Essay On Jimmy Hendrix

Safe Kind of High
Music is a form of expression that changes lives. With each note played or word sung, a message is formed that people of all ages and backgrounds can listen and relate to. Jimi Hendrix was a musical genius who devoted his life to “freedom and living life on the edge” and portrayed these things through the songs he wrote (Seaman). Hendrix should be considered an international treasure, because of his inspiring ambition and unique skills on the guitar.
Jimmy was born into an unstable, poverty stricken family on November 27th, 1942 causing him to turn to art to escape his hard life. Jimmy’s father had been drafted into the military right before his birth, leaving his wife in a tough situation. Jimmy’s mother was a sixteen-year-old with no real means of providing for her child and, because she could barely take care of herself, let alone a child, was forced to part with her son. She handed Jimmy to family friends who went on to take care of Jimmy until his father returned from the military when Jimmy had turned three. After birthing another son, Leon, Jimmy’s mother left their family since she was unable to deal with the stress of family life. Unfortunately, this further unbalanced the Hendrixs lives as Jimmy’s father was unable to gain enough money to sustain his children, despite working two jobs. As a result, the instability of the Hendrix family lifestyle “drew scrutiny of social workers” and Jimmy’s younger brother, Leon, was placed in multiple foster homes (Piccolo ). Jimmy responded by retreating “inward, finding comfort and stability in his private world”(Piccolo ).
Due to often finding himself alone, Jimmy became imaginative and artistic, leading him to develop a resilient attitude and his most successful...

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...began crumbling apart. Chandler, Jimmy’s main manager, retired from his work while Jeffery, Jimmy’s other manager, only had one month left on his contract with Jimmy. During that month, Jimmy was supposed to play with Mitchell at Speakeasy, but Jimmy never showed up. It was later found that he had taken sleeping tablets, after drinking, and fell asleep next to his girlfriend Monika Dannemann. She didn’t notice something had been wrong until it was too late. Hendrix had suffocated in his sleep and was pronounced dead at 12:47 P.M.
Despite his early death, Jimmy made a lasting impression on all generations that followed. People still try to copy his style and are inspired by his creativity and ability to create something new. Music remained the centerpiece of Jimmy’s life; it was a “safe kind of high” () that ignited a movement of innovative sounds around the world.