Hendrix on Hendrix

Overview

The life and music of a rock & roll icon—in his own words

Though many books have chronicled Jimi Hendrix’s brilliant but tragically brief musical career, this is the first to use his own words to paint a detailed portrait of the man behind the guitar. With selections carefully chosen by one of the world’s leading Jimi Hendrix historians, this work includes the most important interviews from the peak of his career, 1966 to 1970. In this authoritative volume, Hendrix recalls for reporters his heartbreaking childhood, his concept of "Electric Church Music" (intended to wash people’s souls and give them a new direction), and his wish to be remembered as not just another guitar player. While Hendrix never wrote a memoir, with new transcriptions from European papers, the African American press, counterculture newspapers, radio and TV interviews, and previously unpublished court transcripts, this book gives music fans the next best thing to a Hendrix autobiography.

Reviews

"The Voodoo Child speaks. Nobody will ever be able to fully explain a phenomenon like Jimi Hendrix, but Hendrixologist Steven Roby gives us the next best thing—and the one person almost least heard from on the subject—Hendrix himself."  —Joel Selvin, senior pop music correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle

"I've read the majority of books published on Jimi Hendrix. They all only reflect a minute glimpse of his thoughts and his life. This compilation of his interviews does a superlative job of promoting and understanding his character."  —Juma Sultan, Hendrix's friend and percussionist (1969-1970)

"Hendrix on Hendrix uncovers a wealth of material that most diehard fans didn't even suspect existed. By focusing on Jimi's own words, it gives us revealing insights not only into many corners of his artistic evolution but also into the idiosyncratic man behind the music."  —Richie Unterberger, author, The Unreleased Beatles and Won't Get Fooled Again

"We will be forever turned out by James Marshall Hendrix. If you are anything like me, you can’t get enough of Jimi in his own speak and word. This book is all about that."  —Narada Michael Walden, Grammy Award–winning producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter

"A refreshing addition to the Hendrix library, and lends context to serious discussions of the man as an artist."  —Booklist

Author Biography

Steven Roby is a respected Jimi Hendrix historian, archivist, and author. He has written feature articles and reviews for Goldmine and Guitar World and was editor of Straight Ahead: The International Jimi Hendrix Fanzine and the Hendrix family's authorized fanzine, Experience Hendrix. His previous books include Becoming Jimi Hendrix and Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix. He lives in Oakland, California.