His first show certainly sounds like an idol’s iconic origin story, but it didn’t look that way to Hendrix at the time. Mid-act, the band let Hendrix go for “too much showing off.” In many ways, this failed gig foretold the continuously rocky start to his live music career. 

Hendrix identified music as his path early on, using it as a sanctuary from his stormy home life and a place of revelation for his creative spirit. At 16, Hendrix’s father bought him his first guitar, a right-handed acoustic that Hendrix taught himself to play upside down. His longstanding love for blues and rock quickly grew into a desire to create his own sound. Hendrix dropped out of high school to pursue music full time. But despite his passion and talent, Hendrix struggled to break into the music scene. He worked odd jobs to support himself while searching for opportunities.  

In 1961, Hendrix ended up enlisting in the U.S. army, training as a paratrooper at Ford Ord in California. While in training, Hendrix put together a band called The King Casuals, keeping his musicianship in practice even during bootcamp. But The King Casuals only lasted a year; the army honorably discharged Hendrix in ‘62 after an injury. After leaving the army, Hendrix was still only booking as a session musician, playing backup for performers such as Little Richard, B.B. King, and Sam Cooke under the name Jimmy James. But in 1966, Hendrix signed a management contract with Animals bassist Chas Chandler, who took him to London. There, Hendrix was introduced to bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, forming the Jimi Hendrix Experience band. 

And that’s when Jimi takes off.  

Hendrix becomes a guitar legend – earning admiration from fellow icons such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton. He released three albums in two years, each soaring to the top of the charts. He played the most iconic festivals of the decade – both Monterey Pop and Woodstock – and led the psychedelic rock wave. Crowds screamed for his experimental sound and awe-inspiring tricks – including playing his guitar with his mouth and behind his head. And, famously, he sets his guitar on fire! Hendrix was on top of the world, leaving his rainy hometown of Seattle and synagogue basements behind. 

But as fast as Hendrix was to ignite, his flame was put out even faster. Hendrix passed away in September of 1970 at the age of 27. Gone too soon can’t even begin to describe the loss his death represents. The world lost an incomparable artistic talent, but Hendrix lost the chance to grow old, to embark on new adventures, to explore all the highs and lows life can give past the age of 30. Jimi Hendrix is an icon of rock and roll, the face of an entire decade of music, but it can never be forgotten just how much of his true legacy, his own breath and joy, was stolen. 

Looking back on his life and career, it’s difficult to say how instrumental Hendrix’s first performance was in making him the musician he became. Perhaps it put a chip on his shoulder, a confirmation that he had something special, even if the synagogue basement crowd couldn’t see it. Perhaps the experience haunted Hendrix in his early years, no matter how much he tried to move on.  

Hendrix, when reflecting on being fired from his first gig years later, simply remarked: “I was trying to play from the soul, and the other band members thought I was showing off.” So maybe that was all it was, Hendrix bearing his soul to the wrong crowd. Now, it’s easy to see that his soul belonged on only one stage – the eternal one.  

The post This Week in Music History: The Beginning of a Legend appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Buddy Holly was in a tough spot. His manager had stolen from him, and after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, he needed money to support his pregnant wife and move to New York. To raise funds, Holly set off on the “Winter Dance Tour” with his band of Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Brunch, performing in venues throughout the Midwest.

They played with Richie Valens and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson. The tour bus had frequent heating issues over the course of the tour. Around Green Bay, Wisconsin, the group was downgraded to a decommissioned school bus. Frostbite, fever, and colds fostered during their long treks from ballroom to ballroom. Sporadic touring locations from the management company caused the musicians to dub it “the tour from hell”. Most of the driving was on snowed over two-laned country roads. The highway system wouldn’t be implemented until nearly a decade later.  

Tour managers informed the weathered group that they had to play at the Surf Ballroom the night of February 2nd. Tired of the tour bus conditions, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, and Tommy Allsup decided to fly to Fargo, North Dakota. They would meet with the other performers and drive to their nearby concert in Moorhead, Minnesota. Jennings switched with Richardson due to an illness caused by the tour bus, while Allsup lost his seat to Valens over a coin toss. Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson prepared for their first relaxing transport of the tour.

Snowfall caused inclement weather for the region. Outside of Clear Lake, the owner of the Mason City Airport assigned 21-year-old pilot Roger Peterson to charter them, a “man who built his life around flying” (Jerry Dwyer, Aircraft Accident Report). At approximately 12:55 a.m., the plane took off. The Air Traffic control quickly lost its blinking headlight after it rapidly descended into the deep winter. Attempts to contact the plane failed. Around 9 a.m. the next morning, investigative teams found the wreckage in a field mere miles from the airport. There were no survivors. Four young men had lost their lives to an ill-fated flight. Even if they had made it out of Iowa, the after-accident report details that more intense inclement weather would have occurred. This information was not relayed to the pilot.

Heartbroken fans mourned the loss of these bright young men. They were on the cusp of greatness. Surviving tour members honored their legacy. Waylon Jennings, a bassist on Holly’s tour, became a Billboard-favorite and a major influence on the Outlaw Country genre in the ensuing decades. He referenced the tragedy on “Long Time Ago”, a song from his 1978 album I’ve Always Been Crazy”. “Don’t ask me who I gave my seat to on that plane, I think you already know, I told you a long time ago.”

Don McLean put an apt name to this tragedy in his paramount song “American Pie”. The song deals with America’s disillusionment surrounding the tragedy, and the artists who built upon the foundation left in their wake. McLean remembers that “something touched me deep inside / the day the music died.” While rock music endures to this day, its innocence was lost that cold night in Iowa.

The post Today in Music History: The Day the Music Died appeared first on KRUI Radio.