Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius
Becoming Jimi Hendrix traces “Jimmy’s” early musical roots, from a harrowing, hand-to-mouth upbringing in a poverty-stricken, broken Seattle home to his early discovery of the blues to his stint as a reluctant recruit of the 101st Airborne who was magnetically drawn to the rhythm and blues scene in Nashville. As a sideman, Hendrix played with the likes of Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner, the Isley Brothers, and Sam & Dave—but none knew what to make of his spotlight-stealing rock...
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The first in-depth biography of the formative years of the greatest electric guitarist of all time, with 25 rare photos, complete sessionography, and tour itineraryThe New York Times - David KirbySteven Roby and Brad Schreiber…don't impose a view the way a master like Greil Marcus or Peter Guralnick might, but in a brick-on-brick manner they describe the run-up to Hendrix's electrifying appearance on a world stage. Hendrix's career as a superstar has been well chronicled; the more interesting details of how he became one are told here.
Acknowledgments viiPreface xiiiIntroduction: Seattle-The Childhood That Never Was 1Chapter 1 The Case Against Private Hendrix (January-June 1962) 13Chapter 2 I Can Hear the Blues Callin' My Name (July-December 1962) 27Chapter 3 I'd Rather Starve (January-June 1963) 41Chapter 4 Nothing But Someone's Coat on His Back (July-December 1963) 53Chapter 5 From One Family to the Next (January-June 1964) 71Chapter 6 An All-Consuming Fire (July-December 1964) 85Chapter 7 Life and Near Death on the Road (January-June 1965) 99Chapter 8 How Would You Feel? (July-December 1965) 117Chapter 9 Next Planet, Please (January-June 1966) 135Chapter 10 Downtown and Underground (July-September 1966) 155Epilogue 175Bibliography 187Recommended Listening 197Sessionography/Discography and Television Appearances, 1962-1966 199Chronology of Tours and Events, 1962-1966 217Index 261
\ Publishers WeeklyPublished on the 40th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death at the age of 27, this uninspired chronicle of the evolutionary guitarist's formative years relies on previously available information and new interviews with surviving band members, friends, and former lovers to provide a dense, detailed glimpse into what is perhaps the least-explored period of Hendrix's short, eventful life. Revelations of Hendrix being sexually molested as a teenager may be news to some, but bawdy tales of drug use and epic sexual encounters will not. After being discharged from the Army in 1962, Hendrix played the blues and R&B circuit in the South, making his way to New York and London as little more than a backing musician whose penchant for stealing the spotlight cost him gigs before it made him famous. Roby (Black Gold) and Schreiber (Stop the Show!) are clearly fans, but write pedantic, stilted prose and include few direct quotes from their sources, rendering dull an exciting subject and period of American culture. To their credit, though, they end with an interesting and exhaustive account of Hendrix's sessions, discs, tours, and events between 1962 and 1966. \ (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.\ \ \ \ \ David KirbySteven Roby and Brad Schreiber…don't impose a view the way a master like Greil Marcus or Peter Guralnick might, but in a brick-on-brick manner they describe the run-up to Hendrix's electrifying appearance on a world stage. Hendrix's career as a superstar has been well chronicled; the more interesting details of how he became one are told here.\ —The New York Times\ \
