Jimi Hendrix Caricature 1967

Jimi Hendrix Caricature 1967, at age 25, wearing the Royal Army Veterinary Corps dress jacket which was soon to become part of his trademark; London August 1, 1967.

Hendrix was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame describes him as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music”.

Born in Seattle, Washington in 1942. In mid-1958, at age 15, Hendrix acquired his first acoustic guitar, for $5. He earnestly applied himself, playing the instrument for several hours daily, listening to blues artists such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, and Robert Johnson.

In 1961, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and trained as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division; he was granted an honorable discharge the following year. Soon afterward, he moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, and began playing gigs with the Isley Brothers’ backing band and later with Little Richard, with whom he continued to work through mid-1965.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an American-English rock band that formed in Westminster, London, in September 1966. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell comprised the group, which was active until June 1969.

By 1966 within months, Hendrix had earned three UK top ten hits with the Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Hey Joe”, “Purple Haze”, and “The Wind Cries Mary”. He achieved fame in the U.S. after his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and in 1968 his third and final studio album, Electric Ladyland, reached number one in the U.S.; it was Hendrix’s most commercially successful release and his first and only number one album. The world’s highest-paid performer, he headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970.

One night, while wearing his military tunic in London, he left Little Richard’s apartment with his girlfriend.
As he walked down the street, a London a police van came screeching to a halt beside him and seven officers leapt out, firing questions at Hendrix.

“Do you realize that our soldiers died in the uniform?”

“What?” Jimi looked down at the jacket, suddenly understanding. “In a Royal Veterinary Corps dress jacket?”

“Take it off!” the first policeman ordered. Jimi quietly removed his jacket.

Jimi Hendrix died from an accidental barbiturate-related asphyxia on September 18, 1970, at the age of 27.