| Variations of Name | James Marshall Hendrix | Johnny Allen Hendrix |
| Relationships | Son of James Allen "Al" Hendrix and Lucille Jeter. Al, who had been drafted by the US Army to serve in World War II, left to begin his basic training three days after their wedding. Al was denied the standard military furlough afforded servicemen for childbirth; his commanding officer placed him in the stockade to prevent him from going AWOL to see his infant son. He spent two months locked up without trial, and while in the stockade received a telegram announcing his son's birth. During Al's three-year absence, Lucille struggled to raise their son. After returning from service, Al reunited with Lucille, but his inability to find steady work left the family impoverished.
Grandson of Zenora "Nora" Rose Moore (African American and one quarter Cherokee) and Bertran Philander Ross Hendrix (who was born out of an extramarital affair between Fanny and an American grain merchant (one of the wealthiest men in the area at that time).
Grandson of Preston Jeter (similar background to Bertran) and Clarice Lawson (with African American and Cherokee ancestors).
Former partner of Kathy Etchingham (English writer) |
| Biography | Jimi Hendrix was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His mainstream career lasted only four years, but he is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in history and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.
Hendrix began playing guitar at age 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the US Army and trained as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, but he was discharged the following year. He moved to Clarksville, Tennessee soon after and began playing gigs on the Chitlin' Circuit, earning a place in the Isley Brothers' backing band and later with Little Richard, with whom he continued to work through mid-1965. He played with Curtis Knight and the Squires before moving to England in late 1966 after being discovered by Linda Keith, who interested bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals in becoming his first manager. Within months, Hendrix earned three UK top ten hits with the Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", and "The Wind Cries Mary". He achieved fame in the US after his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and his third and final studio album Electric Ladyland reached number one in the US in 1968; it was Hendrix's most commercially successful release and his only number-one album. He was the world's highest-paid performer, and he headlined the Woodstock festival in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. |