Jimmy Hendrix Letter To Father,

eccentric man

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Posts
534
Reaction score
2
Location
canada
Reverend Rock said:
...but he utterly failed to sing badly...

but the only time he ever felt like he sang properly was on the title track to electric ladyland. at least from everything i've read about him that seems to be the case.

i've seen parts of that letter in the past too, mainly that clip about people wanting shoddy singers. it almost makes him seem entreprenurial over the hippies but like someone else mentionned i think it was more damage control with his father.
 

JackInBox

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Posts
59
Reaction score
3
Location
Raleigh Is No Paradiase
Jimmy Hendrix Letter to his father

--> 1965

Dear Dad,

I still have my guitar and amp and as long as I have that, no fool can keep me from living. There's a few record companies I visited that I probably can record for. I think I'll start working toward that line because actually when you're playing behind other people you're still not making a big name for yourself as you would if you were working for yourself. But I went on the road with other people to get exposed to the public and see how business is taken care of. And mainly just to see what's what, and after I put a record out, there'll be a few people who know me already and who can help with the sale of the record.

Nowadays people don't want you to sing good. They want you to sing sloppy and have a good beat to your songs. That's what angle I'm going to shoot for. That's where the money is. So just in case about three or four months from now you might hear a record by me which sounds terrible, don't feel ashamed, just wait until the money rolls in because every day people are singing worse and worse on purpose and the public buys more and more records.

I just wanted to let you know I'm still here, trying to make it. Although I don't eat every day, everything's going all right for me. It could be worse than this, but I'm going to keep hustling and scuffling until I get things to happening like they're supposed to for me.

Tell everyone I said hello. Leon, Grandma, Ben, Ernie, Frank, Mary, Barbara and so forth. Please write soon. It's pretty lonely out here by myself. Best luck and happiness in the future.

Love, your son, Jimmy (as in Hendrix)
(Letter excerpted from ''Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy.'', St. Martin's Press. LLC)

_.
 

pooldude

Older than Dirt
Joined
Mar 31, 2006
Posts
254
Reaction score
2
Location
Strawberry Fields, Forever
Re: Jimmy Hendrix Letter to his father

Jimi (lft) with bassist Billy Cox in the King Casuals 1962:
king%20casuals.jpg

Jimi in the Isley Brothers Band 1964:
jimi586.jpg

Jimi in the Isley Brothers Band 1964:
jimi533.jpg

Playin' with his teeth w/ Curtis Knight & the Squires 1965:
jimi585.jpg
 
Last edited:

JackInBox

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Posts
59
Reaction score
3
Location
Raleigh Is No Paradiase
Weekly_Standard Thoughts; Hendrix Letter to Dad, 1965

Yes, the "playing lousy", got a response from David Brooks of the Weekly Standard



From Jimmy to Jimi
An unearthed letter from the great guitarist gives some insight into the Woodstock generation.
by David Brooks
01/03/2003 12:00:00 AM

LAST SUNDAY, the New York Times magazine published a document so amazing, I assumed that it would set off a world-wide sensation, a great cacophony of breast-beating, disillusion, and internal crisis. It was a letter Jimmy Hendrix wrote to his father in August 1965. The letter describes the marketing strategy Hendrix planned to use to get rich. And yet the letter's publication in one of the most-read magazines in the nation has not stirred the hue and cry I anticipated

............

At first blush this letter sounds like a cynical attempt to con a bunch of naive young teenagers. Craft some terrible music and watch all the alienated white young beats lap it up. Moreover, it sounds as if this formula is something Hendrix heard from some more experienced musician on the road and is passing along to his father to show he's wise to the game. That is to say, it was not only Hendrix perpetrating a con, it was the whole rock establishment. .......


Jimmy Hendrix is worthy of dbl pst, whatever that means
 

TuskCracker

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2005
Posts
26
Reaction score
2
Location
Atlanta suburb
Re: Jimmy Hendrix Letter to his father

I looked and looked for the duplicate, I believe the duplicate was removed. This is also a 1960's issue. The letter was 1965. Perfect issue for 1960 music.

They want you to sing sloppy and have a good beat to your songs.

This is an interesting quote from Jimmy Hendrix in 1965
 

JackInBox

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Posts
59
Reaction score
3
Location
Raleigh Is No Paradiase
Re: Jimmy Hendrix Letter to his father

If you watch Jimmy Hendrix (their are several DVD/movies/film-recording), he is very professional musician.

He, Jimmy Hendrix, works is ass off to make everybody do a song right ! Constantly retuning his guitar, checking the amps, hand-signals to his band to coordinate. Shows real respect to his band.

See "WILD BLUE ANGEL, Jimmy Hendrix at Isle of Wight", DVD !
 

TuskCracker

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2005
Posts
26
Reaction score
2
Location
Atlanta suburb
Re: Jimmy Hendrix Letter to his father

He, Jimmy Hendrix, works his ass off to make everybody do a song right ! Constantly retuning his guitar, checking the amps, hand-signals to his band to coordinate. Shows real respect to his band.


Have to buy WILD BLUE ANGEL (Isle Of Wight concert). Larger than Woodstock !

.
 

Find member

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
31,024
Posts
1,087,454
Members
6,478
Latest member
rtgfhghjyt456

Members online

Top