Jimi Hendrix didn't become "Jimi" until 1966

Many artists and other entertainers go under a stage name. Some stage names can be inventive, like that Bono, Sting, Slash, and Meatloaf. Therefore, it may be difficult to believe that Jimi Hendrix, one of the most hallucinogenic rock musicians, didn't change his name, at least not completely. He was a Hendrix by birth. But there's some controversy around his first name.

John Allen Hendrix, the father of Jimi Hendrix, was born in Seattle on November 27, 1942. While James "Al" Hendrix, his father, was serving in the military in Europe during World War II, he was initially reared by his mother. Al picked up his baby and gave him the new name James Marshall Hendrix when he came back to the United States in 1945.

The Animals' bassist Chas Chandler, who would later become Jimi's manager, witnessed the performer in 1966 at New York City's Cafe Wha? Roadie James "Tappy" Wright, who was there, told the BBC in 2016: "This man didn't appear anything exceptional, then all of a sudden he started fiddling with his teeth." Chas reasoned, "I could accomplish something with this kid," when people were asking, "What the hell?"

Later, in September 1966, Chandler made a comeback with the intention of signing Hendrix to a contract that called for him to relocate to London and form a band. Additionally, Chandler advised Hendrix to use the name "Jimi." Like Jimi Hendrix, the session musician assembled the Jimi Hendrix Experience with the help of drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding. Chandler suggested Hendrix use the moniker "Jimi" even though he was already performing as Jimmy James at the time.