The Real Tragic Details Behind The Jimi Hendrix Story
The Real Tragic Details Behind The Jimi Hendrix Story
Jimi Hendrix was easily one of the greatest guitarists of his time. Of course, if you ask anyone about him, they’ll point to his solos, his iconic velvet jackets, and his legendary Woodstock performance. Yet for all his fame, Jimi Hendrix lived a brief and tragic life.
Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix in Seattle during World War II. His father, Al Hendrix, had married his mother Lucille the same year, and was drafted into the army only three days after their marriage. Johnny, meanwhile, was cared for by his maternal grandmother, Clarice.
Lucille became increasingly difficult for Al to contact, and the young Johnny was sent off to a number of different women. Al finally returned from the service in 1945 and met his 3-year-old son for the first time. Worried that “Johnny Allen” was the name of a man with whom Lucille had been unfaithful, Al changed his son’s name to “James Marshall.”
Al and Lucille’s marriage was not a happy one. Al had previously attempted to file for divorce during his time at war, but agreed to give the marriage a shot after returning to the United States in 1945. The two parents fought frequently often spurred on by day-long drinking binges and parties at the expense of James and his younger brother Leon.
According to Leon, Al never became violent with Lucille, but Lucille herself, if angered, would never hesitate to attack him with anything that came to hand.
