Cambley 1

Zoey Cambley

Ms. Moss

English 10H

26 November 2018

Jimi Hendrix Podcast

Hook: (into with a guitar solo) ​The sweet sounding strumming of Jimi Hendrix's ​white 1968

Fender Stratocaster guitar will forever linger with those who were in awe of his talents. He

infused lots of genres into one, making his blend of individuality. Jimi Hendrix explored the

different ways of using the electric guitar for his innovative type of style; from playing the guitar

with his mouth to setting one on fire right on stage. He became an inspiration for those to come

with his world famous guitar solos.

Thesis: ​Along with most rock legends, Jimi Hendrix shaped rock n’ roll history forever, yet his

radical life may have contributed to his tragic ending. {40 sec}

Point 1: ​( start somber music) ​Jimi Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle

Washington. At the young age of 17 his mother, Lucille gave birth to Jimi with his father, Al.

Then when Jimi was just nine years old, his parents went through a really nasty divorce ​(door

slam).​ Through the years Hendrix would see his mother sporadically before her death in 1958

from liver cirrhosis due to her alcoholic tendencies. Also it is reported that, 3 out the 4 siblings

Jimi had ended up in foster care due to their disabilities. ​All of these occurrences made Jimi

develop into a shy and reserved boy growing up. But what kept Jimi going was music, especially

his guitar. When Hendrix was 16 his father bought him his first guitar, then the following year an

electric guitar. Next he eagerly started a band called the Rocking Kings ​and th​e accounts of the
 Cambley 2

members of Jimi’s bands were shocked to see stardom as an adult. It is said that, “He was then

only an average musician, and gave no indication of the almost compulsive creativity that he

showed later.”. But Jimi proved them wrong with his repetition of being known as an amazing

performer. ​(him talking on stage) {​ 1 min}

​ endrix’s time as a rock legend didn’t start until

Point 2: ​(begin to play happier music, jazz). H

1966, when he moved to London and joined forces with Noel Redding as bass and Mitch

Mitchell with drums, to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It is stated that in his lifetime Jimi

Hendrix [was], “inducted in the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall

of Fame in 2005. In 1992, Hendrix was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award”.

But his greatest performing achievement was when he closed the Woodstock Festival in 1969.

His unquestionable talents were shown through his rock rendition of “The Star-Spangled

​ hough like every

Banner”. ​(quietly play this performance then make it louder when finished). T

hero, they have a downfall, especially the rock heros. Allegations for his drug use claimed that

on a number of occasions he smoked some of the devil’s grass, then to get groovy he dropped

some acid. He even admitted to snorting coke but then said he had “outgrown” drugs, at least

until his death. {1 min}

​ n September 18, 1970 Jimi Hendrix was found to be dead at 27

Point 3: ​( ambulance sirens). O

years old in London; police released that it was a drug overdose. He took not 1, not 2, not even 3,

but 9 sleeping pills and therefore died of suffocation through vomit. The details of his death can

be seen as very sketchy, especially with the theory of his death being a suicide. With Eric
 Cambley 3

Burdon, a member of The Animals, raised these allegations and created a sister scandal by

saying that Jimi left a “suicide note” that was a lengthy poem. Burdon explains, “The poem just

says the things Hendrix has always been saying, but to which nobody ever listened. It was a note

of goodbye and a note of hello. I don’t think Jimi committed suicide in the conventional way”.

Burdon was trying to justify suicide as a peaceful way to die for Jimi. Though Hendrix’s

personal manager claps back at this allegation saying “I’ve been going through a whole stack of

papers, poems and songs that Jimi had written, and I could show you 20 of them that could be

interpreted as a suicide note,”. Jimi Hendrix’s death can’t be viewed with a black and white

lense, with all the allegations clouding it. Who knows what Hendrix’s intention’s were when he

took those 9 sleeping pills. What we do know is that he used drugs as an escape, since it came in

this package deal with fame and even growing up. If he continued on this derailment, it would of

course lead to his demise, and Jimi knew this, he even stated,“I’m the one that’s got to die when

it’s time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to,”. This mentality lead to his tragic

ending. ​(flashback of songs). {​ 1 min and 20 sec}

 Cambley 4

Works Cited

Editors , Biography.com. “Jimi Hendrix.” ​Biography.com​, A&E Networks Television, 19 Jan.

2018, ​www.biography.com/people/jimi-hendrix-9334756​.

Editors , TheFamousPeople.com. “Who Is Jimi Hendrix? Everything You Need to Know.”

Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline​, 31 Jan. 2017,

www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/jimi-hendrix-183.php​.

Rolling Stone. “Jimi Hendrix: 1942-1970.” ​Rolling Stone​, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018,

www.rollingstone.com/music/music-