James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942… Read Full Bio ↴James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) 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, Hendrix began playing guitar at the age of 15. 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 on the Chitlin' Circuit, earning a place in the Isley Brothers' backing band and later with Little Richard, with whom he continued to work through mid-1965. He then played with Curtis Knight and the Squires before moving to England in late 1966 after being discovered by Linda Keith, who in turn interested bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals in becoming his first manager. 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, before his accidental death from barbiturate-related asphyxia on September 18, 1970, at the age of 27.

Hendrix was inspired musically by American rock and roll and electric blues. He favored overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain, and was instrumental in utilizing the previously undesirable sounds caused by guitar amplifier feedback. He helped to popularize the use of a wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock, and was the first artist to use stereophonic phasing effects in music recordings. Holly George-Warren of Rolling Stone commented: "Hendrix pioneered the use of the instrument as an electronic sound source. Players before him had experimented with feedback and distortion, but Hendrix turned those effects and others into a controlled, fluid vocabulary every bit as personal as the blues with which he began."

Hendrix was the recipient of several music awards during his lifetime and posthumously. In 1967, readers of Melody Maker voted him the Pop Musician of the Year, and in 1968, Rolling Stone declared him the Performer of the Year. Disc and Music Echo honored him with the World Top Musician of 1969 and in 1970, Guitar Player named him the Rock Guitarist of the Year. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone ranked the band's three studio albums, Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland, among the 100 greatest albums of all time, and they ranked Hendrix as the greatest guitarist and the sixth greatest artist of all time.

Introduction
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics

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"Ladies and gentlemen, the Jimi Hendrix experience"

"I see that we meet again hmmm. Yeah well, well, well. Dig
Dig, I'd like to get something strait, we umm we got tired
Of the experience, and every once in a while we're blowing
Our minds too much, so we decided to change everything around
And a call it 'gypsy sons and rainbows' for short nothin' but
A band of gypsies. We have billy cox playin' bass, and um from

Nashville Tennessee we have lary lee playin' guitar over there
We got juma playin' congos over there, juma, and we have granny
Goose, oh I'm sorry Mitch Mitchell on drums over there, and we
Got jerry velez on congos too. You got yours truly on Pete Whistle
What me worry? Gives us about a minute and a half to tune up ok
Like we only had about two rehearsals so a we'll only do a primary

Rhythm thing, I have mine thank you
I have mine thank you, baby"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Introduction by Jimi Hendrix present a monologue by the artist himself as he introduces his new band named "Gypsy Sons and Rainbows." The introduction begins with some familiar words, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Jimi Hendrix experience" establishing the idea that he has made some changes in his career path. He goes ahead to clarify that he and his band got tired of their previous experience, and they decided to change everything around. The changes mainly involve the band members; for instance, Jimi Hendrix introduces the new members, including Billy Cox, Juma, Granny Goose (correctly referred to as Mitch Mitchell), Lary Lee, and Jerry Velez. The different instruments that the new members play are also highlighted, such as the drums, bass, guitar, and congos.

Line by Line Meaning

Ladies and gentlemen, the Jimi Hendrix experience
Jimi Hendrix greets the audience and introduces his band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

I see that we meet again hmmm. Yeah well, well, well. Dig
Jimi recognizes that he has performed for many of the audience members before and acknowledges their presence.

Dig, I'd like to get something strait, we umm we got tired
Jimi wants to be clear about why he changed the name of his band and explains that they were getting tired of playing the same material.

Of the experience, and every once in a while we're blowing
Jimi notes that sometimes his band would get lost in their music and it became overwhelming for them.

Our minds too much, so we decided to change everything around
Jimi and his bandmates decided to switch things up in order to freshen their approach to music and escape the pressures of fame.

And a call it 'gypsy sons and rainbows' for short nothin' but
Jimi reveals the new name of his band, 'Gypsy Sons and Rainbows,' and explains that it is nothing more than a group of carefree musicians.

A band of gypsies. We have billy cox playin' bass, and um from
Jimi introduces his new bandmates, Billy Cox on bass guitar and Larry Lee on lead guitar, both of whom are from Nashville.

Nashville Tennessee we have lary lee playin' guitar over there
Jimi points out Larry Lee on guitar.

We got juma playin' congos over there, juma, and we have granny
Jimi introduces Juma Sultan on conga drums and suggests that he resembles a grandmother, but corrects himself and indicates that it is actually Mitch Mitchell playing the drums.

Goose, oh I'm sorry Mitch Mitchell on drums over there, and we
Jimi acknowledges that he made a mistake and clarifies that it is actually Mitch Mitchell playing drums.

We got jerry velez on congos too. You got yours truly on Pete Whistle
Jimi explains that Jerry Velez is also playing conga drums and notes that he himself will be playing the harmonica.

What me worry? Gives us about a minute and a half to tune up ok
Jimi plays a bit with the audience and tries to ease any tension by jokingly indicating that the band has time to tune up.

Like we only had about two rehearsals so a we'll only do a primary
Jimi admits that his band has only had two rehearsals, so they will only play simple, foundational music.

Rhythm thing, I have mine thank you
Jimi confirms that he knows his own part and is ready to play.

I have mine thank you, baby
Jimi concludes his introduction by playfully addressing the audience members as 'baby' and indicating that he is ready to perform.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIMI HENDRIX

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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