Experienced – On the Road with Jimi Hendrix and Beyond by Eric Barret (with Lawrence Robinson).
At last we have Eric’s memories of his years as Jimi’s roadie and equipment manager. It’s a terrific read, crammed with anecdotes and insight’s into Jimi character and the general workings of the biggest act of the late 60s, from the summer of 1968 all the way to September 1970. We learn a lot about what it was like to be on the inside, with fascinating and often hilarious and moving stories of life on the road with Jimi, the band and crew. Eric recounts how he deftly tackled equipment challenges, transport logistics, personality clashes, groupies, drugs, successes and disappointments. The whole adventure, leading up to Jimi’s tragic demise in a girlfriend’s London hotel suite (where Eric’s account matches the conclusions of my own book “Goodbye Jimi”).
Throughout the book Eric draws parallels and contrasts with other moments of his illustrious career with fascinating tales from his early days as a member of The Koobas (even touring as support act for The Beatles) as well as his later positions, working on tours for David Bowie, Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Aerosmith, Chicago, James Taylor, Billy Idol, George Michael and others. An essential addition to your Hendrix/rock music bookshelf.