Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience

The reason to read this book isn't that it gives you the closest thing to a day-by-day accounting of Hendrix life (which it does). The best reason to read this book is the diversity of perspectives that it gives you on Hendrix. You hear from people who loved him, who just randomly bumped into him, and even a couple who could have done without him. There's no author's bias that you have to tease out on your own. There are an assortment of takes on Hendrix. You can judge for yourself what is valid and what isn't, based on whether it is corroborated by other accounts of the same event. A truly fascinating way to look at the life of a legend.

Jimi Hendrix was undoubtedly one of the most distinguished and most talented guitarists ever to walk the planet. His life started out in the gutter: no mother, a father overseas, and nothing to rely on but himself. Soon however, he found his true calling, the guitar. One of his father's friends had an old Stratocaster and one night while he was drunk, he sold it to Jimi for hardly anything. From this point on, his life changed drastically; he took his guitar with him everywhere he went, even going as far as sleeping with it. His guitar took him all over the country, to England and back, and then back to London. On his last visit to London, he passed away. Jimi Hendrix was and will always be one of the best guitarists ever.

This book on legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix takes an unusual turn, gathering eyewitness recollections of his life through the words of his admirers, friends and close observers. From his childhood experiences through adulthood, this uses quotes from documentaries, books, newspapers, TV and Internet sites as well as new interviews to provide a well-rounded view of the man and his career.

This book opens the wounds of Jimi's death anew. The author pieces together, as best he can, with recollections from family, band mates, and contemporaries the crushing price fame held for Jimi Hendrix. One can feel the pain, and I actually felt rage against all who seemed out to destroy him. True, he had his own demons, but there seemed noone who was really there to care about the "person" Jimi, only what they could get out of him. Of all books out, this one seemed most objective, if that is possible.

This unique day-by-day account of Jimi Hendrix's life succeeds in driving home the relentless pressures of being a rock star. Drawn from a variety of sources, the book manages a feat rarer than a Hendrix guitar without teethmarks...a coherent recollection of the sixties music scene! An excellent read.