BPL Celebrates Jimi Hendrix on 50th Anniversary of His Death
The Birmingham Public Library is paying tribute to Hendrix - 50 years after the 27-year-old died tragically at the height of his career on September 18, 1970.
Although the exact nature of his death in London is still vague, police say it was a drug overdose. Hendrix reportedly took nine sleeping pills and died of suffocation through vomit. Five decades later, many still question how Hendrix died.
Hendrix is best known for his incredible talents on the guitar. Of all of his many performances, Hendrix's seething, scorching rendition of the National Anthem during the 1969 Woodstock event stands out.
"That was probably the most significant rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' ever, in how it represented the spirit of the 1960s and where it was performed, the music festival most associated with that era," says Tacuma Roeback, a journalist who's written about Hendrix for Smithsonian magazine. "The sound of his guitar, the event, what he represented at the time as a Black man in America the year following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. ... it all seems so poetic."
In a November 2013 biography about the guitarist, PBS called Hendrix one of the most creative and influential musicians of the 20th century.
"Jimi Hendrix pioneered the explosive possibilities of the electric guitar. Hendrix's innovative style of combining fuzz, feedback and controlled distortion created a new musical form," PBS said in its documentary.
Hendrix only recorded three albums due to his untimely death at age 27, but a new collection of was released earlier this year in March 2020. Released by music producer Eddie Kramer, it is called Songs for Groovy Children: The Filmore East Concerts. The 43-track collection includes two dozen Hendrix songs that had never been commercially released or remixed.
To check out BPL's wide collection of books, DVDs and music on Jimi Hendrix, click here https://encore.bham.lib.al.us/iii/encore/search/C__SJimi%20Hendrix__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=beta
BPL remains open to serve our patrons virtually 24/7. For more information about our many programs and services online and on our various social media channels, go to our website at www.cobpl.org.
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