The book opens on a rainy London street, where Jimi is spending his dying moments in an ambulance. A mysterious woman comes to take him away, Jimi says he is not ready to go yet and the reader watches as his life flashes before him. Using the artist's lyrics and personal letters, as well as some of his own creative imagination, Martin Green presents a fantastic journey.
We learn about Jimi's 17 year-old mother, who liked to go out partying and his father who was away in the army, fighting in the second world war. There's a touching scene where his father comes home and the three-year-old Hendrix goes to get the photo of his dad, to make sure that they are one in the same.
His first guitar comes to him at the age of 15, when he buys one for five dollars. He joins the army and becomes a member of the 101st airborne division, where he meets up with a bass player, Billy Cox. A broken foot ended his career as a soldier, so he began playing backup for other musicians until he starts to go out on his own.
Finally, an agent, Chas Chandler, takes him to London and risks everything he has promoting Hendrix. When putting together his first band, the author shows him choosing a bass player based on his hair and flipping a coin to choose a drummer. From there, it is a whirlwind of putting out their first album "Are You Experienced" and watching it climb the charts. They return to America and the book tracks his career as well as his personal life for the next few years.
It makes interesting reading and a special nod should go to those who helped to do the research for the book, as this includes Professor Joel Brattin, among several others. The book is published by Penguin Studio and would be an excellent addition to the library of any Hendrix lover.
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