Jimi Hendrix

James (Jimi) James Marshall Hendrix, was an American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although the total length of his rock & roll career only spans over the course of four years, he’s regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in history and “the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music” by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Born in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix acquired his first guitar at the age of 15 for $5, and he taught himself to play songs by ear. In fact, he was never taught how to read music formally, so throughout his career, he relied on his creativity to create, mimic and recreate sounds. After realizing that the sounds of his acoustic guitar would get drowned out by other instruments during live performances, Hendrix parted ways with it, in lieu of an electric guitar. After a short term in the army, Hendrix set sail for London, where his career truly kicked-off as he started his own band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, a UK psych-rock group best known for the song “Purple Haze”. Shortly thereafter, Hendrix returned to the US where he and the band performed at the Monterey Pop Festival where he famously set his guitar on fire as the closing act. And 2 years later in 1969, Hendrix performed the closing act at Woodstock where he played his own improvised rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”, which is described by some as “the most iconic” take on the American patriotic song to date.