Record:In the Beginning

Famed rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix released only three albums during his lifetime, but record companies released album after album of his recordings after his untimely death in 1970. "In the Beginning" was one of those albums. In less than four years in the international spotlight, Hendrix revolutionized the sound of rock music by using his dazzling technical skills to elicit an array of almost unbelievable sounds from his electric guitar-from cosmic-toned feedback and roaring distortion to hurricane blasts of noise. After working as a band musician for such R&B/soul greats as Little Richard and the Isley Brothers, Hendrix released his first solo album in 1967. That debut album, "Are You Experienced?," rocketed to the top of the charts after Hendrix's virtuosity wowed the crowds at the Monterey Pop Festival the same year. Audiences eager to "tune in, turn on, and drop out" loved the way he played loud, psychedelic rock and distorted tunes, and even set his guitar on fire. Industry professionals, eager to make a buck any way they could, profited by marketing Hendrix as a rebel.