On This Day in 1959, Jimi Hendrix Performed on Stage for the First Time at Just 16 Years Old (and Got Fired Immediately After)

Jimi Hendrix had been playing music as a child for quite some time before he hit the stage for the very first time on this very day, February 20, 1959. He was only 16 years old when he made his stage debut with an unknown band at Temple De Hirsch Sinai synagogue in Seattle. And, interestingly enough, he would later be fired after the gig for being a “show-off.” In just a few years, he would become one of the greatest and most innovative rock guitarists of the 20th century, if not the greatest.

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Let’s take a look back at Hendrix’s very first performance, arguably the one that started it all.

Jimi Hendrix Performed for the First Time as a Teen With a Dream

Jimi Hendrix began playing the guitar at a very young age, but would be unable to own one until he was a teenager. With a mind full of blues inspiration from the likes of B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters, Hendrix purchased a guitar for about $5 (equal to about $54 in today’s money) when he was 15 years old. He was largely self-taught and famously couldn’t read sheet music for his entire career. Not that he needed to, anyway.

Jimi Hendrix would play his first guitar for hours on end every day, all while watching and listening to blues guitarists like Robert Johnson. According to lore, the first song that Hendrix learned to play was “Peter Gunn” by Peter Mancini. Hendrix often had jam sessions with his childhood friend Sammy Drain, too. 

With his newly purchased acoustic guitar, Hendrix formed his first band, The Velvetones. However, without an electric guitar, he was barely audible over his bandmates. Thankfully, his father eventually relented and purchased a classic white Supro Ozark for young Hendrix.

It all culminated in Hendrix’s first on-stage performance at the Jaffe Room of Temple De Hirsch Sinai synagogue in Seattle on February 20, 1959. Sadly, it doesn’t appear that any footage or audio recordings of the gig in question have survived over the years. However, I can only imagine how incredible it was, considering Hendrix got the boot for overshadowing his bandmates.

Shortly after that famed first performance, Hendrix would join The Rocking Kings and play professionally, which would eventually lead to his legendary career in The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Photo by Andre Csillag/Shutterstock