Jimi Hendrix- What year did you first hear him?

I am a huge Hendrix fan although after forty years of listening it doesn't happen as often but I am not burned out on him.I first heard Band of Gypsys in around 1977.My older brother who was not a rock music fan had a box of 8 tracks that I took it out of.I was 16 years old and it was another three years before I heard Electric Ladyland.It probably wasn't until the early 80s that I really had money and access to music and stereo that I heard the rest.

 

I think it was 1967.

 

1980 when I was 12 years old. I had seen a photo of him in a book on Rock'n'Roll at the school library and thought he looked cool. A then came a copy of Electric Ladyland at the local library, followed in quick succession by the Essential Jimi Hendrix.

Before I discovered Hendrix I hated the guitar as I associated it with church retreats and John Denver. But Jimi was different. He could make the guitar sound like a UFO taking off or celestial beings making love in the sky. My mind was thoroughly blown.

 

Think I actually heard/saw him on TV the first time. Guess I was about ten (1977). It was the number where he sets his guitar on fire at Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. I thought it was amazing of course, I didn't know that grown ups could behave like that. It had an effect on my ever growing interest in the world of music.

 

1997, at a family BBQ. My father had Axis Bold as Love playing at max volume on his stereo system.
"Little Wing" was the song that caught my ear, so I asked him the name of the band, he laughed and said "The Jimi Hendrix Experience".
I remember that day like it was yesterday because it was the same day I broke my arm from a failed backflip.

 

In 3rd grade when I saw Wayne's World, it was a pretty funny introduction to Hendrix.

 

I was certainly aware of songs like "Hey Joe" but didn't really start to listen seriously until my dad bought the (then) new CD compliation "Kiss The Sky" for his new fangled CD player, specifically because he wanted a copy of "All Along The Watchtower". This would have been roughly 1985. I've been listening seriously and collecting ever since, so...

 

Great stuff for sure! On a somewhat related note...why would anyone have ever made a tie dyed Motley Crue shirt? Seems like a bit of a fashion oxymoron!

 

1978. I bought Are You Experienced based on his reputation. Surprisingly I was not initially impressed. It took a few listens before I really "got it."

 

1984...2nd grade...Axis: Bold As Love.

 

Yeah, seriously.

 

The first time I ever heard the Experience was in 1968. I was a member of the Columbia Record Club and got a copy of Electric Ladyland. I knew of his existence but hadn't heard any of his music yet. I put on side one and listened for a bout ten seconds. I took it off and thought, "This is the great guitar player? That's terrible!". It wasn't the best introduction to his music, especially for a ten year old boy.

Five years later I tried again and put on side three and was stunned. I went into my brother's room and said, "You guys have to listen to this!". Even though he and one of our best friends had all their Playboy foldouts spread out on the floor and they were basking in the glory of all that nekkidness they came anyway. They were less then enthralled and went back to revel in their Playmates. I stayed and listened to the album.

 

It was the 80's fascination with the 60's. I remember seeing a lot of band shirts in that style around that late 80's early 90's era.

 

1967 - Purple haze blasting out at a fairground , mindblowing stuff I would have been around 11 then .

 

1967. My aunt, the same one who introduced me to the Beatles music years earlier. played me Are You Experienced? It blew my 8-year old mind. She introduced me to Freak Out! around the same time. I thought it was funny (and sort of still do).

 

67 for me although I saw him in 65 when he was in little Richard's band. of course back then who knew...

 

First heard "Purple Haze", "Foxy Lady" and "Fire" all over FM radio when he first broke in America in 1967. Although those are not my favorite cuts from that album, I bought it immediately, and still listen to it today. I thought his playing was other-worldly, and have not changed my opinion since.

The Experience was booked to play at my suburban NJ high school for a student council fund raiser, but was cancelled by the administration at the last minute due to a "misunderstanding". The story goes that the principal confused him with Jim Morrison, who had recently been arrested in Florida at a show for exposing himself. So, a real missed opportunity there, but, as I mentioned in previous threads, these other bands did play shows in the gymnasium at my high school in the 1960's, before most of them made it big: The Who, Cream, Black Sabbath, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly, and Chicago Transit Authority.

I did eventually get to see Jimi play his historic first show at Madison Square Garden, and he was incredible.

 

Seems a little nuts in retrospect (to me at least) !

 

1968 - On Fridays, our grade 9 typing teacher encouraged us to bring in music to type along to. Of course, someone brought in Are You Experienced.

 

First hear him in 1967 then saw him in the Boston Garden in Nov. 1968.

 

1974, one of very first records was a greatest hits compilation of Jimi Hendrix that had All Along the Watchtower, Hey Joe. I took it to play in our music class in junior high and made a presentation. My music teacher, Bernard Loupias, was a classical orchestra director, and quite old school, but he never lost his cool and made allusions to the fact that drugs could influence compositions, I remember.

 

Same here.

 

'61, he shared the bunk across me at Fort Campbell, KY

 

It's hard to say exactly. I'm 47 now, my best guess is that first heard Hendrix when I was 13 or 14 and I've been listening ever since.

 

1983 or 4 I got the Are You Experienced/Axis Bold As Love tape from the RCA club.

EDIT...or maybe a bit earlier when I borrowed my uncle's tape set of the Woodstock soundtrack.