The first few years of Jimi Hendrix’s life weren’t easy as his father was absent when the guitarist was born since the senior Hendrix was drafted into the army and fought for his country thousands of miles away. And even after Jimi’s father returned, the rocker’s life mainly consisted of a constant struggle with addictions and poverty, so it wasn’t the best family portrait a child might wish for.
These challenges in Jimi’s life followed him into teenagerhood. However, his love for music was apparent. So, when a social worker saw him cling to a broom and acting like it was a guitar, they talked with his father about buying the young Hendrix the instrument. The guitarist wasn’t in luck, though, as his dad wasn’t pleased with his son’s love of music. So, with no guitar and nothing to do in school, Jimi would get into mischief.
After being caught driving stolen vehicles two times, Hendrix was forced to decide whether to go to prison or join the army. So, if you’re all too familiar with Jimi, you might know which one he chose. Yet, if you don’t know much about Hendrix’s early life, well, then we’re delighted to tell you that the path he took was joining the army and this single choice, maybe, turned him into a guitar hero.
So, as Jimi chose to join the army rather than go to prison and not see the light of day for some time, he wasn’t much pleased with this career path. And maybe, it would be safe to say that Jimi hated being in the army, and his superiors would agree since reports suggested his commanders weren’t happy with Hendrix’s performance as a private.
With Jimi suffering in a place where he felt he didn’t belong, the guitarist decided to write a letter to his father, who’d finally bought him a guitar, to send the instrument to his army base. After receiving the guitar, Hendrix spent most of his time playing and not caring for his duties as a private.
So, upon seeing Jimi playing with his guitar, his army pals thought they would play him a joke by hiding Hendrix’s guitar and not telling where it might be until Hendrix begged them to speak. With all of these, it might be safe to say Jimi didn’t have the best experience in the army, and he had to find a way out.
Since Jimi was a parachute trooper, accidents were common in most practices, and after he was finally honorably discharged, primarily due to discipline issues, Hendrix would claim that an accident where he broke his ankle was the reason why he was removed from the army and set him free to start a career as a musician.
However, no records report such an accident or discuss Hendrix’s broken ankle, so it’s unknown whether Jimi had the accident or was just a simple lie. Still, after he was discharged, whether due to discipline issues or an ankle injury, being in the army, maybe, gave Jimi the free time to compose his future hit tracks.
Hendrix’s love for music had been evident since childhood, but maybe spending time in the army made him realize that he couldn’t live without music. So, when he had troubles with family and poverty, he would cling to a broom, imagining it was a guitar. When he had problems with the military, the rocker would make his father send him his guitar and spend time playing. So, maybe his time in the army made him musically improve, and the accident allowed him to be discharged and prove himself to the world.
