Each of Jimi Hendrix's recorded songs is explored, dissected and celebrated.

Jimi Hendrix was very probably the greatest solo rock artist of all time. More than Dylan, Bowie, Prince or any of his guitar contemporaries such as Eric Clapton, he was the supreme physical and musical emblem of rock music. If anyone personified the genre in its purest, most potent and inflammatory form, it was Hendrix. Although he was an immense guitarist, Hendrix also connected with audiences as a performer and a songwriter. Songs like Voodoo Chile and Third Stone From The Sun were the brilliant products of a dazed yet expanded consciousness, full of casual epithets which illuminated the era; May you never hear surf music again.. ...'Scuse me while I kiss the sky... Gonna raise my freak flag high.... In The Stories Behind Every Song music journalist and author and David Stubbs provides the definitive companion to Hendrix's recorded output, from the early years, including Hey Joe and Purple Haze through to his unfinished final album First Rays Of The New Rising Sun.

Jimi Hendrix's talent was epic, and so is this lyrical account of his life, with spectacular artwork by Edel Rodriguez-- including a poster underneath the jacket! From his turbulent childhood through his epical appearance at the Monterey and Woodstock festivals, Charles R. Smith Jr. covers it all in this rich and rhythmic account of a singular life, accompanied by the psychedelic splendor of Edel Rodriguez's acid-tinged artwork. Let me tell you a story, a story 'bout a boy, who became a man, a git-tar man, named Jimi. Written as a series of verses beginning with intro and ending with outro, this unique mix of rhythm and rhyme captures the essence of rock icon Jimi Hendrix and his struggle to live life on his own terms. Backmatter, including a select discography, timeline of Hendrix's life, and a personal essay from the author, is included. A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year A CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book A CSMCL Best Multicultural Children's Book of the Year An Evanston Public Library Great Books for Kids pick!

In this book music journalist and author David Stubbs provides the definitive companion to Hendrix's recorded output, from the early years, including 'Hey Joe' and 'Purple Haze' through to his posthumously released trilogy that concluded with Both Sides Of The Sky. Quite possibly the greatest solo rock artist of all time, Jimi Hendrix was the supreme physical and musical emblem of rock music. And although he was an immense guitarist, he also connected with audiences as a performer and a songwriter.

It didn't take long after Jimi Hendrix's death for the artist to become a myth of music. He has been surrounded by a shroud of intrigue since he first came into the public eye, and the mystery has only grown with time. Much has been written and said about him by experts and fans and critics, some of it true and some of it not; Starting at Zero will set the record straight. This is Hendrix in his own words. The lyricism and rhythm of Jimi Hendrix's writing will be of no surprise to his fans. Hendrix wrote prolifically throughout his life and he left behind a trove of scribbled-on hotel stationary, napkins and cigarette cartons. Starting at Zero weaves the scraps and bits together fluidly with interviews and lyrics revealing for the first time a continuous narrative of the artist's life, from birth through to the final four years of his life. The result is a beautifully poetic, charming and passionate memoir as smooth and memorable as Hendrix's finest songs. The pieces of Starting at Zero came together in large part because of the inspiration of Alan Douglas. Douglas first met Jimi Hendrix backstage at Woodstock, and soon after became Hendrix's producer and close friend. In creating the book he joined forces with Peter Neal, who edited Hendrix's writing with the reverence and light touch it deserved.

Jimi Hendrix began musical life on the "chitlin' circuit" in the mid-1960s, where he developed a fluid, funky guitar style, backing the likes of the Isley Brothers on the road. In 1966 Chas Chandler, formerly of The Animals, discovered him playing in Greenwich Village and shrewdly persuaded him to relaunch his career in London, from whence he could be manufactured as a pop-rock sensation and then sold back to America. The plan worked. He enjoyed instant success with hits like "Hey, Joe" and "Purple Haze." His band, which included British rhythm section Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, was promoted as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, cutting three albums in quick succession in 1967 and 1968. Part of the successful series that includes Rolling Stones, U2, The Doors, and others in the strong-selling and well-established Stories Behind the Songs series, Voodoo Child includes a complete discography, 90 photographs, as well as a discussion of all of Hendrix's live albums. Jimi Hendrix is very probably the greatest solo rock artist of all time and thirty-seven years after his death, he remains a best-seller. Certainly, if anyone personified the genre in its purest, most potent and inflammatory form, it was Hendrix.

This extraordinarily personal book includes numerous examples of Jimi's handwritten lyrics, often scribbled on hotel stationery, and photos of Jimi accompanying every song. Full-color and b&w photos throughout.