Jimi Hendrix • All Along the Watchtower

50 years ago today, September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix died in London, apparently from asphyxia due to an overdose of barbiturates. He was 27. In fact, he would later be identified with what came to be known as the 27 Club. The “club” is a grouping of famous musicians who experienced passing before their time, all at 27, usually due to a tragic cause such as drug abuse (the list includes at least 75 people such as Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, and Amy Winehouse).

Hendrix had only been a celebrity for about four years, but his influence was huge. This is because his musical talent was huge! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame characterizes Hendrix as “...arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.” 

His rock influences were Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. He was also heavily influenced by blues artists, specifically Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and B.B. King. He lived a while in Nashville, and once communicated to Rolling Stone that he loved watching The Grande Ole Opry, and was impressed by much of the musical talent there. He obviously had a very eclectic mix of influences that shaped his emerging sound. 

His primary songwriting influence was Bob Dylan. He frequently played Bob Dylan’s records, especially Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde. Hendrix’s biggest hit was a Bob Dylan composition, entitled All Along the Watchtower, in 1968. Rolling Stone magazine named the record #47 in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Below you can listen to a video of Jimi Hendrix performing the song.

Hendrix once said, “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” We’ll never know how that might have worked out in his life. But we can take it to heart in our own. Today we remember a music giant. His absence reminds us that there is much which remains a mystery in our lives and existence. Someone once said that though we don’t know what the future holds, we can know who holds the future. Maybe we can take some comfort in that this evening. While we honor this one who left us all too soon….

Check out Jimi Hendrix on Spotify: 

Here is a video of Jimi Hendrix performing his version of Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower