Hendrix, Jimi (James Marshall Hendrix), 1942-70, African-American rock guitarist, b. Seattle, Wash. Hendrix, in his short musical career, was known for an innovative and extremely influential guitar style that involved the explosive, yet often sensitively nuanced, use of feedback, distortion, and other electronically manipulated sound effects. His recordings include the albums Are You Experienced? (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967), and Electric Ladyland (1968). He toured with his bands The Experience (1967-69) and Band of Gypsys (1969-70) and appeared at both the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock.

byname of James Marshall Hendrix

(born Nov. 27, 1942, Seattle, Wash., U.S.—died Sept. 18, 1970, London, Eng.) U.S. blues and rock guitarist (see rock music). Of mixed black-Cherokee ancestry, the left-handed Hendrix taught himself to play the guitar, which he held upside down. He served as an army paratrooper and later toured as guitarist for Little Richard and others. In 1966 he moved to London and formed a trio, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, which rapidly became popular in Europe. His sensational appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and the success that year of the album Are You Experienced? lifted him to instant stardom, and his subsequent albums were among the most influential of the 1960s. He died at age 27 of an apparently accidental overdose of barbiturates.

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byname of James Marshall Hendrix

(born Nov. 27, 1942, Seattle, Wash., U.S.—died Sept. 18, 1970, London, Eng.) U.S. blues and rock guitarist (see rock music). Of mixed black-Cherokee ancestry, the left-handed Hendrix taught himself to play the guitar, which he held upside down. He served as an army paratrooper and later toured as guitarist for Little Richard and others. In 1966 he moved to London and formed a trio, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, which rapidly became popular in Europe. His sensational appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and the success that year of the album Are You Experienced? lifted him to instant stardom, and his subsequent albums were among the most influential of the 1960s. He died at age 27 of an apparently accidental overdose of barbiturates.

Learn more about Hendrix, Jimi with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Jimi can refer to:

• as a spelling variant of "James" or "Jimmy", a number of persons:
• Jimi Cauty, musician
• Jimi Hendrix, musician
• Jimi Lewis, field hockey player
• Jimi Shields, musician
• Jimi system, administration system of Tang Dynasty
• a valley in Madang Province, New Guinea
• Jimi, a type of plastic wallet