You may be asking yourself.....WHY HENDRIX?
For those of you who have been hanging with Soul-Patrol since the beginning, you already know this, however the rest of you should know that the primary reason why the site was started way back in 1996, was to give me a platform to write primarily about 3 artists:
· Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
· Miles Davis
· Jimi Hendrix
The reason I felt the need for such a platform was because although these were mainstream artists, my feeling was that the mainstream had failed miserably in the representation of their music, influence and accomplishments to these 3 artists. And I felt that I could offer up a better and more realistic (truthful) analysis of all 3 artists. I became a hard-core fan of all 3, at around the same time (late 1960's) as a teenager.
So one way that you can think of Soul-Patrol, is that all of the artists you see on the site are in some ways derived from these three.
Jimi Hendrix died too soon to have the kind of impact from a musical perspective on Black people that he might have wanted to have. Had he lived a few more years and been able to maintain his health, it's clear from the music that he was creating towards the end that he would have. ALL the FUNK music that follows in the 70's is at least partially derived from the music of Jimi Hendrix.
But Jimi had an impact that was even more far reaching than any of his music could ever have been. He became for Black males coming of age in the 1970's a symbol of something far more powerful. Ultimately his impact both musically and culturally was spread among all ethnicities on a global basis.
He is one of the few Black Americans, whose face is instantly recognized around the world. Heck, even the silhouette of his head is recognizable.
He became a "role model" for the "funkateers." Hendrix in his lifestyle, demeanor and willingness to "crossover" and deal with white people on an equal footing, had become such a powerful symbol for the achievement of the objectives of the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, that the chief beneficiaries of that movement sought to emulate him in the strongest way possible. (people like me and maybe you?)
People die all the time for a variety of reasons. The exact cause of Jimi's death has still never been clarified in the minds of many people. I was in 10th grade when he died, and his death was first reported as a suicide. Over the years, the speculation has run from it being an accidental death all the way to his being the victim of an assassination at the hands of the CIA. At this point in time, I'm not really interested in speculating how he died. What's important to me is the legacy he left & the lives that he touched. Jimi Hendrix has left us an important legacy, he has touched many lives, and he is a significant historical figure, not just in the United States, but worldwide.
How do I know this?
FUN FACT: Did you know that there have been over SIXTY BOOKS written about the life, music and career of Jimi Hendrix?
I find that to be an almost unbelievable statistic for a Black man who died when he was just 27 years old.
What do you think?
How much could there possibly be to write about him?
(apparently a great deal!)
Anyhow, here is what we have lined up for you.
There is quite a bit here and I would encourage you to share it in whole or in part with friends & family, but also with younger people. In my experience once younger people learn the truth (as opposed to the lies the mainstream has been feeding them) about Jimi Hendrix, they become fascinated by his story.
· West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology (Second Chance Review + Music)
· Jimi Hendrix Black Legacy Retrospective via YouTube (Panelists – Cory Washington, Darrell McNeil, Ernie Isley)
· Concert Review: Jimi Hendrix Tribute (NYC 11/27/2006)
· Jimi and the Chitlin Circuit
· Jimi Hendrix Band Of Gypsy’s SLAMMIN MEDLEY by Kiss The Sky & Rock n Roll HOF case speech by Bob Davis
· Analysis: Testify – Isley Bros and Jimi Hendrix (The First Funk Record?)
Enjoy!
--Bob Davis
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