Rock and Roll, though birthed and nursed by Black people, is certainly not at the fore of Black collective consciousness.
But, once in a while certain people come along to remind us of who are its rightful owners (so to speak).
Then there was the profoundly gifted, Jimi Hendrix whose body of work, skill and passion are legendary and were miles ahead of any rock and roller or guitarist of his generation and beyond. None have come since that have matched his abilities.
Over the objections of his management company, in 1969 Jimi Hendrix formed the revolutionary Black Rock band, "Band of Gypsies" after recruiting, and in fact you'll find in an article toward the lower half of this page that he became increasingly uncomfortable with those who surrounded him up to his death.
Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass. That coming together was the impetus for the the "Band of Gypsies" album, but they dissolved their relationship two months later. Here's an image of Billy Cox, with his good friend Jimi when they were still youngsters in their early 60's band, "The King Kasuals"
Good Times
Jimi Hendrix, Lonnie Youngblood
Jimi Hendrix, Part 9 of 13
(Including interviews with Harlemites and others who knew and loved Jimi).
"Black radio did not want to play Jimi Hendrix . . . "
(Re: the panther paper convo, we now know that Jimi was relating with the panthers and their position, and that he later communicated with them and publicly about them.
It appears that he bought the paper, not to impress them, but to teach them a little somethin').
Jimi Hendrix, Part 12 of 13
Rock and rollers of today are only trying to be like Jimi Hendrix when they grow up.
Jimi Hendrix died tragically at the age of 27 by a purported barbituate overdose after what is said to have been a long struggle with drugs. However, there are many who have always suspected foul play.
Dagger Records is producing some re-releasing of Jimi Hendrix's "remarkable, creative, explorations" coming soon - all discussed at Daggerrecords.com.
Also, this site, Jimihendrixmemorial.com and its history page, features discussion by Jimi Hendrix's Father who before his death in 2002 had begun the process of designing a fitting and lasting memorial to the Late Jimi Hendrix along with an architect and the Greenwood Memorial Park. Work is continuing on that project.
Here is site that ties in Jim Hendrix critical pioneering influence in his strong work and relationship within the Black community (i.e. the Chitlin' Circuit etc) which really gets swept under the rug Jimi Hendrix, Soul Inspiration.
And here are some pieces of footage for folk who have yet to have a sense of the genius . . . still more genius.
I'm proud to share my born day November 27 with this creative genius Jimi Hendrix.
Jimi Hendrix "Uncut Story" Episode 1
(And excuse the Brother with the "Spangled Banner" piece at the end).
West Africa meets Jimi Hendrix
"Cissoko heads the four-member group, which includes cousins Kourou Kouyat�, the elder, on bass and bolon; and S�kou Kouyat�, also on kora, who has earned himself the nickname "Jimi Hendrix Africain" because his vibrant renditions on the kora resemble Hendrix's famous guitar riffs."
"As the reporter would find out only days later, a Church of Jimi Hendrix, solely dedicated to the worship of the guitar genius, actually exists in San Francisco, California."
"This often happened to his guitars as a result of him playing the instrument upside down, a practise which made access to the highest notes far more difficult since the cutaway is made for a right handed person."
Jimi Hendrix deep within the blues and alive onstage at Woodstock - 25 years after death
"While those anonymous owners of Hendrix's oeuvre were avoiding talk or images of his death, a former girl friend, Kathy Etchingham, sought to have the original racist inquest reopened in England, where Hendrix was pronounced dead under mysterious circumstances in September of 1970. "
"Of course, the inquest was not allowed to be re-opened, but Etchingham may continue to defy those who would not enjoy such access to the rewards of Hendrix's genius if it were discovered that he was actually murdered."
Waksman, Steve. "Black Sound, Black Body: Jimi Hendrix, the Electric Guitar, and the Meanings of Blackness." Popular Music and Society 23.1 (1999): 75-114.
"Hendrix had publicly acknowledged support for the Black Panthers in high profile concerts and in national magazines.
He agreed to play a benefit for the Panthers at the Oakland Coliseum. He had been the biggest name in popular music to play an anti-Vietnam War benefit concert.
There are FBI documents that verify the agency's activity around Hendrix and his participation in benefits for a white and Black radical leftist causes."
Who Knows, Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsies Live at the Filmore East
Midnight lightning : Jimi Hendrix and The Black Experience / Greg Tate.
Chicago, IL : Lawrence Hill Books, c2003.
(Including The black woman's guide to Jimi Hendrix, and Black Guitar Science).
The Concept of Jimi Hendrix
"Here was a world-famous black performer who could walk down 125th Street in Harlem unrecognized, a black performer who became a pop sensation before most African-Americans knew who he was, adored and accepted by white audiences who often disdained African-Americans en masse."
An exhibition of (you guessed it) - Black excellence
Jimi Hendrix: Voices From Home
" . . . These voices from home, coming from dozens of individuals, speak from many different perspectives, yet they agree about key themes: neglected aspects of Hendrix's background, beliefs, behavior, and artistry.
The book, which Willix intends to be a 'modest tribute to the greatness of a friend,' is much more. It is not only interesting, but inspiring and enlightening."
"The Jimi Hendrix Political Harassment, Kidnap and Murder"
"He didn't die from a drug overdose. He was not an out-of-control dope fiend.
Jimi Hendrix was not a junkie.
And anyone who would use his death as a warning to stay away from drugs should warn people against the other things that killed Jimi - the stresses of dealing with the music industry, the craziness of being on the road, and especially, the dangers of involving oneself in a radical, or even unpopular, political movements."
"That alternative becomes even more important in the wake of slavery and the attempt to express the unsayable.
Broadest of all the chapters in historical scope, it covers territroy from the Fisk University Singers' 1871 trip to England through discussions about authenticity in Jazz and Jimi Hendrix and up to the present as he looks at Reggae, Bhangra and Hip-Hop."
(Quote from "Paul Gilroy and The Black Atlantic.")
The Jimi Hendrix Political Harassment, Kidnap and Murder Experience
"His most cutting insult to the state was participation in a concert for Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, Bobby Seale and the other defendants of the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial,(2)
"Get [the] Black Panthers," he told a reporter for a teen magazine, "not to kill anybody, but to scare [federal officials]....I know it sounds like war, but that's what's gonna have to happen.
It has to be a war....You come back to reality and there are some evil folks around and they want you to be passive and weak and peaceful so that they can just overtake you like jelly on bread....You have to fight fire with fire."
Jimi Hendrix and the Ghetto Fighters Rock the Past and Soul into the Future
"We are completing our 'Ghetto Fighter' album and also working on a virtual reality project that focuses on some of our Harlem adventures with Jimi Hendrix with original music featuring Jimi Hendrix on guitar and featuring the late Buddy Miles and the Ghetto Fighters on vocals."
"Jeffrey feared being replaced with a new manager, Wright writes in his book Rock Roadie, and decided Hendrix was "worth more to him dead than alive". Jeffrey was allegedly the beneficiary oo the guitarist's $2m life insurance policy (worth around 1.2m in 1970)."
Jimi Hendrix murder theory 'plausible' says ER doctor
"John Bannister, the on-call registrar at the now closed St Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington, said in an interview that the patient seemed to have "drowned" in a large amount of red wine.
The account fits with one given by James "Tappy" Wright, a 65-year-old former road manager who worked for Hendrix's manager Mike Jeffrey."
"I know I have been spending a lot of money lately but I have also been making a lot of money and I was shocked to learn what my financial situation is.
I had a lot of faith in the people that were handling my affairs - I trusted them. But there are definitely going to be some changes made...
I am going to get in touch with my lawyer in America and straighten everything out. The vultures have lived off me long enough."
Track 12 from the experimental and "controversial" Common album "Elecric Circus",
This track is a tribute to Jimi Hendrix.
Born Under a Bad Sign
Blues Instrumental
(Great post by Bee Columbus)
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. - Jimi Hendrix
Note, that some blogs will suggest that Jimi Hendrix merely sought to "placate" Black nationalists who were "pressuring him" on matters of justice, but it is apparent from the video of Hendrix in Harlem that he was amazingly comfortable in Black neighborhoods and among Black folk.
This helps bury the myth created by particularly White bloggers - that Hendrix was a 'colorless' figure.
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