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February is Black History month and there are so many black artists who deserve honor for their contribution to rock ‘n’ roll and nearly every genre of music. We’ll be featuring a black rock ‘n’ roller every week to honor so today, we pay our respects to arguably the greatest guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix.

Hendrix experienced a difficult childhood, but persevered through it all to become a man at the top of fame with his music that was considered very experimental for the time. Playing upside down, behind his back, with his teeth, and even setting his guitar on fire were just some antics that coincided with his breathtaking guitar skills. Giving us hits like Purple Haze, Foxy Lady, and Hey Joe along with deeper gems, Hendrix truly blessed the entire world with his music.

Unfortunately, Hendrix’s career was cut many years too short when he died of an accidental overdose on September 18th, 1970 at the young age of 27. This made him one of the many legendary members of the tragic 27 club.

We are so grateful for Jimi Hendrix and all he gave to the world. We only wonder what his career could have kept growing into if he was given a few more decades. He is still so missed!

Watch Jimi Hendrix perform Hey Joe live in 1967 at the Monterey Pop Festival here: