The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Origin of Heavy Metal

English: Album cover for the U.S. version of Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Reprise LP 6261. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When it comes to heavy metal my favorite band unequivocally is The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The heavy metal chord that Jimi Hendrix strikes at the beginning of “Are You Experienced” is the anthem cry the metal universe has responded to ever since.

I drift back to the summer of 1967 when I was 15 years old. I was in the throes of teen age angst and The Jimi Hendrix Experience was catching my soul. Hendrix sang, “I know what I want but I just don’t know, how to, go about getting it”, I said Wow, he really gets who I am, what I’m feeling. The identification was immediate and undeniable. I wore the Are You Experienced vinyl LP out on my hi-fi record player.

I have listened to many musicians and recordings since that time but nothing will ever exceed the impact and resonance of Jimi Hendrix and Are You Experienced.