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Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius
 
 
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Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius [Paperback]

Steven Roby (Author), Brad Schreiber (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 31, 2010
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 guitar experimentation, the likes of which had never been heard before.
 
From 1962 to 1966, on the rough and tumble club circuit, Hendrix learned to please a crowd, deal with racism, and navigate shady music industry characters, all while evolving his own astonishing style. Finally, in New York’s Greenwich Village, two key women helped him survive, and his discovery in a tiny basement club in 1966 led to Hendrix instantly being heralded as a major act in Europe before he returned to America, appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival, and entered the pantheon of rock’s greatest musicians.
 
Becoming Jimi Hendrix is based on over one hundred interviews with those who knew Hendrix best during his lean years, more than half of whom have never spoken about him on the record. Utilizing court transcripts, FBI files, private letters, unpublished photos, and U.S. Army documents, this is the story of a young musician who overcame enormous odds, a past that drove him to outbursts of violence, and terrible professional and personal decisions that complicated his life before his untimely demise.

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As a boy growing up in Seattle, Jimi Hendrix and his guitar were inseparable. He even slept with it. And when his father objected to the young boy playing left-handed—the elder Hendrix called it the devil’s work—Jimi learned to play right-handed upside down without changing the strings. These are the kind of details one learns in Roby and Schreiber’s entertaining biography, which follows Hendrix from his troubled childhood in Seattle, his disastrous stint in the army (he refused to conform to regulations), and on to New York and London, where he died under rather mysterious circumstances. From his earliest days as a sideman in various bands, Hendrix was different, creating weird wailing sounds on his guitar, which often got him fired. They also examine his dark side; despite his typically gentle demeanor, Hendrix had a violent streak. When the black community rejected both his music and his flamboyant style of dress, Hendrix spent more time in Greenwich Village, where, inspired by the success of another iconoclast, Bob Dylan, he found acceptance. An insightful look at an iconic star. --June Sawyers

Review

New York Times Book Review, 10/17/10
“Hendrix’s career as a superstar has been well chronicled; the more interesting details of how he became one are told here…[Becoming Jimi Hendrix] makes a case for the preparation that every originator should go through: follow your passion obsessively, so that when you encounter the person or thing that will change your life, you’ll be ready.”

Steve Coates, New York Times, 10/15/10
“It’s a fascinating book for the story it tells, but I would pay the cover price just for its amazing photographs.”

Rolling Stone, 8/19/10
3 ½ out of 4 stars "Most important, the book shows how Greenwich Village was crucial to Hendrix's 1966 breakthrough: With Harlem unable to hold him, MacDougal Street provides the launching pad for Hendrix's psychedelic genius."

Classic Rock (UK), September 2010
“[A] unique and fascinating book…The most thorough account yet seen of the years during which a shy, spacey, chronically untogether young guitarist learned his craft…Tells us more, and more deeply, than any previous volume about exactly what went into his Becoming Jimi Hendrix.” (9 out of 10 stars)
 
Booklist, 9/15/10
“An insightful look at an iconic star.”
 
L.A. Weekly, 9/23
“A crucial rock bio.”
 
Chicago Sun-Times, 9/19
“Steven Roby and Brad Schreiber’s assiduously reported work illuminates the evolution of Hendrix from self-taught amateur to the guitar paragon whose stylings remain a rock hallmark… [They] seem to have tracked down almost everybody who crossed paths with Hendrix… [and] are to be thanked for a comprehensive bibliography, recommended listening, a sessionography including discography and TV appearances, and a chronology of 1961-1966 tours and events.”
 
Wolfgang’s Vault, Ben Fong-Torres
“A well-researched book loaded with great stories.”
 
Mojo, November 2010
“One of the most intelligent and revealing biographies of an unsurpassable giant.”
 
San Francisco Chronicle, 10/04/10
“A compelling account of an artist whose idiosyncrasies earned him both respect and scorn in the black music establishment and eternal superstardom in the rock arena…Roby and Schreiber provide an insightful account of an artist who perceived his craft differently from any guitarist before or since, and who finally aligned the rock world with that perception, but never fully reaped the rewards of his efforts.”

JimPress
, September 2010
“If you read only one new Hendrix book this year, make it this one...You will still be drawn in and fascinated to hear how Jimi became the showman and musician that he did.”
 
Internet Review of Books, 10/29/10
“A must read for hard-core Hendrix fans.”
 
Popmatters.com, 11/11/10
“The first major fleshing out of the formative period during which Hendrix discovered not only who he was, but who he wasn’t…Roby and Schreiber document a remarkably busy and pivotal stretch in Hendrix’s career and life. Their digging through files, interviews and news clippings puts meat on the bones of his pre-fame chronology.”

TheRoot.com, 11/4/10
“For a reader's first exploration into Hendrix's early years, Steven Roby and Brad Schreiber's well-researched book provides a solid start… What this book does well is bring a legend down to earth, if only so that readers can, 40 years after his untimely passing, better understand from whence he came.”
 
Houston Press (“Get Lit” blog), 11/22/10
“The authors contribute plenty of valuable and insightful stories about the music, moods, and outlook of perhaps rock's most inventive guitarist.”
 
Waterbury Sunday Republican, 12/5/10
“A worthy addition to the growing shelf of books on the man who redefined the role of electric guitar in rock music.”

Curled Up with a Good Book, 12/21/10
“For hardcore Hendrix fans, it's worth reading.”

Blues Revue, February 2011
“Stories about the chitlin’ circuit experiences, about losing head cutting contests in Nashville to Johnny Jones, about not getting paid, and of course, about the young women who helped the sometimes-homeless Jimi to survive make this book come alive. The 25 black-and-white photographs offered here are fantastic and most of them never seen before…A very enjoyable book.”
 
Midwest Book Review, January 2011
“A key acquisition of any rock music history holding.”
 
Examiner.com, 2/9/11
“Well-written and chock full of the kind of new information and original interviews that make it a joy (and even a relief, given the regurgitated nature of so many recent books on Hendrix) to a Jimi-obsessive.”

LosingToday.com, 5/22/11
“Well researched and well written, and the authors do a tremendous job of bringing both the subject and the era back to life for a whole new generation. Highly recommended.”

 

Midnight to Six blog, 12/25/11
“While everyone knows the Hendrix that was the leading guitar player during the psychedelic era, most are unfamiliar with how he got there, and that’s why this book is so valuable. The authors paint a very vivid picture of Hendrix’s years of poverty as he bounced around from gig to gig, backing some of the day’s top R&B stars (don’t miss the wild stories from his stint in Little Richard’s band!), while trying to find a way to get into the spotlight on his own merits… Becoming Jimi Hendrix is both well researched and well written, and the authors do a tremendous job of bringing both the subject and the era back to life for a whole new generation. Highly recommended.”

Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 31, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0306819104
  • ISBN-13: 978-0306819100
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars CLEAR CONCISELY WRITTEN BOOK ON HENDRIX' EARLY YEARS, November 23, 2010
This review is from: Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius (Paperback)
Soft cover, 185 pages of text, 9 pages of information sources, 2 pages of recommended listening, 17 pages of discography/sessionography, 43 pages of a chronology of tours/events from 1962-66, and an index. There's 16 pages of b&w photos of Hendrix from the time period detailed in the book.

This great little book by Steven Roby (author of "Black Gold" a great book on unreleased Hendrix material), and Brad Schreiber is basically how Johnny Allen Hendrix became Jimi Hendrix. His youth in Seattle, playing in various local bands. The army-where he met and played with Billy Cox. Scuffling in Nashville, playing in the dives for very little money. Getting his first road experience with Hank Ballard's band, and getting fired (nothing unusual) for playing the music "incorrectly". Continuing to scuffle along as Jimmy James and the Vagabonds in New York, where he was discovered by Chas Chandler (bassist in THE ANIMALS), and whisked away to England on the promise of recording "Wild Thing". And then on to fame and fortune that's known to most fans of his music.

This succinct book is well written in an easy flowing style, with a number of quotes from people who knew Hendrix through all the various stages of his early years. The photographs help the reader formulate a better picture of Hendrix through these years, especially a picture of Hendrix at the age of four, wairing shorts and an embroidered sweater, and another shot of him in his uniform playing his guitar on the army base in 1961. The other photos show Hendrix on stage with Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, and Joey Dee and the Starlighters, among others.

For anyone who wants a clear, concise book on Hendrix' early years, this is the book to read. Included are a number of interesting/fascinating details and asides concerning both Hendrix and the era/locales, locales he found himself in, often not of his own choosing. This is the first book to give an in depth look at Hendrix' early stages without going overboard on details and things which have little or no real bearing on his music, and how he became one of the world's greatest electric guitarists. Well worth reading for the information on Hendrix' early years and for a straightforward writing style that's easy to digest.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolutely Brilliant Look At Hendrix, September 9, 2010
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This review is from: Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius (Paperback)
BECOMING JIMI HENDRIX was an absolute joy to read. Having "lived the day" the book brought back not only the memories of Hendrix and the music scene of that period, but it more defined his genius and his motivation. For Hendrix, it was all about the music, and the mystery of his journey from irrelevancy to fame is documented in this book by two authors who not only understand the complexity of Hendrix, but also his sensitivity and his courage as a musician and as a man. If there ever was a page-turner in the music genre, this is it. I couldn't put it down. Being associated with some who knew him, I am anxious to share the book. The mystery surrounding his death haunts me and I hope that this book sheds light on the event. Anybody who remembers or is simply curious about the 60's should read BECOMING JIMI HENDRIX. Steve Feinberg Los Angeles
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!!!, January 16, 2012
This review is from: Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius (Paperback)
The book has a Malcolm Gladwell flow. He truly outlined the hardship of achieving goals. The author did not sugar coat anything throughout the book. This book can also be called The Science Of Success: Jimi Hendrix. If you are an artist or running a startup this book is good for you to read.
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