List of songs recorded by Jimi Hendrix

A black and white photograph of a man playing an electric guitar.
Hendrix on stage at Gröna Lund in Stockholm, Sweden in June 1967

Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970) was an American musician who recorded over 170 different songs during his career from 1966 to 1970. Often considered one of the most accomplished and influential electric guitarists, Hendrix wrote most of his own material in a variety of styles.[1] Some show his blues and R&B roots and others incorporate jazz and early funk influences.[2] Some songs, such as "Purple Haze", "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", and "Machine Gun", feature his guitar-dominated hard and psychedelic rock sound, while others including "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Little Wing" take a slower, more melodic approach.[2] Two of his best-known single releases were written by others: "Hey Joe" by Billy Roberts and "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan. Hendrix supplied his own interpretations, however, which gave them a much different character than the originals.[3]

Hendrix was known for his live performances.[2] While he often played the numbers from his studio albums, several released songs exist only in live recordings. His radical interpretation of "The Star-Spangled Banner", which he performed at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, was a highlight of the event's 1970 documentary film, becoming "part of the sixties Zeitgeist."[4] The live "Machine Gun" is often lauded as Hendrix's greatest achievement, in which he used the guitar to create sounds of a battlefield and noises similar to explosions, bombs dropping, and machine guns.[5] Other songs only performed in concert show his interest in different styles of music.[2] These include interpretations of blues songs by artists such as Howlin' Wolf ("Killing Floor"), B.B. King ("Rock Me Baby"), and Muddy Waters ("Catfish Blues"); the early rock and roll numbers "Johnny B. Goode" and "Blue Suede Shoes"; as well as the more contemporary rock "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Dear Mr. Fantasy".[6]

At the time of his death, Hendrix was writing and recording for a planned fourth studio album.[7] Songs such as "Freedom" and "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" signaled a new direction in Hendrix's music, which included a more integrated mix of hard rock with elements of R&B and multiple guitar parts.[8] He also left behind a large number of partially completed songs, demos, and jams in a variety of styles, which continue to be issued.[1] Although he toured and mostly recorded as a three-piece,[a] several Hendrix songs featured additional musicians, such as background vocalists, percussionists, and keyboardists. The long studio jam "Voodoo Chile", which Hendrix developed into "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", was recorded with organist Steve Winwood and bassist Jack Casady.[9] Jamming was integral to his songwriting process[10] and several posthumous post-1980 albums contain songs that are largely studio jams with various players.[11][12][13] How much of this material Hendrix would have completed or released is unknown, but nonetheless has become part of his recording legacy.[14]

In his writings, performances, and in the recording studio, Hendrix often referred to songs using alternate titles.[15][b] Record companies in the US and UK sometimes issued his songs with differences in the spelling; Track Records (UK) used "Foxy Lady", while Reprise Records (US) spelled it "Foxey Lady".[19] Later album producers changed some titles or supplied their own, when a formal name had not been identified.[c]

  1. ^ a b Unterberger, Richie. "Jimi Hendrix – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Unterberger 2009, eBook.
  3. ^ Moskowitz 2010, pp. 10, 37.
  4. ^ Cross 2005, pp. 271–272.
  5. ^ Shadwick 2003, pp. 212–213.
  6. ^ Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, pp. 538, 540, 543, 556.
  7. ^ McDermott, Kramer & Cox 2009, pp. 249–250.
  8. ^ Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, p. 437.
  9. ^ McDermott, Kramer & Cox 2009, p. 101.
  10. ^ Shadwick 2003, p. 203.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference morning symphony ideas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference hear my music was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference burning desire was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Geldeart & Rodham 2007, p. 111.
  15. ^ Geldeart & Rodham 2007, Song listings.
  16. ^ Jimi Hendrix (1986). "Hear My Train A Comin'". Band of Gypsys 2 (Song recording). Hollywood California: Capitol Records. SJ-12416.
  17. ^ Jimi Hendrix (1982). "Hear My Train A Comin'". The Jimi Hendrix Concerts (Song recording). Burbank, California: Reprise Records. MS 2306-1.
  18. ^ Jimi Hendrix (1994). "Hear My Train A Comin'". Blues (Song recording). Universal City, California: MCA Records. MCAD-11060.
  19. ^ Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, pp. 528, 531.
  20. ^ McDermott & Kramer 1992, p. 310.


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