Stone Free: Jimi Hendrix in London, September 1966–June 1967

by Jas Obrecht

A compelling portrait of rock's greatest guitarist at the moment of his ascendance, Stone Free is the first book to focus exclusively on the happiest and most productive period of Jimi Hendrix's life. As it begins in the fall of 1966, he's an under-sung, under-accomplished sideman struggling to survive in New York City. Nine months later, he's the toast of Swinging London, a fashion icon, and the brightest star to step off the stage at the Monterey International Pop Festival. This momentum-building, day-by-day account of this extraordinary transformation offers new details into Jimi's personality, relationships, songwriting, guitar innovations, studio sessions, and record releases. It explores the social changes sweeping the U.K., Hendrix's role in the dawning of "flower power," and the prejudice he faced while fronting the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In addition to featuring the voices of Jimi, his bandmates, and other eyewitnesses, Stone Free draws extensively from contemporary accounts published in English- and foreign-language newspapers and music magazines. This celebratory account is a must-read for Hendrix fans.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 12, 2018

About the author

Jas Obrecht was a staff editor for Guitar Player, 1978-1998. The author of several books, he runs the Talking Guitar YouTube channel and online magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com.

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone Free: Jimi Hendrix in London, September 1966-June 1967

In many respects, Jimi changed the sound of rock far more than the Beatles. You know, they brought songwriting to rock and roll, but Jimi changed the sound of the guitar.

-- Pete Townshend

This is a great book for most any Jimi Hendrix fan, it focuses on the nine month period of time when he went to London and really changed the entire trajectory of his career. He worked his behind off developing everything from his wardrobe, his performing skills, expressing himself vocally, etc. Making use of every moment he morphed himself from a backup player to the headlining star he was meant to be. He got a bass player and a drummer, Noel Redding, and John “Mitch” Mitchell, and formed a trio, Jimi Hendrix and the Experience, and they rehearsed some songs until they felt they were ready to go on stage as an opener for another group. This is how he developed himself into a full act, moving from the back of the stage to the front. Then Chas Chandler, formerly of the group The Animals, along with Animals manager Mike Jeffery, who’d gotten Hendrix to go to London in the first place, and were co-managing him, got the band some work in France, Germany and in England to give them the experience they needed.

In October 1966 Chandler also got the band their first studio recording session for “Hey Joe”. Hendrix was still uncertain about his singing voice and wanted to bury the vocals under the music. Chandler wouldn’t allow it though and made Jimi turn the volume back down. Once he got that song down, they needed a song for the B side and Jimi was told he needed to write his own songs in order to get publishing royalties. So, no problem, Hendrix transitions from player to player/songwriter, boom. “He had attempted writing songs before, but the true flowering of Jimi Hendrix, composer, occurred after his move into Hyde Park Towers.” “Stone Free” was his first official composition for the Experience, written in the Hyde Park Towers a day or two after the initial “Hey Joe” session. Soon after, he was playing it in clubs and recording it. Other songs soon followed. Jimi also jammed with lots of other artists, many of whom were world famous names like Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, etc. His very shy, polite manner made him easy to get along with.


The book follows him through that whole period of time, as he transforms from a veritable unknown to someone everyone has heard of and are eagerly awaiting his show back in the US. My thanks for the electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Jas Obrecht, and the publisher for my fair review.

My BookZone blog review:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entertaining read celebrates Jimi Hendrix’s productive months in London, from September, 1966 to June, 1967. We first meet Jimi in New York, where he is a struggling backing musician; frustrated at being on the sidelines, so broke he is patching his shoes with cardboard and devastated at breaking a guitar string, which he can’t afford to replace. However, an encounter in a New York bar, leads to him being championed by Chas Chandler, of the Animals, who organises a trip to London and a band to back Jimi and bring him into the spotlight.

Jimi Hendrix’s time in London is told with much humour. There is the mutual admiration between him and Eric Clapton, while Townsend was intimidated and the Beatles full of compliments. Of course, Hendrix more than paid back the Beatles, when, after Sgt Pepper was released on a Friday, he famously opened a Sunday show at the Saville Theatre, with, “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” while Paul McCartney and George Harrison, watched from Brian Epstein’s box.

In a sense, Jimi Hendrix reinvented himself in less than a year; going from a poorly paid jobbing musician to the toast of Swinging London and the biggest star of the Monteray International Pop Festival. This book is full of interesting interviews with those who knew him, worked with him, met him or watched him over those months in London. A must for all Hendrix fans. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Mike! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buen libro del guitarrista mas grande del Rock!
Salió de USA prácticamente con lo puesto a Londres con unos pocos dólares siendo un don nadie y regreso convertido en una figura reconocida a nivel mundial en menos de un año.

Se follaba a la guitarra solo me da pena por Eric Clapton que quedó relegado por el talento natural de Jimi!

La presentación de Monterrey el 1967 fue la consagración de Hendrix en América y en todo el mundo, en ese mismo concierto toco “The Who” y cerro con My Generation, destruyeron todo, brutal, Jimi quedo loco no sabia como iba a mejorar ese cierre!

Si te gusta la música, las guitarras o el Rock, Léelo!

[M. Sarki · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://msarki.tumblr.com/post/177476...

Jas Obrecht provides an opportunity for old fans of Jimi Hendrix to reconnect and new ones to discover the wonder behind his talent. Driven to be the very best artist, Hendrix gained the respect of his famous peers, among them Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney. This short and very interesting biography follows Hendrix as he emerges as one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived. His story is a good one. In this present day of continued racial tensions and profoundly bigoted national leaders, it is a credit to the man Hendrix how he managed in the sixties to politely engage himself flamboyantly in a white man’s world and still be loved for the content of his character, as well as his blistering solos on his Fender guitar.

[Alan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the subtitle suggests, "Stone Free:Jimi Hendrix in London, September 1966–June 1967" concentrates on a very specific period in Hendrix's life, from his 'discovery' in New York by ex-Animal, Chas Chandler, until his triumphant appearance at Monterey Pop in June 1967. The nine months between these events, when Jimi left his native USA to come to London, form the Experience, record his first music under his own name before returning to America on his way to global superstardom, are covered in great detail by Jas Obrecht, former editor of Guitar Player magazine. The book takes us on a month-by-month chronological journey as the unknown Hendrix takes 'Swinging London' by storm. The author is thorough if a little dry. He covers the Jimi Hendrix Experience's first gigs, where the guitarist's technique astounded contemporaries such as Eric Clapton and Pete Townsend, the mismatched package tours, with the likes of Englebert Humperdink and the Walker Brothers, which took him around the UK and into Europe. Obrecht lists the recording sessions, locations and numbers recorded, which produced Hendrix's first singles and his debut "Are You Experienced?" album. We also learn where Hendrix lived during the period.

The writing is a little 'matter of fact' but never tedious. The book does appear to be aimed at the 'Guitar Player' crowd rather than a general audience although, strangely given the revolutionary guitar sounds on that first album, Obrecht seems a little unsure how much 'technical' detail to include. There is a detailed analysis of whether the left-handed Hendrix used a right-handed Fender Telecaster on 'Purple Haze' ("the second overdub, at 1:08, is a repeat of the previous motif...") which would certainly appeal to a guitar player but the author only very occasionally revisits HOW Hendrix was playing. Elsewhere, the author touches on potential financial mismanagement by the group's handlers. He also mentions drug-taking. But, by limiting himself strictly to the period in the title, many things are never followed to a natural conclusion.

I enjoyed the book but suspect the readership is going to be fairly limited. It will not attract those new to Jimi Hendrix's music and will not entirely satisfy those familiar with his work. As a fan and a guitarist, I would love an extended examination of the recordings.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley to read and review.

STONE FREE: JIMI HENDRIX IN LONDON, SEPTEMBER 1966-JUNE 1967 by Jas Obrect , as the title suggests, is an in-depth treatment of the period of time when Chas Chandler decided to go into management after having been the bass player of the Animals and deciding that a relatively unknown guitarist would be who he would pin his hopes upon becoming successful as a manager.

James Marshall Hendrix becomes Jimi Hendrix, and with the auditioning having taken place and the addition of Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, the Jimi Hendrix Experience is born, and thus begins the well known story of the success in Britain that proved elusive back in the States for Jimi.

Chandler goes all out in his support of Jimi, which includes selling his basses to finance Jimi’s career, and his bet on the previously unheralded guitarist and trio pays off and thus an “overnight success” is achieved.

Jas Obrecht, known to guitarists as the long time editor of Guitar Player Magazine, does a fantastic job of detailing all of the well known facts and combining them with little known information gained from researching interviews that has not been included in other books, or detailed as in-depth when covered previously.

I’ve read several books on the life of Jimi Hendrix, some good - some bad, and this is among the better ones, as well as being the most complete account of this time period in the trio’s existence that I’ve read to date.

Recommended to all interested in this period of time in the career of Jimi and the band, the success and struggles are detailed here sans the sensationalism present in other accounts previously, and if there is anything that I would have added to this it would have been to include more technical information on the equipment and recording details, although my interest as a guitarist probably influenced my opinion about this with preconceived expectations knowing the author’s background.

Still, this book merits a 5 star rating based on how thoroughly the author researched the material that makes this a must-have book for Hendrix enthusiasts who long for as much information on this important time frame in the history of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose STONE FREE: Jimi Hendrix in London, September 1966-June 1967 because my husband adores his music and I dig his tunes too. I remember the angst felt all over the world the day he died — because there would never be another guitarist like him, ever.

STONE FREE gives an engaging portrait of rock's greatest guitarist during his happiest, most productive time, starting in the autumn of 1966. He was essentially an unknown then, struggling to make it in the Big Apple. Just nine months later, he held London in the palm of his hand as a guitar God and the highest wattage star to emerge from the Monterey International Pop Festival. Written in lively fashion by Jas Obrecht, award-winning music journalist, former editor of Guitar Player magazine and writer for Rolling Stone, Living Blues, and many other publications. 5/5

Pub Date 12 Nov 2018

Thanks to University of North Carolina Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#StoneFree #NetGalley

[Melodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book. If you are a Hendrix fan, you'll like this book. My husband is a die-hard Jimi fan, I'm not, so thought this book might make me more of a fan. It didn't, but that's just my musical taste. I can still respect the man's unbelievable talent and not really like the music that much. This focuses on Hendrix's time in London, 9/66 to 6/67. He essentially reinvented himself during that period, going from being a poorly paid, mostly studio musician, to being the toast of London. The book, though short, is filled with interviews and observations of people who met him, knew him or worked with him during this time. Very well researched and written. Highly recommended if you're a Hendrix fan...or even if you're not!

[Alan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

For around 20 years Jas Obrecht was the editor of Guitar Player magazine and he acknowledges in the books introduction that Jimi was a boyhood hero, enjoying the rare privilege of having worked with Jimi’s dad co-authoring “My Son Jimi”.

Obrecht documents in detail Jimi’s arrival in the UK in 1966 and the nine months that followed concluding with his return to the US to headline at the Monterey International Pop Festival. The timeframe allows the book to focus on Jimi’s rapid ascent to rock stardom, and is done and dusted before the difficulties began.

Obrecht’s research is meticulous and it yields some interesting reminders, such as Keith Richard’s girlfriend Linda Keith being responsible for Chas Chandler coming to see Jim. It seems Jagger was indifferent and Richards jealous, attitudes that would be swiftly revised just a few months later. Obrecht also reveals that – for one rehearsal only – the Experience tried being a 4 piece with Redding switching to rhythm guitar and David Knights of Procol Harum playing bass.

From Hendrix’s touch down in London on September 24th 1966 to the Monterey Festival in mid June 1967 Obrecht gives a close to day by day account of what Hendrix did. Local paper reviews of early gigs are quoted extensively and sown together with interviews given over the years by Chandler, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell plus the initial reactions of Clapton and Townsend. Dick Rowe, the Decca rep that passed on the Beatles proved consistent in his tin eared evaluations by passing on Hendrix too.


Given the authors tenure at Guitar Magazine, he gets his nerd on numerous times in the book, but it’s not overwhelming. The narrative is a little dry given the focus on events and timeline, and whilst there are occasional references to frictions within the band and with management, it’s never developed into anything more than passing reference. Obrecht calls out the casual racism that was endemic at the time - some toe-curling local paper reviews riven with “wild man of Borneo” references and the band routinely refused entrance to hotels - and has few criticisms to offer of his hero. Hendrix’s relationship with Kathy Etchingham sticks to her warm and positive narrative. The book mostly eschews any reference to the darker side of his character other than a passing nod to Jimi’s jealous tendencies and Noel’s testimony of how Jimi punched a girl who spurned him in favour of the bass player’s charms.

The almost haphazard nature of Jimi’s rise is a refreshing read given today’s much more cynically monetised and social media driven music industry. Whilst it might seems something for Hendrix completists, there’s a story here – if a little brief – well told.

[Ceridwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the cover and spiel for Stone Free: Jimi Hendrix in London, September1966 – June 1967 I was expecting something akin to a coffee table book. Stone Free is actually, first and foremost, a biography. Though the photographs are fantastic. You could be forgiven for buying it for those alone…
“[When we begin, Hendrix is] an under-sung,under-accomplished sideman struggling to get by in New York City. At [the]conclusion, he’s the toast of London and the brightest star of the MontereyInternational Pop Festival.”
Now doesn’t that already sound like a great premise for a book?
Stone Free is not only a biography of an interesting man,but feels both timeless and timely. The issues Hendrix faced, the personal, professional, and societal challenges of his life, resonate with us in our own times.
The photographs and images Jas Obrecht chose are lovely, and an excellent illustration for his masterful and playful prose. I particularly liked the use of older sources and the placement of quotations from other artists (Pete Townshend and Carlos Santana, for example). A combination of style, illustration, and a strong subject make Stone Free very readable, even gripping, and the narration is clearly that of an expert on his subject. In fact, Jas Obrecht worked with Hendrix’s father on his biography, My Son Jimi.
The book focuses on not only Hendrix’s music, but more broadly on the man and his life and times. It’s always a danger with music biographies that they lean too far towards technical musical exposition. And that’s where they lose me, because I’m not a musician and I simply don’tunderstand past a certain point. Stone Free carefully straddles the line between pleasing the techi music aficionado, and providing the rest of us with a good story.
When I first began imagining Stone Free, my concept wasclear: create a you-are-there narrative detailing the most extraordinary9-month journey in rock and roll history.
Stone Free is an extraordinary book, with an extraordinary subject, and I would highly recommend it for both Hendrix fans, and fans of the music biography genre.

[Mapleglow · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a 15-year-old hanging out in Greenwich Village in the summer of 1966, I was witness to people speaking in awe about a guy named Jimmy James who was playing at the Café Wha? I remember people’s voices were actually elevated with excitement when they spoke of this incredible guitarist, his wild movements and how he played with his teeth and inserted loud psychedelic solos in the middle of songs. I spent many Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the Café Wha? when admission was only 35 cents, but I never got to see Jimmy James. When the summer ended, Jimmy and the buzz about him was gone. But nine months later, another buzz hit the Village with the release of Are You Experienced by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and everybody was exclaiming, “that’s Jimmy James from the Wha?!”

Jimi’s transition from the Café Wha? to the Monterey Pop Festival always fascinated me, but the period was devoid of meaningful, detailed material... until now, with the release of Jas Obrecht’s Stone Free: Jimi Hendrix in London, September 1966–June 1967, a fascinating and exhaustive document of Jimi’s first 9 months in England after leaving New York on September 22, 1966.

Jas immerses you in an incredible amount of detail and nuance that go way beyond Jimi’s numerous Stratocasters and amps and how they changed over nine months. He is specific about every day Jimi spent in the recording studio, and every day he was on the road. Every single concert is documented along with the vehicles, the hotels, the precise songs of each set, and the response of the audience and the critics. He even indulges the finite details of Jimi’s wardrobe to enable you to practically feel the fabrics on Jimi’s body. But the most significant accomplishment of the book is how Jas captures the intimacies of Jimi’s character: his personality, his vulnerability, his emotional essence and their translation to the guitar.

Jas’s details are supplemented with nearly 30 pages of invaluable notes and sources with links to online archives and photo galleries. How fascinating it was to see pictures of Jimi in his first apartment in England, supplemented by Jas’s descriptions of actual furniture and appliances and the dynamics of living with Chas Chandler. This one aspect of the book alone makes such a profound statement on the simple values of Jimi’s life during this period, and the severe contrast to today’s indulgent materialism.

The ultimate success of the book results from Jas’s background: he’s not only an acclaimed rock journalist and former editor of Guitar Player, but he was alive in the sixties; he was there; he experienced the emergence of Jimi Hendrix and the myriad musical and cultural breakthroughs of the period. The book results from a self-professed admiration for Jimi Hendrix, and a dedicated and passionate commitment to creating a comprehensive document of perhaps the most significant phase of Jimi’s artistic evolution.

When the book ended with Jimi’s performance at the Monterey Pop Festival on June 18, 1967, I was exhausted, feeling like I was just dragged through every day of an intense, unrelenting 9-month journey that gave birth to Jimi Hendrix. Stone Free is the masterful work of an insider, and not a single note rings false.

[Drew D Peabody · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exhaustively researched day by day account of Jimi Hendrix's life from his September 23, 1966 arrival in London to his breakthrough appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967.
You'll find out everything you could possibly want to know about his likes and dislikes and, most interestingly, critical reception of his music and performance. This was usually focused on Jimi's race, but also his outlandish clothes and wild hair. When the reviewers wrote about his music they were far more complimentary. Few knew how generationally significant it might become.

The author chose the oldest interviews with the dozens of musicians he interviewed which is probably the best thing to do since memory can cloud the accuracy of stories. The author Obrecht chose to wait so long before writing this book to try to get more information about the contemporary reviews of Hendrix's time in England

The text starts to drag when the author tries to give you the exact technical way that Hendrix produced the sounds that he did.

In general though this was a quick enjoyable read I can highly recommend

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a young fan of Jimi Hendrix way back in the day. Too young and too long ago now to remember all the details, but this book did bring back some happy memories of Hendrix for me. It's written much more to appeal to die heard fans, those young adults from back then who will, I'm sure, appreciate this read much more than me. But it was fun to read about how Hendrix developed himself into the superstar he become a short while later! It's really too bad he burned out so young; it would have been interesting to see how much his talent could have accomplished had he lived longer. Fun and interesting read.

I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses solely on Jimi Hendrix's time in London. The formation and grueling schedule of the Experience are covered and there are some amusing anecdotes about Jimi's interactions with the top British musicians of the time. Due to his early death most of the material is very much "outside looking in" and we only really hear from Jimi in the press interviews he did; the rest of the book's information is largely based on the recollections of others. Still, this is a worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys 1960s music.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable book. 200 pages on just 9 months of Jimi’s life sounds ridiculous until read Obrecht’s many captivating anecdotes of Jimi outside of the public eye. This book gave me a window into the mind of Jimi as well as London society in the late 60s. The climactic ending in Monterey is a perfect end to a meteoric rise. Impossible to put down.

[Matthew Van Deventer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful review of Hendrix establishing himself as a legendary rock icon in London.
Read this book for research and it's well written with citations galore.

Amazing to see Hendrix's rise to fame with rock and roll royalty fawning over him at various performances.

Will recommend to anyone interested in early Jimi Hendrix Experience lore.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrator not great,and at times was hard to keep up with who’s information was whose.As someone who only knew jimi Hendrix as a good guitarist it was interesting to learn that there was so much more to him.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ebook version of this book! Jas Obrecht has done a thorough job of documenting the life and times of Jimi Hendrix between September, 1966-June, 1967. I honestly didn't know anything about Jimi Hendrix other than he was an amazing guitar player. This book documented the hard times that Jimi went through backing different singers/ bands in New York City, through his transformation in the UK going into 1967. I loved the details in this book, and would highly recommend it to any Hendrix fans, or anyone else who would be interested in learning about his back story. Very good read!

[Toyin Spades · Rating 3 out of 5]

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