Our 11-day Black Friday series continues, and after honouring Tina Turner yesterday, we’re staying firmly in music territory. Today marks the birthday of one of the most influential, innovative, and electrifying musicians to ever live.
On 27 November 1942, the world welcomed Jimi Hendrix — a guitarist whose impact would permanently rewrite the rules of modern music.
If Tina Turner was the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll, then Hendrix may well have been its sorcerer; bending notes, minds, and reality itself with sounds no one had ever heard before.
Let’s take a look at why Jimi Hendrix remains a towering figure in music, decades after his death.
🎸 Jimi Hendrix — A Force of Nature With a Guitar
Born in Seattle, Hendrix didn’t grow up with much. But even as a child, he was fascinated by music — often pretending to play guitar on a broom before finally getting his hands on a real instrument.
By his late teens, he could already play better than most working musicians.
By his early twenties, he was unstoppable.
And by 25, he was a global phenomenon.
After a brief, unsuccessful stint in the military, Jimi started making inroads in his musical career but achieved limited initial success in the USA and in 1966 moved to the UK. With Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, he formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience and they quickly achieved success with three UK top ten hits: "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", and "The Wind Cries Mary".
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Short, Explosive, and Legendary
Between 1966 and 1970, Hendrix reCorded material that musicians still study today.
The albums “Are You Experienced,” “Axis: Bold as Love,” and “Electric Ladyland” aren’t just classics — they’re foundational texts in modern rock.
Songs like:
- “Purple Haze”
- “Hey Joe”
- “All Along the Watchtower”
- “The Wind Cries Mary”
- “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”
showcase Hendrix’s ability to combine technical precision with raw, emotional chaos.
It wasn’t just that he was technically gifted — it was that he could make a guitar sound like a human voice, a spaceship, a scream, a whisper, or a storm breaking open across the sky.
His Style: Revolutionary, Unmatched, and Impossible to Copy
Hendrix wasn’t just a guitarist — he reinvented what the guitar was.
He played right-handed guitars flipped upside down, used distortion and feedback as instruments in their own right, and blended blues, rock, jazz, funk, soul, psychedelia, and pure improvisation into a sound absolutely nobody saw coming.
He didn’t follow the rulebook, he set it on fire.
Quite literally on occasion, his burning-guitar performance at Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 became one of the most iconic images in music history and was the catalyst for his relaunch in the USA where he quickly achieved superstar status (he was reportedly the highest paid artist at the Woodstock Festival).
Woodstock 1969 — The Performance That Rewrote Music History
Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock remains one of the defining musical moments of the 20th century.
It wasn’t just a performance — it was a political statement, a piece of art, and a sonic explosion delivered through feedback, distortion, and emotion.
Even now, it stands as one of the most powerful musical interpretations ever created.
A Legacy That Outlived a Short Life
Tragically, Hendrix died in 1970 at just 27 years old, less than 3 weeks after another legendary performance, this time at that year's Isle of Wight Festival.
Yet despite having a mainstream career that lasted just four years, he achieved more than many artists do in entire lifetimes.
He inspired guitarists, songwriters, producers, and entire genres from heavy metal to modern psychedelic rock.
His influence is felt in every corner of music — from festival stages to bedroom practice amps all over the world.
Why Jimi Hendrix for 27 November?
Because if we’re celebrating icons during this Black Friday run, Hendrix is essential.
He’s the definition of a revolutionary.
A musician whose birthday is a perfect reason to pause our sale countdown and honour someone who changed music forever.
And after Tina Turner yesterday, he keeps the week’s theme of musical giants going strong.
Tomorrow, the tone shifts again — a new date, a new theme, and another piece of “This Day in History” ready to pair with our 11-day sale.
What’s Your Favourite Hendrix Track?
Everyone has one — whether it’s a classic anthem or a deep cut.
So we want to know:
👉 Which Jimi Hendrix song or performance stands out as the best to you?
👉 And if you could have seen him live in his prime, which concert would you choose? Monterey, Woodstock, Isle of Wight?
Black Friday continues tomorrow — and so does our journey through history.
