Band Of The Week #5

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a band formed in London in 1966. When Hendrix got to London with his new manager Chas Chandler he decided that it was time to move from a solo career into a permanent band, he began tryouts and autoaticaly he acquired bassist Noel Redding. That same year Hendrix met his most valuable musical partner, drummer Mitch Mitchell. The name The Jimi Hendrix Experience was coined by their business manager Mike Jeffery. They were one of the few bands that started the "power trio" band type such as Cream, meaning a band that only involves three members. Hendrix mixed lead and rhythm guitar duties into one, while also making use of guitar effects such as feedback and later the wah-wah pedal to an extent that had never been heard before. Their first huge show was in the USA after the Monterey Pop Festival, the band delivered and outstanding performance which other than having the big name star (Hendrix) gave them their fame. After the festival they were then asked to go on tour with The Monkees as the opening act. They left the tour after only a few dates, Chas Chandler later said that it was all a publicity stunt. With the band, Hendrix recorded his five hit singles "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" and "All Along the Watchtower", and his three most successful albums, Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland.

Hendrix decided to split the group in 1969, the deteriorating relationship with Redding caused the band to dissolve. In August 1969, Hendrix joined with another "power trio" band known as "Band Of Gypsies", which broke up in 1970. Then Hendrix got "The experience" back together without Redding, drugs were a companion, performances usually ended late shaded into parties that lasted till the morning, often to the detriment of the music, especially when the band began to tour via airplane, necessitating early wakeup calls and taking away the hours of sleep and relaxation on the Greyhound that had been their staple before 1968. Hendrix himself had begun to experiment with depressants and other psychadelic drugs, his own performance had become erratic, resulting in inter-band conflicts that contributed to the first breakup.

This lead to his death in the same year.