Black Rock Legends: Jimi Hendrix

Inspired by the recent release of Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music Director’s Cut and Collector’s Edition DVD, GIANT presents one of the most honored headliners of the world’s most famous concert: Jimi Hendrix. The 40th-anniversary 3-disc set features never-before-seen performances from the famed 1969 music festival, but leave it to one of the greatest guitarists in history to steal the show on its final day.

Though a solo improvisation, Hendrix’s rendition of the ”Star-Spangled Banner” is now regarded as a special symbol of the 1960s era and peace movement.

The singer/songwriter reached the peak of his success during this decade. His incomparable approach to instrumentation, as he favored the undesirable sounds of feedback and was one of the first artists to experiment with stereophonic and phasing effects for rock recording, coupled with his unique sense of style (think scarves, brooches, and waistcoats) made him a star. His ability to both tune, teeth, and flip a right-handed guitar upside-down while playing made him a subject of fascination. But, the tragic reality of both his drug use and untimely death at 27 made him a legend.

He’s been awarded and honored, even posthumously, receiving inductions into the US and UK Halls of Fame, a Hollywood Star, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and an eponymous foundation survives him.