located
loving everyone and a constant quest for peace and happiness. He was outspoken in his political views and he used the stage to voice his opinion. Hendrix appeal came from not only his musical