Jimi Hendrix vs John Coltrane
Two music prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Jimi Hendrix | John Coltrane | |
| Field | Music | Music |
| Sub-field | Pop | Composer |
| Born | 1942 | 1926 |
| Died | 1970 | 1967 |
| Country of birth | United States | United States |
| Star sign | Sagittarius | Libra |
Who they are
Jimi Hendrix
The first instrument Jimi Hendrix ever played was a ukulele with a single string. He found it while helping his father clean out a house in Seattle in 1957, and he spent weeks working out the melody to "Honky Tonk Women" on that single string before his father relented and bought him a five-dollar acoustic guitar. He was fifteen years old, completely self-taught, and he could already hear in his head sounds that no existing guitarist had yet produced. Within four years, by his own account, he had listened to every blues record he could…
Full biography of Jimi Hendrix →
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926, in Hamlet, North Carolina, in a home shaped by deep religious conviction — his grandfather was a minister, his family rooted in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. That spiritual undercurrent would define the arc of his entire musical life, surfacing most powerfully in the extended suite he composed as a personal hymn of gratitude after overcoming drug and alcohol addiction. But the path there was long, and every step was forged through obsessive, relentless practice. Coltrane was known to practice for hours until his lips…
Full biography of John Coltrane →
What they share
- Both are held here under Music.
- Both born in United States.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- 16 years separate their births (1942 and 1926).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Jimi Hendrix or John Coltrane?
- John Coltrane. Jimi Hendrix was born in 1942, John Coltrane in 1926.
- What field is each of them in?
- Jimi Hendrix is filed under Music (Pop). John Coltrane is filed under Music (Composer).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.