Throughout October to celebrate Black History Month the Lewisham Local History Archive Centre will post our chosen 15 truly remarkable residents. People who were born in the borough or lived within its borders.
(born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September
18, 1970) American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and rock legend lived in
Hither Green in late 1966. Although his mainstream career spanned only four
years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists
in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the
20th century.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix began playing guitar
at the age of 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and trained as a
paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division; he was granted an honourable
discharge the following year. Soon afterwards, he moved to Clarksville,
Tennessee, and began playing gigs on the Chitlin' Circuit, earning a place in
the Isley Brothers' backing band and later with Little Richard, with whom he
continued to work through mid-1965. He then played with Curtis Knight and the
Squires before moving to England in late 1966 after being discovered by Linda
Keith, who in turn interested bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals in becoming
his first manager. Within months, Hendrix had earned three UK top ten hits with
the Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", and
"The Wind Cries Mary". He achieved fame in the U.S. after his
performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and in 1968 his third and
final studio album, Electric Ladyland, reached number one in the U.S.; it was
Hendrix's most commercially successful release and his first and only number
one album. The world's highest-paid performer, he headlined the Woodstock
Festival in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, before his accidental
death from barbiturate-related asphyxia on September 18, 1970, at the age of
27.
Local History and Archives Centre. Email:local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk
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