Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix is the first comprehensive biography to authenticate the lost sessions, previously unknown recorded collaborations, and rare film/video documents of one of the most innovative and influential rock guitarists in music history. Hendrix's life is celebrated through exclusive interviews with people who knew him well, including his father, Al Hendrix, musicians Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, his lover and close companion Kathy Etchingham, and many others.
Author Steven Roby sifts through a wealth of unreleased and commercially unavailable studio, live, and home recordings to chronicle every stage of Jimi Hendrix's legendary career. In each instance, he tells the reader whether the event was documented and if it is available. In several tragic instances, the recordings are lost forever.
Black Gold is the first book to offer a comprehensive analysis of Hendrix's unfinished album, "First Ray of the New Rising Sun." Three attempts have been made so far to "finish" it, and the author explains why none have succeeded. The book also explores Hendrix's journeys into jazz with Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk; his excursions into blues with B. B. King, Johnny Winter, and Buddy Guy; and his backing of early rap pioneers The Last Poets.
Black Gold features a foreword by Noel Redding, Hendrix's bass player from 1966 to 1969, as well as 45 photos, including several rare and never-before-published shots.
- "Rolling Stone" magazine selected Jimi Hendrix as one of the 10 most influential artists and songwriters of the 20th century
- Although Hendrix has been dead for over 30 years, sales of his music are greater than ever, with 3 to 4 million of his official recordings sold worldwide each year
- The book contains previously unpublished information on hundreds of obscure Hendrix performances and lost tapes
