The language of rock and roll is undeniably black. We often think of musicians like Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, but each of these bands were inspired by the blues, even to the point of outright theft at times. After the death of Little Richard, Rolling Stone magazine quoted Mick Jagger saying “I’m so saddened to hear about the passing of Little Richard,” Mick Jagger wrote in a statement, “he was the biggest inspiration of my early teens and his music still has the same raw electric energy when you play it now as it did when it first shot through the music scene in the mid 50’s.” However, I'm not here to discuss the birth of rock and roll, but the evolution of hard rock as we see it today, originated by a Black American turned British immigrant named Jimi Hendrix.
I like to consider myself a musician, though far from a good one. I've written a few songs, and a few riffs that I'm almost proud of, but I'm far from a profession. I was inspired to start playing by the usual suspects of hard rock and heavy metal bands that any young guitarist might be drawn to, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and so on. We're often drawn to classic British bands from the "Classic Rock" era of music that define the genre, but a music that is considered so quintessentially British couldn't be more American. That's what made Jimi Hendrix so unique and crucial for the "British Invasion" era: he was a genuine black American blues musician that arrived on the scene, unlike all the musicians attempting to emulate the blues. Jimi Hendrix formed his own spot in Britain and revolutionized the British interpretation of the blues and rock music forever. Essentially, he "showed them how it's done."
Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington in 1942, and he didn't actually start playing guitar until he was 16. After a stint in the military, he started touring the United States as a studio musician and as a backing musician for performers along the lines of Little Richard, B.B. King, Sam Cooke and the Isley Brothers. He performed under the pseudonym "Jimmy James", later striking out on his own to form his own band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, which only found minor success in the Greenwich Village of New York City. This nomadic lifestyle lead to Hendrix never feeling like he had a real home. In 1966, Chas Chandler of Animals fame watched him performed and was so amazed that he offered to manage Hendrix and convinced him to move to London. He only spent a number of months in the city over the remaining years of his life, but he considered it the closest thing he had to a home, though he spent most of his time on the road.
The most interesting aspect of the journey of Jimi Hendrix is the fact that he could never truly get his foot in the door in the United States as a US blues musician, but when he traveled to London, he found almost instant success. The music that he played was pure America, but America didn't want it. Britain did, American blues had totally influenced the popular music of the day and they accepted Jimi Hendrix with open arms. He found success playing American music in Britain, but he not only absorbed their version, he revolutionized it and became the epitome of hard rock guitar and influenced everything that came after him. He then came back to America as a British musician and became the hero that he is known as today.
Jimi Hendrix represents the American influence on postcolonial British culture more than anyone I can personally relate to. The youth of Britain absorbed an aspect of American culture that had been mostly ignored by the mainstream audience of America and repackaged it for American consumption. While this speaks volumes of American racism, it represents a new era for Britain as they desperately tried to experience the blues. When Jimi Hendrix came to Britain and gave them a taste of the real thing, he merged the true culture of the blues with British emulation culture and changed the entire world.
I like to consider myself a musician, though far from a good one. I've written a few songs, and a few riffs that I'm almost proud of, but I'm far from a profession. I was inspired to start playing by the usual suspects of hard rock and heavy metal bands that any young guitarist might be drawn to, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and so on. We're often drawn to classic British bands from the "Classic Rock" era of music that define the genre, but a music that is considered so quintessentially British couldn't be more American. That's what made Jimi Hendrix so unique and crucial for the "British Invasion" era: he was a genuine black American blues musician that arrived on the scene, unlike all the musicians attempting to emulate the blues. Jimi Hendrix formed his own spot in Britain and revolutionized the British interpretation of the blues and rock music forever. Essentially, he "showed them how it's done."
Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington in 1942, and he didn't actually start playing guitar until he was 16. After a stint in the military, he started touring the United States as a studio musician and as a backing musician for performers along the lines of Little Richard, B.B. King, Sam Cooke and the Isley Brothers. He performed under the pseudonym "Jimmy James", later striking out on his own to form his own band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, which only found minor success in the Greenwich Village of New York City. This nomadic lifestyle lead to Hendrix never feeling like he had a real home. In 1966, Chas Chandler of Animals fame watched him performed and was so amazed that he offered to manage Hendrix and convinced him to move to London. He only spent a number of months in the city over the remaining years of his life, but he considered it the closest thing he had to a home, though he spent most of his time on the road.
The most interesting aspect of the journey of Jimi Hendrix is the fact that he could never truly get his foot in the door in the United States as a US blues musician, but when he traveled to London, he found almost instant success. The music that he played was pure America, but America didn't want it. Britain did, American blues had totally influenced the popular music of the day and they accepted Jimi Hendrix with open arms. He found success playing American music in Britain, but he not only absorbed their version, he revolutionized it and became the epitome of hard rock guitar and influenced everything that came after him. He then came back to America as a British musician and became the hero that he is known as today.
Jimi Hendrix represents the American influence on postcolonial British culture more than anyone I can personally relate to. The youth of Britain absorbed an aspect of American culture that had been mostly ignored by the mainstream audience of America and repackaged it for American consumption. While this speaks volumes of American racism, it represents a new era for Britain as they desperately tried to experience the blues. When Jimi Hendrix came to Britain and gave them a taste of the real thing, he merged the true culture of the blues with British emulation culture and changed the entire world.
Sources:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/jimi-hendrix-house-home-handel-carnaby-street-london-a9295006.html
https://www.loudersound.com/features/when-jimi-hendrix-came-to-london
https://www.biography.com/musician/jimi-hendrix
Image used taken from Wikipedia and labeled for reuse
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/jimi-hendrix-house-home-handel-carnaby-street-london-a9295006.html
https://www.loudersound.com/features/when-jimi-hendrix-came-to-london
https://www.biography.com/musician/jimi-hendrix
Image used taken from Wikipedia and labeled for reuse