40 Years Out: Jimi Hendrix’s Death
Forty years ago today, we learned of the death of guitarist Jimi Hendrix. One of the greatest of the great, Hendrix managed to make a monstrous impact on music during his short time in the spotlight.
The music he made sounds nothing like what had come before, and very little since. His singing, his songwriting and his skills at arranging were eclipsed by his awesome talent on the guitar. Listen to his music and you can still hear his genius, even four decades later.
MP3: “All Along The Watchtower”
MP3: “Foxey Lady” (live at Monterey)
MP3: “Star Spangled Banner/Purple Haze” (live at Woodstock)
There is a great new book out on Hendrix – Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius. Whew! And that’s just the title …
30 Days Out 
September 23, 2010 at 7:15 am
Outstanding guitarist, mediocre song writer, lousy singer.
I regret that Jimi didn’t last a few more years because I think his greatest contributions wouldn’t have come for a few more years. He had enormous potential to revitalize jazz and the recognition to bring blues back into the spotlight. He was the next Coltrane, but had even less time to make his mark.