The ‘Swinging 60s’ were a definitive era in the history of rock music. Stars from The Beatles to Cream to The Who were making genredefining music and taking over the world. Among them was a young man named Jimi Hendrix who, in his short life, would come to be remembered as a legend, an icon and one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived.
YOUNG JIMI
On 27 November 1942, Johnny Allen Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington, to Lucille, a 17-year-old schoolgirl, and Al Hendrix, a 23-year-old private in the US Army. At the time of little Johnny’s birth, Al was serving away from home and would not return until 1945. With Al absent for the first years of Johnny’s life, Lucille struggled to earn a living as a waitress and entertainer in Seattle’s clubs and bars. When Johnny was three years old, Lucille travelled to California for a church convention. She did not return with her son, who was temporarily taken in by members of the church in Berkeley. In September 1945, Al returned from service and reclaimed his son before heading home to Seattle. He reunited with Lucille and the family were together for the first time since Johnny was born. The following year, his name was officially changed to James Marshall Hendrix. The instability and poverty the young Jimmy (as he was referred to at the
