Product Description

Sharon Lawrence is a journalist who knew Hendrix well, became his confidante and saw him a number of times in the weeks before his death. Jimi Hendrix tells and shows - in rich detail - who Jimi Hendrix really was and what really happened to him during his short life, and what has happened to his legacy in the more than thirty years of greed and game-playing since his tragically early death. The book contains new and rare material including many unpublished conversations with Hendrix and major insights from more than fifty fresh sources who have previously kept their silence. Fellow rock stars and musicians, childhood neighbours, laywers and newspaper editors are among those who knew Jimi well and are now willing to speak about who he really was and what events marked his lightning-fast ride to the top, and the extraordinary highs and lows which ultimately led to his death.

Insightful and revelatory, this is also an affectionate portrayal of the real Jimi by a friend who feels the time is finally right to tell the true story.

'Highly readable, this is a fascinating account of the man with magic fingers who deserved so much more out of life.' Four star review in Sunday Express

'Compelling, controversial reading... 'The Truth' part of this book is a grim tour de force.' Four star review in Mojo

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205432 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 351 pages

Mojo
Compelling, controversial reading... 'The Truth' part of this book is a grim tour de force.

About the Author

Sharon Lawrence is a journalist and author. She was a music journalist in the sixties when she met Hendrix and went on to become a consultant in the music business working with some of the biggest acts of the day.

Customer Reviews

Revealing
A genuine friend and confidant of Jimi Hendrix, Sharon Lawrence stood as a defence witness during his trial when he was busted in Toronto. She was also friends with Mitch and Noel the other members of the Experience and other people on the late 60's scene, such as Eric Burden. The story of her friendship with Jimi whom she met through her journalistic connections, is affectionate yet harrowing. Jimi had to say the least a grim, impoverished childhood, a hard struggle to the top-and aside from a happy year of triumph in 1967, all the pressures of stardom to deal with, and then fataly I feel, to have his creativity and hence his spirit, crushed with an overwhelming burden of business problems. Jimi said to Sharon, in what has now proved to be a prophetic statement, that he thought they would still be fighting over his estate 20 years on if anything happened to him. Sharon Lawrence has shed new light in this book on Jimi's mysterious death and written revealingly about the subsequent wranglings over his estate which I think fans will find interesting. Indeed it appears she and Cathy Etchingham are one person in regards to their opinon of Monika Danneman and Janie Hendrix. This book has been critised for making out Hendrix to be a victim and a saint, but I personally found it refreshing to read more about his considerate, gracious and graceful nature and how fascinating he was- instead of his demons. The fact the he is now considered a legend, I think proves the determination he must have possessed to triumph over his difficulties. This is not really a book about his music but if you want to know about Jimi the man, from someone who knew him, I would well recommend it.

Right on little wing
Found this book to be revealing, formed from the perspective of a female who was not romatically attached to Jimi. In many ways it is sad, the way Jimi was managed and used by so many parasites who just saw him as a meal ticket. But it also shows Hendrix humanity, giving money to so called friends without a cat in hells chance of ever getting it back. It was surprising that when Jimi died he had only £20,000 in his bank accounts, OK twenty grand was worth a lot more then, but he was far from being rich.
All the law suits over his estate are revealed & how his father betrayed his boy & his superstar dreams are revealed. Sharon was someone he could open up to & reveal his innermost thoughts like setting up Skychurch a huge pad in the States where he could invite other rock legends and play his music. It came to nothing as Mike Jeffries his manager had sunk all Hendrix money into building Electric Ladyland studio. Jimi's magic number was nine, he took nine very strong sleeping tablets, when half of one was enough to make you sleep well. The woman he spent his last night on earth with, poured wine down his throat when he was choking on his own vomit, because it was so messy, she committed suicide in later years. Jimi could never escape the poverty of his upbringing and was a troubled young man, his music helped him transcend this mortal life. An honourable book about an extraordinary young man. Much love,RIP Jimi.

Little new - some interesting anecdotes
I found this book difficult to place, not without merit but it seems to be as much about the author as it is about Jimi Hendrix. As someone who has read too many Hendrix biographies I have become sensitised to the positioning of the author (think "Spike Milligan - Hitler, my part in his downfall") and perhaps the politics around the Hendrix industry. Accordingly, based on other texts, some characters seemed to get airbrushed a little (Noel Redding), some (e,g, Linda Keith) almost diminished and dismissed in passing. On Monika Dannemann, she might have better referenced other recorded evidence of the circumstances.

The references to Ed Chalpin and Mike Jeffry were interesting, as was the whole treatment of the legacy (Experience Hendrix and all that) - delicious schadenfreude.