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Hendrix: Setting The Record Straight
Here's the first complete, definitive account of the career, music, and legacy of Jimi Hendrix, based entirely on first-person recollections and new, exclusive interviews with musicians and key figures in the Hendrix inner circle. Authors John McDermott and Eddie Kramer (Jimi's longtime producer) take readers inside the studio and on tour to reveal the creative process of a true rock pioneer. Two 8-page inserts.
402 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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March 12, 2020
John McDermott collaborated with famed engineer Eddie Kramer on this empathetic portrayal of Jimi Hendrix’s life and career.
I’ve read several full bios of Hendrix, along with many other accounts of his life and music. It’s hard to say which one is best, because all of them have strengths and weaknesses the others don’t have. David Henderson’s pioneering bio is strong on Jimi’s early life, has a certain level of poetry, and has the most vivid account of his death. Charles Cross’s bio is somewhat more salacious, as it alleges Hendrix faked homosexuality in order to gain his discharge from the army, and it also has the most vitriol for Michael Jeffery’s role in Jimi’s decline and death. It also has an account of Jimi’s death that disputes the account of Monika Dannemann, who was the last to see Jimi alive and who was (in my opinion) negligent in contributing to his death.
This one is best at presenting how and why Hendrix was made into a success. At length, it outlines behind the scenes moves to create Jimi’s stardom and maximize his earnings. Critical to this was the decision to form an independent booking agency to find venues, advertise, plan the Experience’s tours, and sell tickets. They cut out concert organizers as middle men, which meant a lot more tour revenue made its way to the band (of course, by way of their management). Probably no other bio of Jimi better captures the brilliance of Chas Chandler’s decision to bring Jimi to London. It was a gamble that Chandler brought Hendrix to a burgeoning UK rock music scene, casting him as an authentic bluesman for a country rabid for blues rock musicians of the likes of Beck, Clapton, and Page. Jimi was the real thing—he set down like a tornado, and by Jeff Beck’s own account, Jimi in one flash reset all the rules for blues rock guitarists. Quickly a phenomenon, himself followed by the great rock stars of the era, Jimi then took off in a whirlwind in the UK, setting the stage for his dramatic homecoming in the US, at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, where he and the Experience wowed the crowd with a brilliant performance, capped by Jimi lighting his guitar on fire and destroying it onstage.
The narrative seems to be partly led by Kramer. The book delves with fascinating detail into a number of studio sessions, in which Kramer and Hendrix were inseparable and groundbreaking. There’s a lot of insight especially into the Experience’s early sessions in 1966 and 1967 gigging actively around the UK and scraping together enough cash for studio time in dribs and drabs. This crucible period was the most productive and fertile time in Jimi’s life, when brilliant songs and music came pouring out of him.
Belying its subtitle, Setting the Record Straight, the narrative is businesslike and fair to all parties, helping 'set the record straight' by simply trying to tell the truth and avoiding gossip. It has, surprisingly, a fascinating portrait of his later manager Michael Jeffery, the man who was to become the villain of the last two years of Jimi’s life. Jeffery is portrayed as shrewd, cunning, and a tough businessman, albeit Machiavellian, scheming, and ultimately paranoid. Jeffery made many moves to protect his client and keep revenue flowing in, and yet he was also jealous and even possessive, trying to make certain no one could do business with Jimi without going through Jeffery. The book’s tone toward Jeffery is mostly neutral until the last few chapters, when it was obvious Jeffery was hanging onto his client by a thread and was using him for financial ends.
And like other Hendrix bios, this one is also unflinching at showing Hendrix as utterly naïve in business affairs. Before going to London, Hendrix would sign anything that might advance his career, without any regard to the obligations they brought him. To his credit, Jeffery worked hard to settle as many of these debts as he could, while trying to shield Jimi from financial harm. What is also clear is that by protecting Hendrix from outsiders, it paved the way for Jeffery’s dominance in Jimi’s business--Jeffery became an immovable equal partner in Jimi's dream studio project, Electric Lady, and the Rainbow Bridge debacle was inarguably Jeffery's most boneheaded venture. Reading this, I can't imagine Jimi would have hung onto Electric Lady for too much longer if he had survived.
A myth this book satisfyingly dispels is the popular notion that Hendrix's death denied Miles Davis the chance of working with him. According to this account, Miles put a stop to that all by himself. With studio time already booked in New York for the musical summit meeting, Davis demanded an up-front payment of $50,000 before he would step foot in the studio—he was immediately told no, and the gig was off. Jimi and Miles never crossed paths again.
The book presents another account that claims Hendrix was alive (barely) before his body left the Landsdowne flat in London the day he died. Monika Dannemann apparently knew Jimi was breathing and his heart was beating, but as Jimi lay in a puddle of his own vomit, Dannemann left him unattended for as many as 27 minutes before first responders were on the scene.
Afterward, Jimi’s posthumous releases are outlined in a ragged epilogue, stumbling though a random selection of Jimi’s then-unmined catalog. It does have an interesting portrayal of Alan Douglas, who emerged as the curator of Jimi’s tape vault from the 70s until the early 90s. There’s an unexpected defense of Douglas’s controversial methods, in which Douglas at times wiped original tracks in favor of studio musicians making overdubs. The book claims some of these were unavoidable, as some tracks were unfinished or abandoned in the middle, and the only way to release them in a completed way was to bring in musicians to take up where the originals left off. So even here, as with Michael Jeffery, a hated figure earns unexpected empathy.
For me, the saddest part of the book is the critical turning point in Jimi’s life—during the making of Electric Ladyland in the summer of 1968, Chas Chandler finally got fed up with Jimi’s excessive party life and unfocused work ethic and decided to leave him. It is difficult to minimize the impact this decision made, as Hendrix's creative life became even more chaotic and uncertain. And then cut to the day before Jimi died: after two turbulent years under Michael Jeffery's management, Jimi made clear in a number of phone calls that he wanted to reinstate Chandler as his manager. The realization that Jimi was so close to setting his career back on a clear path is a painfully sad last act. It leaves an empty feeling inside me as a fan of Jimi Hendrix, wishing Chandler could have stayed with Jimi when he needed him most.
I’ve read several full bios of Hendrix, along with many other accounts of his life and music. It’s hard to say which one is best, because all of them have strengths and weaknesses the others don’t have. David Henderson’s pioneering bio is strong on Jimi’s early life, has a certain level of poetry, and has the most vivid account of his death. Charles Cross’s bio is somewhat more salacious, as it alleges Hendrix faked homosexuality in order to gain his discharge from the army, and it also has the most vitriol for Michael Jeffery’s role in Jimi’s decline and death. It also has an account of Jimi’s death that disputes the account of Monika Dannemann, who was the last to see Jimi alive and who was (in my opinion) negligent in contributing to his death.
This one is best at presenting how and why Hendrix was made into a success. At length, it outlines behind the scenes moves to create Jimi’s stardom and maximize his earnings. Critical to this was the decision to form an independent booking agency to find venues, advertise, plan the Experience’s tours, and sell tickets. They cut out concert organizers as middle men, which meant a lot more tour revenue made its way to the band (of course, by way of their management). Probably no other bio of Jimi better captures the brilliance of Chas Chandler’s decision to bring Jimi to London. It was a gamble that Chandler brought Hendrix to a burgeoning UK rock music scene, casting him as an authentic bluesman for a country rabid for blues rock musicians of the likes of Beck, Clapton, and Page. Jimi was the real thing—he set down like a tornado, and by Jeff Beck’s own account, Jimi in one flash reset all the rules for blues rock guitarists. Quickly a phenomenon, himself followed by the great rock stars of the era, Jimi then took off in a whirlwind in the UK, setting the stage for his dramatic homecoming in the US, at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, where he and the Experience wowed the crowd with a brilliant performance, capped by Jimi lighting his guitar on fire and destroying it onstage.
The narrative seems to be partly led by Kramer. The book delves with fascinating detail into a number of studio sessions, in which Kramer and Hendrix were inseparable and groundbreaking. There’s a lot of insight especially into the Experience’s early sessions in 1966 and 1967 gigging actively around the UK and scraping together enough cash for studio time in dribs and drabs. This crucible period was the most productive and fertile time in Jimi’s life, when brilliant songs and music came pouring out of him.
Belying its subtitle, Setting the Record Straight, the narrative is businesslike and fair to all parties, helping 'set the record straight' by simply trying to tell the truth and avoiding gossip. It has, surprisingly, a fascinating portrait of his later manager Michael Jeffery, the man who was to become the villain of the last two years of Jimi’s life. Jeffery is portrayed as shrewd, cunning, and a tough businessman, albeit Machiavellian, scheming, and ultimately paranoid. Jeffery made many moves to protect his client and keep revenue flowing in, and yet he was also jealous and even possessive, trying to make certain no one could do business with Jimi without going through Jeffery. The book’s tone toward Jeffery is mostly neutral until the last few chapters, when it was obvious Jeffery was hanging onto his client by a thread and was using him for financial ends.
And like other Hendrix bios, this one is also unflinching at showing Hendrix as utterly naïve in business affairs. Before going to London, Hendrix would sign anything that might advance his career, without any regard to the obligations they brought him. To his credit, Jeffery worked hard to settle as many of these debts as he could, while trying to shield Jimi from financial harm. What is also clear is that by protecting Hendrix from outsiders, it paved the way for Jeffery’s dominance in Jimi’s business--Jeffery became an immovable equal partner in Jimi's dream studio project, Electric Lady, and the Rainbow Bridge debacle was inarguably Jeffery's most boneheaded venture. Reading this, I can't imagine Jimi would have hung onto Electric Lady for too much longer if he had survived.
A myth this book satisfyingly dispels is the popular notion that Hendrix's death denied Miles Davis the chance of working with him. According to this account, Miles put a stop to that all by himself. With studio time already booked in New York for the musical summit meeting, Davis demanded an up-front payment of $50,000 before he would step foot in the studio—he was immediately told no, and the gig was off. Jimi and Miles never crossed paths again.
The book presents another account that claims Hendrix was alive (barely) before his body left the Landsdowne flat in London the day he died. Monika Dannemann apparently knew Jimi was breathing and his heart was beating, but as Jimi lay in a puddle of his own vomit, Dannemann left him unattended for as many as 27 minutes before first responders were on the scene.
Afterward, Jimi’s posthumous releases are outlined in a ragged epilogue, stumbling though a random selection of Jimi’s then-unmined catalog. It does have an interesting portrayal of Alan Douglas, who emerged as the curator of Jimi’s tape vault from the 70s until the early 90s. There’s an unexpected defense of Douglas’s controversial methods, in which Douglas at times wiped original tracks in favor of studio musicians making overdubs. The book claims some of these were unavoidable, as some tracks were unfinished or abandoned in the middle, and the only way to release them in a completed way was to bring in musicians to take up where the originals left off. So even here, as with Michael Jeffery, a hated figure earns unexpected empathy.
For me, the saddest part of the book is the critical turning point in Jimi’s life—during the making of Electric Ladyland in the summer of 1968, Chas Chandler finally got fed up with Jimi’s excessive party life and unfocused work ethic and decided to leave him. It is difficult to minimize the impact this decision made, as Hendrix's creative life became even more chaotic and uncertain. And then cut to the day before Jimi died: after two turbulent years under Michael Jeffery's management, Jimi made clear in a number of phone calls that he wanted to reinstate Chandler as his manager. The realization that Jimi was so close to setting his career back on a clear path is a painfully sad last act. It leaves an empty feeling inside me as a fan of Jimi Hendrix, wishing Chandler could have stayed with Jimi when he needed him most.
May 8, 2018
A wonderful look at a conflicted rock star. Lots of facts here (did you know Hendrix served in the military, in the 101st airborne Screaming Eagles??), and a good look at his life and times. One manager lionized, one vilified. A sad description of his descent into drugs. A great look at his discography, especially if you are a Hendrix uberfan.
August 20, 2016
Dispels much of the mythology surrounding Jimi Hendrix. Starts when Hendrix hooks up with Chas Chandler in 1966 and goes to cover the vast and complicated posthumous discography and all it's shady handling. Doesn't miss a show or recording session.
July 10, 2020
The ultimate guide on Jimi Hendrix and the many adventures that punctuated his short career. I wish I found this book sooner, after reading a dozen biographies it could have saved me a lot of precious time.
Sometimes, the legal/business environment surrounding the whole story might be overwhelming, but reading between these lines adds precious insight to the apparent overall chaos.
That being said, Kramer's participation adds very little technical info, and this might disappoint the most tech-oriented readers.
Sometimes, the legal/business environment surrounding the whole story might be overwhelming, but reading between these lines adds precious insight to the apparent overall chaos.
That being said, Kramer's participation adds very little technical info, and this might disappoint the most tech-oriented readers.
November 30, 2023
This is an objective musical biography of an artist who has always been a magnet for exploitative, manipulative people, both before and after his death.
The book also manages to stay away from his private life except for where it is relevant to events in his career, and doesn't sensationalize the facts like most other bios.
Although there is some insight into the studio portion of his life, the book focuses far to much on the legal and financial wranglings of the music business that is really not what most Hendrix fans want to know about.
The book also manages to stay away from his private life except for where it is relevant to events in his career, and doesn't sensationalize the facts like most other bios.
Although there is some insight into the studio portion of his life, the book focuses far to much on the legal and financial wranglings of the music business that is really not what most Hendrix fans want to know about.
March 3, 2024
Solid book. Was hoping for more about his personal life and stories. It was a lot a lot about the recording of his music, with personal stuff mixed in. This would be a dream book for someone who’s really interested in his music and well versed in recording.
Read
August 13, 2019Enlightening, balanced and useful; especially good to help wade through treasures from trash in his posthumous releases.
October 20, 2020
One of the better books about Hendrix.
March 14, 2021
Good read for those who would like to understand the business that (oftentimes) haunted and lingered within Jimi's psyche. Very factual, chronological, and well-organized.
February 21, 2022
meh. more about gear, engineers, hendrix's team and their infighting more than it is about hendrix, himself. will be a much more interesting read for this type of folk, i imagine.
October 21, 2023
Good stuff.
January 26, 2025
Boring!!
October 16, 2013
This book is really great, it gives lots of information on Hendrix and the people around im and his original band The Hendrix Experience. I learned that Michael Jeffrey and Hendrix were the first to include a poster of the band within Hendrix' albums. Giving fans and record stores free psoters of these three beautiful men. Noel, Mitch, and Jimi.
September 27, 2017
Simply put, the book is a must-read for any Hendrix fan. It's got Eddie Kramer, one of Hendrix's closest friends co-writing the book and he does not let you down. A rare glimpse into the life and artistry of Hendrix. So many intriguing stories and most importantly the clarifications of the blatant lies surrounding Hendrix.
I absolutely enjoyed reading it.
I absolutely enjoyed reading it.
July 16, 2014
An oldie but goodie...hadn't read this one in AGES, glad I re-read it. Great book, and a tragic tale.
My full review can be found on my site at http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com/2014/0...
My full review can be found on my site at http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com/2014/0...
December 6, 2010
Forget the cheesy bios and "books" on Hendrix. This book was compiled by the people who knew him best and cross referenced even between their own accounts. No intimation- supposition- or bullshit. Fascinating and honest.
January 24, 2016
The recording industry was in its infancy. Hendrix had a hard time compartmentalizing his professional and personal lives. The resulting chaos is the focus of the story. More about the business than the art, these stories are [mostly] interesting insights into both.
November 25, 2008
Didn't like it
March 9, 2009
It took me way too long to read this mediocre biography on Hendrix. It was really impersonal and business focused.
July 4, 2014
Inside information about the short life of a brilliant manic-depressive who played guitar like no one else.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews