Roby presented himself with a nearly impossible task, which required talking to musicians, associates, friends and family about the past, then attempting to separate myth from fact when discrepancies arose. It may not be possible to uncover the whole truth, but Black Gold cuts two or three layers deeper into Hendrix's recordings and claims about it, than any previous account.


an essential Jimi read   October 2, 2002
Melani J. Whisler (Corvallis, OR USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Ever wonder who jammed with who? This book helps you to find out. This book both a comprehensive list of all recordings of Jimi and his band, as well as an intimate look at the lifestyle of one of America's greatest musicians. I skipped over a lot of the lists and dove into the narratives that told stories of Jimi jamming with Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton (Jimi is supposedly the only guitarist to ever play Clapton off-stage), The Who and many other greats. What I enjoyed most about the book was the details about Jimi learning to play the guitar and his first gigs. Jimi is a musician that stayed true to his roots and his own unique style.
I only gave this book 3 stars because, unless you know absolutely nothing about Jimi Hendrix or some of the other musicians in the book, much of what you read you are likely to already know. Redding included many well known anecdotes as filler for his archival list, which is admirably constructed and researched. The only problem is, is that much of what is on the list is unavailable to the public.
Still, if you're a Jimi fan, you have to read it. After all, it's a book about Jimi.