Jimi Hendrix Returned to His High School After Dropping Out to Give a Big Performance But the ‘Show’ Was a Disaster
Jimi Hendrix had a winding road to worldwide stardom as a musician. He dropped out of high school and joined the military as a young adult before launching his career as a guitarist. Years later, when he was Jimi Hendrix the rockstar, he returned to his high school to give an inspiring performance for its current students. But the show ended in embarrassment for Hendrix.
Jimi Hendrix dropped out of high school
Jimi Hendrix grew up in Seattle in the 1950s. He dropped out of high school in 1960, and in 1961, the singer visited Seattle on leave from the US Army and saw his family, including his father Al and brother Leon for the first time since leaving. In the next several years, Hendrix would work as a backup guitarist for influential artists including Little Richard, The Isley Brothers, and Ike and Tina Turner.
In the mid-1960s, Hendrix formed a band of his own, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. They released their debut album Are You Experienced in May 1967, and the LP remains one of the most highly-regarded projects in rock history. They released their sophomore album Axis: Bold as Love in December of that year.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience planned a massive tour for early 1968. In February 1968, The Jimi Hendrix Experience had a sold-out show scheduled at Seattle’s Center Arena, marking Hendrix’s first hometown show as a part of the band. But he had another idea for his short time in Seattle: he wanted to perform a show at Garfield High School, where he dropped out as a teenager.
He returned to his high school for a performance
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Hendrix wanted to perform at Garfield High School the morning after The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Seattle show. He told promoter Pat O’Day that he wanted to do something special while he was in town, despite the fact that they had a short amount of time in town — they had a show booked in Los Angeles the night after Seattle.
“He said, ‘Pat, can you get me an assembly at Garfield High?’” O’Day recalled in a 2011 interview. “‘You know they kicked me out of there and I’d like to go there and be in an assembly and play music.’”
The high school cancelled a pep rally to host a performance by The Jimi Hendrix Experience the morning after their Seattle show. A free show by one of the hottest bands in music thrilled the students.
Unfortunately for them, and for Hendrix, the star was exhausted, hungover, and sleep-deprived, and couldn’t play for the audience. Instead, he opened the floor up to questions, reflecting on “2,000 years” having passed since he was last at the school and musing about how he wrote his song “Purple Haze” about the school colors.
Finally, when a cheerleader asked him about how he writes a song, Hendrix decided he’d had enough. “Right now, I’m going to say goodbye to you, and go out the door, and get into my limousine, and go to the airport,” he said. “And when I get out the door, the assembly will be over, and the bell will ring. And when I hear that bell ring, I’ll write a song. Thank you very much.”
The assembly that Hendrix had planned was over in less than five minutes, and Hendrix felt sad and upset at how it turned out, having planned the perfect homecoming after becoming a superstar. “I just can’t face an audience without my guitar,” he told journalist Patrick MacDonald of the incident.
He died in 1970
Hendrix’s career wouldn’t suffer as a result of the failed high school homecoming show. The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their third (and final) album, Electric Ladyland, in October 1968.
The band eventually dissolved by the middle of 1969, and Hendrix continued to perform with other musicians up until his death. He gave an unforgettable performance at Woodstock in 1969, but continued to struggle with drug addiction behind the scenes. He died in September 1970 at the age of 27.
