Jimi Hendrix was born on this day in Seattle, Washington in 1942. He began playing guitar at 15, and went on to permanently change the landscape of music during a career that lasted only four years.
Hendrix enlisted in the army in 1961, but ended up in Tennessee after being discharged after a year. It was in Tennessee that he found gigs on the Chiltin' Circuit, and played behind artists like the Isley Brothers and Little Richard. After time spent playing the Curtis King and the Squires, Hendrix relocated to England in 1966. It was there that Chas Chandler became his manager, he founded The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and within months, scored three top ten hits in the UK.
Hendrix's international fame skyrocketed after his appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. His third album Electric Ladyland hit number in the United States, and his band headlined the famous Woodstock and Isle of Wright festivals, and he cemented his place in rock history in a few short years.
This performance features The Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Atlanta Pop Festival in 1970 playing "Purple Haze", one of his first hits.
