Happy Birthday Jimi Hendrix, the World Misses You

Have you ever been experienced? Then you know what it's all about.

Jimi Hendrix memorial in Renton, Washington. Photos by Bonnie King

(SALEM, Ore.) - Jimi Hendrix would have been 71 today. Instead, he is forever young.

He was born November 27, 1942 in Seattle, named Johnny Allen Hendrix. Later he changed his name to James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix. His life's works are well known to generations of fans, and indeed, Jimi Hendrix left an indelible mark, etched in the annals of rock.

Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry really attracted Jimi to rock and roll. He started playing the guitar when he was 15, and play he did. His early influences were Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Eddie Cochran and B.B. King.

A few years later, after an honorable discharge from the Army, he moved to Tennessee and started playing at clubs on "the chitlin' circuit". He worked his way up the musical ladder, and eventually worked with Little Richard until mid-1965.

Bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals is credited for "discovering" Jimi Hendrix. Jimi was playing with Curtis Knight and the Squires at the time. In 1966 he moved to England.

It only took three months for The Jimi Hendrix Experience to get three Top Ten hits in the UK with "Hey Joe", The Wind Cries Mary", and "Purple Haze".

In 1967 he attained celebrity status in the United States after he performed at the Monterey Pop Festival. His third (and final) album reached Number One in the U.S. in 1968. "Electric Ladyland" was his first and only Number One album.

He was no boy scout. Everyone says Jimi Hendrix was a wonderful, loving man that sincerely cared for others. He was also a guy that, when he drank alcohol, became someone that his friends said they didn't even recognize. There are several stories about him fighting and even throwing rocks at friends after he drank alcohol. He did a lot of recreational drugs as was certainly common at the time, especially in the circles he ran in. He was arrested in May of 1969 for having a small amount of heroin and hashish in his luggage going through customs at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Thousands visit the memorial every year.

When he went to trial, he told the Court that a fan had placed the drugs into his bag without his prior knowledge or consent; and he was acquitted. That fan was pretty sleuthy.

He is remembered for his performances at Woodstock in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Fest in 1970, not just for the hot show he put on, but also because he was the world's highest-paid performer at the time.

What a life it must have been for him. He was on the Dick Cavett Show in 1970 and said that he'd had "about three breakdowns since this all started." He was very open and willing to talk about the difficulty of the never-ending schedule and the toll it took.

He gave his last show in public during a jam session with Eric Burdon and his band, War, at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho. People said he was quieter than usual, and did not put on any excessive stageplay for the crowd. War played some of their hits, and then Hendrix joined them and played "Tobacco Road" and "Mother Earth".

Less than 48 hours later, on September 18, 1970, 27-year old Jimi Hendrix died from barbiturate-related asphyxia. His death and others gone too soon are now part of the notorious "27 club", including Janus Joplin, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones and more recently, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.

Jimi Hendrix was buried outside of Seattle in Renton, Washington. We visited Greenwood Cemetery recently to give our respects, and were pleased to see the offerings of flowers and coins, beautiful rocks and even cannabis buds, left to honor him.

This location was chosen so he could be buried by his mother. Twenty-four limousines brought family and friends to the grave site and hundreds of people attended including several well-known musicians. His grave was originally quite simple with a humble marker. After years of tourists abusing the marker, and even chipping away parts of it, the flat headstone was replaced with a memorial that would be more fitting as a destination for the dozens that come every single day, and more protected from vandalism.

On his birthday, it is only right that we acknowledge the gift that was Jimi Hendrix. A gift to all of us. He packed a lot of living into his 27 years, and it looks to me like it was enough. His music- his genius- is lasting one lifetime after another, after another.

Happy Birthday Jimi, you are loved.

Sources: Nesta Roberts (September 10, 1971), The Guardian (UK); Brown, Tony (1997), Jimi Hendrix: The Final Days; Roby, Steven; Schreiber, Brad (2010), Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius.

Bonnie King has been Publisher of Salem-News.com since August '04. She is a photographer and video producer, writer, editor and mother, which she considers her greatest position. Bonnie has served in a number of positions in the broadcast industry; TV Production Manager at KVWB (Las Vegas WB) and Producer/Director for the TV series "Hot Wheels in Las Vegas", posts as TV Promotion Director for KYMA (NBC), and KFBT (Ind.), Asst. Marketing Director (SUPERSHOPPER MAGAZINE), Director/Co-Host (Coast Entertainment Show), Radio Promotion Director (KBCH/KCRF), and Newspapers In Education/Circulation Sales Manager (STATESMAN JOURNAL NEWSPAPER).

Bonnie has a depth of understanding that reaches further than just behind the scenes, and that thoroughness is demonstrated in the perseverance to correctly present each story with the wit and wisdom necessary to compel and captivate viewers and readers alike. An lifetime activist for just causes, she continues to strive to present facts that support Truth, Justice and Peace, as we are in the world to change the world for the better. "TJP"

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