Room Full of Mirrors
Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix is a 2005 biography of the influential rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jimi Hendrix. It was written by Charles R. Cross. The name comes from the title of a Hendrix composition.
Released on the eve of the 35th anniversary of Hendrix's death,[1] Room Full of Mirrors is composed of many interviews that Cross conducted. More than half of the people interviewed had never spoken about Jimi since his death.
Contents
Cross describes Hendrix's childhood in poverty and deprivation in Seattle,[1][2] as well as when he was first drawn to music.[1] He provides details about Hendrix's exploitation of women, and his discharge from the military after lying about his sexuality. He includes passages of letters Jimi wrote to his father Al, before and after becoming famous.[2]
Reception
A review in Library Journal suggested that Room Full of Mirrors was "the definitive take on Hendrix", "tackling Hendrix with authority and objectivity to spin a tale that's as compelling as it is illuminating".[2]
Meanwhile, Kirkus Reviews was far more critical, concluding that "Hendrix's story is finally lost in a purple haze". The review pointed out that the book failed to thoroughly examine Hendrix's life in the mid-1960s, including his apprenticeship on the Chitlin' Circuit in the South; his artistic development while in Greenwich Village; his "prodigious mastery of the studio"; and the contradiction that he found commercial success as a black musician popular with white audiences.[1] The review also suggested that the section covering Hendrix's arrival and popularity in London "reads like a twice-told tale".[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "ROOM FULL OF MIRRORS: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix". Kirkus Reviews. Vol. 73, no. 12. 2005. p. 670.
- ^ a b c Morast, Robert (2005). "Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix". Library Journal. 130 (12): 82 – via EBSCOHost.
- v
- t
- e
- Are You Experienced
- Axis: Bold as Love
- Electric Ladyland
- The Cry of Love
- Rainbow Bridge
- War Heroes
- Loose Ends
- Crash Landing
- Midnight Lightning
- Nine to the Universe
- Voodoo Soup
- First Rays of the New Rising Sun
- South Saturn Delta
- Valleys of Neptune
- People, Hell and Angels
- Both Sides of the Sky
- Band of Gypsys
- Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival
- Experience
- Isle of Wight
- Hendrix in the West
- More Experience
- The Jimi Hendrix Concerts
- Jimi Plays Monterey
- Johnny B. Goode
- Band of Gypsys 2
- Live at Winterland
- Radio One
- Stages
- Live Isle of Wight '70
- Woodstock
- BBC Sessions
- Live at the Fillmore East
- Live at Woodstock
- Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight
- Live at Berkeley
- Live at Monterey
- Winterland
- Miami Pop Festival
- Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival
- Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show
- Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts
- Live in Maui
- Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969
retrospective
albums
- Smash Hits
- Soundtrack Recordings from the Film Jimi Hendrix
- The Essential Jimi Hendrix
- The Essential Jimi Hendrix Volume Two
- The Singles Album
- Kiss the Sky
- Live & Unreleased: The Radio Show
- Cornerstones: 1967–1970
- Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story
- The Ultimate Experience
- Blues
- South Saturn Delta
- Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
- The Singles Collection
- Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Jimi Hendrix
- West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology
- Fire: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
and tributes
- Rainbow Bridge
- Jimi Hendrix
- Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
- Hendrix
- Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
- Room Full of Mirrors
- An Illustrated Experience
- Becoming Jimi Hendrix
- Jimi: All Is by My Side
and acts
- Curtis Knight
- Lonnie Youngblood
- Jimmy James and the Blue Flames
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Noel Redding
- Mitch Mitchell
- Chas Chandler
- Eddie Kramer
- Roger Mayer
- Michael Jeffery
- Billy Cox
- Buddy Miles
- Alan Douglas
- Leon Hendrix
- Kathy Etchingham
- Monika Dannemann
- Category