The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a London-formed trio of Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell.
In under three years, from 1966 to 1969, they made three albums that rewrote what an electric guitar could do.
Table of Contents
- How the Trio Came Together
- Hey Joe, Purple Haze and Monterey
- Axis, Electric Ladyland and the Breakup
- FAQ
How the Trio Came Together
The Jimi Hendrix Experience began with a bassist who was tired of playing bass.
Chas Chandler had left The Animals, and he saw Hendrix play in New York in the summer of 1966.
He persuaded the guitarist to move to England, where Chandler would manage him.
Hendrix landed in London on September 24, 1966.
Finding Redding and Mitchell
Chandler needed a rhythm section fast.
Noel Redding turned up to audition as a guitarist for the "New Animals" and was handed a bass instead.
He became the second member on September 29, 1966.
Mitch Mitchell auditioned on October 6, 1966, and beat drummer Aynsley Dunbar in a coin toss.
The three rehearsed for a week and played their first show on October 13, 1966, in Évreux, France.
That show opened a short French tour supporting pop singer Johnny Hallyday.
Back in London, word spread through the guitar elite, and Eric Clapton, Brian Jones, Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend all talked the new trio up.
Track Records signed the band in late October 1966.
Hey Joe, Purple Haze and Monterey
The debut single, "Hey Joe," entered the UK chart on December 29, 1966, and peaked at number six.
"Purple Haze" followed in March 1967 and climbed to number three.
Hendrix said the song grew out of a dream about walking under the sea.
Chandler helped edit the lyrics, which Hendrix had first scribbled in an early draft.
"The Wind Cries Mary" made it three top-ten singles in a row when it reached number six.
Are You Experienced
The debut album, "Are You Experienced," reached UK number two after its May 12, 1967 release.
Reprise issued it in the US on August 23, 1967, where it reached number five on the Billboard 200.
America had already met the band by then, because "Hey Joe" arrived there on May 1 and missed the Hot 100.
The Monterey Pop Festival
The trio's US breakthrough came on June 18, 1967, at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Hendrix closed the set by destroying his guitar and setting it on fire.
Fans of psychedelic rock still count that night as the moment the genre reached a mass audience.
The Experience had arrived, and it had done so with feedback, fuzz and a lighter.
Axis, Electric Ladyland and the Breakup
"Axis: Bold as Love" arrived in the UK on December 1, 1967, and reached number five.
It rose to number three in the US early the next year.
Hendrix then pushed the studio harder than any rock act had.
The Rock Hall credits the trio with pioneering panning, backmasking and phasing as studio tools.
| Album | Released | Chart peak |
|---|---|---|
| Are You Experienced | May 12, 1967 (UK) | UK No. 2, US No. 5 |
| Axis: Bold as Love | December 1, 1967 (UK) | UK No. 5, US No. 3 |
| Electric Ladyland | October 25, 1968 | UK No. 6, US No. 1 |
Electric Ladyland and a Dylan Cover
"Electric Ladyland" came out on October 25, 1968, and topped the US album chart for two weeks.
It remains Hendrix's only number one album.
It also carried his cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."
That single reached number five in the UK and number 20 in the US, his only American top 40 hit.
The End of the Original Lineup
The pressure of touring wore the trio down.
The original lineup played its last show at the Denver Pop Festival on June 29, 1969.
Redding quit the next day.
Hendrix played Woodstock that August with a different, expanded band that still included Mitchell.
Hendrix died in London on September 18, 1970, at age 27.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Hendrix, Redding and Mitchell in 1992.
The trio's influence runs through funk, glam and metal, and it sits beside The Animals in a story that began with Chandler's gamble.
- Jimi Hendrix, guitar and lead vocals
- Noel Redding, bass
- Mitch Mitchell, drums
FAQ
Who were the members of The Jimi Hendrix Experience?
Jimi Hendrix played guitar and sang, Noel Redding played bass and Mitch Mitchell played drums.
Redding began as a guitarist and switched to bass to get the job.
Who discovered Jimi Hendrix?
Chas Chandler, the former bassist of The Animals, saw Hendrix play in New York in 1966.
Chandler became his manager and brought him to London on September 24, 1966.
What albums did Hendrix and his trio record?
The trio made three studio albums: Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967) and Electric Ladyland (1968).
Electric Ladyland reached No. 1 in the US.
Why did the Experience break up?
The original lineup played its last show at the Denver Pop Festival on June 29, 1969.
Noel Redding quit the next day.
Is The Jimi Hendrix Experience in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes.
Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell were inducted in 1992, with Neil Young presenting the award.
Few bands changed so much in so little time.
The trio helped turn the guitar into a studio instrument, a shift that 60s rock carried into the next decade, as Wikipedia's history of the band details.
Back to the 1960smusic.net homepage to explore every genre of the decade.