Artist Profile: Jimi Hendrix – Part #3
By Hunter60
By Hunter60
You would have to wonder if Jimi Hendrix had any idea on that particular Sunday night in Monterey, California, right before he walked onto the stage that what was about to happen would not just transform his life, the lives of his band and the very future of rock and roll. The performance turned in by The Jimi Hendrix Experience along with the soul wrenching set by Otis Redding defined what is considered by some to be one of the best and often times underrated concerts in rock history.
Introduced to the crowd by Brian Jones, The Jimi Hendrix Experience took the stage on the last day of the Monterey Pop Festival following The Who (according to writer Charles Cross, neither band wanted to follow the other so it was decided by coin toss. Hendrix lost.) and launched into a blistering set that became the performance that cemented Monterey into the rock and roll consciousness. Jimi was decked out as the psychedelic pirate in a yellow ruffled shirt, skin tight red pants, heavily embroidered military style jacket and a head band .The band seemed to command the stage as they ripped into "Killing Floor" and "Foxy Lady" but it wasn't until they hit "(Like a) Rolling Stone" (a reworking of the Dylan hit) that the band got some notice from the crowd. Paul Body, a member of that crowd recalls, "We had never heard anything like that, and we had never seen anything like him". They plowed on, scorching the earth through the remainder of their set that included "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze" and others. They finished the set with "Wild Thing". Jimi's version was something that no one had even considered before: blistering rhythms as heavy and close as thunder, screaming lead work and stage antics that appear to have been born in a more 'mature' atmosphere. Building to an incredible crescendo, Jimi dropped the Strat to the floor, lowered himself to his knees over the prone guitar, grabbed a can of Ronson Lighter Fluid, doused the axe and set it a light. Jimi waived his hands back and forth across the burning instrument as if he was trying to coax the sprits from somewhere deep inside.
Years of devotion and practice, criss-crossing the country in a vast array of bands, living hand to mouth and existing solely for the music had bolstered Jimi's confidence. He was a trail blazing guitarist and a professional musician through and through. But in his final days as a journeyman in Britain, he had become fearless. Prior to leaving for Montery, Jimi and the band had a few gigs to finish in the U.K. In an amazingly gutsy move, three days after it's release, Hendrix opted to play "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at a gig in a club owned by Beatles manager Brian Epstein. In attendance were Epstein, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Thirty minutes before the band was set to take the stage (following Procol Harum), Hendrix came into the dressing room waiving a copy of the newly released Beatles album and told Mitchell and Redding that they were going to open the show with a cover of the title track. Mitchell and Redding were stunned. In the following thirty minutes, the band went through the song and learned the chords and then took the stage. Recording engineer Eddie Kramer recalled "The Beatles couldn't believe it. Here was Hendrix playing a song off their album that had just come out, and he'd taken the song and figured out a completely new arrangement which was killer". When asked about that performance, Noel Redding added "It was basically done just off the cuff but that's how we did everything. We were fearless".
To say that The Beatles were pleased with the performance would be an understatement.
But the effect of his performance at Monterey was felt almost immediately. At least as far as the press was concerned. The rock press had fallen in love with Jimi and had no trouble filling up countless inches of column space about the set. He began to receive endorsements and engaged the services of an American publicist. After a few gigs at L.A.'s Whiskey-A-Go-Go, The Experience began their push in America. Soon enough, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was booked to open for The Monkees for a very odd and confusing seven days. Although in rock and roll lore it is often touted that the Daughters of the American Revolution put the kibosh on that pairing, it turns out not to be true. The truth is that Jimi's manager, Chas Chandler convinced the tour promoter to drop The Experience after only eight shows.
With the release of "Axis-Bold as Love" in January of 1968 (although it had been released in December in England), Jimi had become a super-star in America. The tour schedule picked up steam along with Jimi's indulgence in illegal substances and alcohol. The effects took him to polar ends of his personality. At times, he was calm, mellow, friendly and easy to get along with. While at other times, he slipped into a dark and ugly personality where screaming fits and frustration made him difficult for anyone to get along with.
By mid-1968, the stress of success was beginning to show on the band. Chas Chandler either quit or was fired (the details of this are still disputed amongst knowing parties) which had a bigger impact on Hendrix than he may have considered. Chandler had been the rock to Jimi – providing him guidance and a stern hand to some of his excesses. Without Chandler, Jimi seemed to drift into more than just personal excesses. He began giving away a vast amount of money, jumped into the creation of his state of the art recording studio "Electric Ladyland" in New York City as well the release and heavy touring schedule to support the third and final album of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Electric Ladyland". The album is considered by many Hendrix fans to be a true masterpiece and reached number #1 on the charts.
There was another aspect of Jimi's life that was adding pressure. Many political groups, both legitimate and radical began seeking Jimi out as a spokesman. The Black Panther Party as a matter of routine sought Jimi out for his endorsement which Jimi deftly avoided doing. He knew that any alignment with radical causes could prove costly to him. His primary audiences were young white kids and had no desire to alienate his fan base with political leanings. That and the fact that as much as Jimi is seen as a radical, his knowledge of things political were only what he learned in passing.
By 1969, tensions in the band had increased to almost intolerable level. Hendrix and Redding were practically hostile towards each other over Jimi's desire to work with other musicians and not being shy about saying so in the press. Coupled with the fact that on "Electric Ladyland", Jimi often played the bass for his recordings, finding it easier than trying to get Redding to do what he wanted. While this was going on, Mitchell tried to stay clear of it and as a result found himself somewhat alienated from the other two.
Troubles continued to mount including Jimi getting busted for drugs in Toronto, Canada in May, 1969. Released on bail, Jimi and the band continued on their tour. At the Denver Pop Festival in June, 1969, Jimi announced from the stage that "this will be the last time we play together forever", which apparently was news to Redding and Mitchell. After riots broke out and the band rushed from the stage (note: riots broke out not because of Jimi's announcement but rather because radicals had whipped the crowd into a frenzy over the costs of tickets. This was a recurring theme at many of Jimi's shows.) and were taken to safety in the back of a U-Haul rental truck. Afterwards, Hendrix went to the New York and Redding returned to England. They never played together again.
Jimi immediately contacted his old Army buddy, Billy Cox, and asked him to join up with him and Mitchell. The newly formed trio debuted on the Tonight Show with Guest Host Flip Wilson. Those who happened to see the interview said that Hendrix was nervous, chomping quickly at his Blackjack licorice gum while Wilson tried to "hip-talk himself to Jimi's level" with less then memorable results. The band started to play "Lover Man", which Jimi dedicated to Brian Jones who had died three weeks earlier, everything sounded well enough but the amp blew up ending the song shortly after it began.
While Jimi was putting together a new band, his manager agreed to a spot at the upcoming Woodstock Festival for $32,000. When asked about that later, Hendrix said that they had no idea how huge the festival was going to be and thought that it was going to be a relatively small affair where they would be surrounded by some of the best musicians of the day. Within weeks of Woodstock, Jimi put together the final roster of his newly formed band and rehearsed in earnest. Calling themselves Gypsy Sons and Rainbows, the line up included Jimi, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Larry Lee, Juma Sultan and Jerry Velez. When they arrived, they were told that the show was running a "few hours behind" but the reality was that the show was nine hours off schedule. Promoters offered Jimi to play at midnight on the last night of the festival but Jeffery insisted that Jimi close the show.
The Gypsy Sons and Rainbows took the stage at 8:00 AM on Sunday to a sleepy crowd of approximately 40,000 people. The majority of the enormous throng had left in the middle of the night but those that stayed the night were treated to one of the most storied live performances in rock and roll history. After spending several minutes tuning up, the band slowly worked into "Message to Love" and turned in a long, two hour set of incredibly long, wandering jams. The crowd seemed a bit lethargic at first not quite knowing how to react. But when the Jimi launched into the "Star Spangled Banner", everything changed. By using the feedback and incredible guitar skills, he imitated bombs bursting, gun fire and ambulance sirens. The crowd took notice.
Roz Payne, who was working as a nurse at "The Bad Trip Tent" recalls : "Everything seemed to stop. Before that, if someone had played The Star Spangled Banner, we would have booed; after that, it was our song". Al Aronowitz of the New York Times noted "You finally heard what that song was about, that you can love your country and hate the government". Immediately following the Banner, the band played "Purple Haze" which electrified the crowd. His encore? "Hey Joe", a song that was his first hit in the UK.
He walked off the stage and collapsed having been up for three days straight and partying hard at the Festival. If Monterey defined Jimi Hendrix as an American rock and roll star, Hendrix's performance at Woodstock defined an entire generation of young Americans in the 1960's.
Next: The end of Jimi Hendrix and the Creation of an enduring legend.
[FONT=Tahoma]"All I can do is be me ... whoever that is". Bob Dylan [/FONT]
