The life of Jimi Hendrix is one that many people know. It was a short, inspiring, and happy life. Although his lifestyle wasn't virtuous, his music was. He inspired music groups, such as the Beetles (McDermott 7).
John Allen Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942,in Seattle, Washington. His lifestyle at a young age wasn't good. His mother Lucille, was still a teen and his father Al, was a serviceman and they did not live together during their relationship. Jimi didn't see his father until the age of three when his father was discharged from the army in 1945. Jimi was placed in the care of a family in Berkley, California. When Al found what had happened he traveled to Berkley retrieve his son and brought him back to Seattle. When this happened a new life began. .
As Jimi grew up he developed a great love for music. He received his first guitar in the summer of 1958. It was a five-dollar second-hand acoustic guitar, and in 1959 Al bought Jimi an electric guitar. In 1961 he enlisted in the United .
States army and in "62 earned the "Screaming Eagles" patch for the paratroop division. He was stationed at Fort Campbell. While there he met Billy Cox, and they formed The King Casuals. After being discharged from the army, he landed in New York City. There he met Fayne Pridgeon, a major fixture in the music industry(McDermott 8). Fayne introduced him into the major music industry. Fayne got him some gigs and helped spread his name. He was a back-up guitarists and played with many of the great musicians of that time. He played for The Isley Brothers, Little Richard, and B.B King. But this wasn't enough for Jimi. He wanted more. He wanted to be the leader and not the follower.
In effort to start a major music career he left for England and said this, "It's me, Dad. I"m in England. I've met some people and they"re going to make me a big star. We changed my name to J-I-M-I." In London he got many little gigs, until in 1966 that the newly formed Jimi Hendrix experience quickly became the talk of London.