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Dedicated to my brother Dylan on his 17^th birthday…

Quintessential Songs: Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary, All Along the Watchtower

Musical Style: Despite his short career, Hendrix is known as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time.  Specializing in electric guitar, he had one of the most distinctive sounds of the psychedelic sixties.  Famous for his magnetic, and sometimes violent, talent, Rolling Stone put Hendrix at #1 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all-time in 2003.

Quoted: “To be with the others, you have to have your hair short and wear ties. So we’re trying to make a third world happen, you know what I mean?”

Fashion Style: As one of the headliners at Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix’s clothing choices could be described as funky, bohemian, and flamboyant.  It is rumored that his ubiquitous headscarves were a fashionable way to cover up the cuts on his forehead that he used to directly inject acid, and on that upbeat note we can see where Hendrix’ personality overlapped with his style.  Skinny as a guitar neck, he typically left his Sgt. Pepper’s military jackets and skin-tight bell-bottoms unbuttoned, as if his musical energy incinerated any constricting clothing.

Never one to wear short hair or a tie, Jimi Hendrix made his mark on the music and fashion worlds by creating something that would often be imitated, but never fully duplicated.  He strove to live outside the bounds of governmental control, and he encouraged others to do so as well.  His loose, gauzy materials mimicked his musicality, but his overall streamlined style resembled his structured beats and melodies.  Truly an artist without bounds, Hendrix was the epitome of a rock star who burned bright and died young.  Yet, his legend, both harmonious and sartorial, lives on.