Jimi Hendrix Storms The Monterey Pop Festival

What is Jimi Hendrix’s Real Name?

Born Johnny Allen Hendrix late in 1942, Jimi Hendrix began his obsession with the electric guitar by age fifteen, and after a stint in the 101st Airborne Division, Hendrix moved to Clarksville Tennessee, gigging the Chitlin’ Circuit with the Isley Brothers, Little Richard and Curtis Knight and the Squires.

Jimi Retaliates The British Invasion

In late 1966, Hendrix moved to England and quickly blew British audiences away with his blazing guitar riffs, melodic albeit edgy vocals, as well as his use of effect units such as fuzz distortion, Octavia, wah-wah and Uni-Vibe.

Within months, Hendrix earned three UK top ten hits with his band The Jimi Hendrix Experience, topping UK charts with hits like Hey Joe, Purple Haze and The Wind Cries Mary.

Hendrix at Monterey Pop

Hendrix’s early fame in the U.S. came at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, where he electrified the crowds with his stunning guitar work and openly sexual presence on stage.

After the Monterey Pop Festival launched his stardom in the United States, his third and final studio album, Electric Ladyland, reached number on the US charts in 1968. Two years later, he died from an over-dose of barbituates at the tender age of 27.