Jimi Hendrix shook the music industry in only four years, and he gifted us with his music, and many rock fans still rate him as one of the best guitarists of all time.
In the late ’60s, Lemmy Kilmister, (one of the founders of the heavy metal band Motörhead), crossed ways with Jimi Hendrix on the road. “Chicks were just drooling all over him. It’s because of the way he moved — like a cat crossed with a spider,” he recalled. So when Hendrix told him to take care of his equipment backstage and watch the show, Lemmy was more than happy to oblige. “But Jimi was a really nice guy. And very courteous.” said Lemmy.
Hendrix’s romances were a parade of women, some of them serious, others mere flirtations, touched with casually possessive obsessions. Jimi Hendrix’s ex-girlfriend, Linda Keith, said: “He really had no interest for anything other than music and women. So Jimmy had two areas of expertise: He had his guitar playing, and then he had an immaculate and intense sexuality.“
Women in Jimi Hendrix’s Life
One of the most important people in Hendrix’s life was Kathy Etchingham, his muse, girlfriend, and the inspiration for several of his songs, including “The Wind Cries Mary” and “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)”. Although they separated in 1969, Kathy was the love of Hendrix’s life.
Faye Pridgeon, the real-life muse who inspired “Foxy Lady,” was just one of the long line of women Hendrix would meet – and soon fall in love with.
Devon Wilson, Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Super-Groupie’ with whom his fame brought him into contact, inspired the song “Dolly Dagger.” In 1971, a year after Hendrix’s death, she killed herself.
Jimi Hendrix’s last years were awash with drugs, fame, and behavioral shifts. The quiet, shy artist from not so long before became more prone to violence – as on the night an incident where he injured his girlfriend, Carmen Borrero, during a drunken rage.
Monika Dannemann, a German ice-skater, was Jimi Hendrix’s last girlfriend and was with him when he choked to death on his own vomit on the night of 18 September 1970.
Eva Sundquist: The Mother of Jimi Hendrix‘s First Son
While it is certainly not irrational to be curious about Jimi Hendrix’s girlfriends – he had many affairs with well-known figures such as Kathy Etchingham, Linda Keith, Monica Dannemann, and Carmen Borrero – none of these women left the kind of trace on Hendrix’s legend that Eva Sundquist did.
Eva Sundquist was born in Sweden around circa 1950 and lived her whole life in Sweden. It was there on a tram in Stockholm in 1968 that the two met for the first time. The challenges of being separated when The Jimi Hendrix Experience tour ended would present their problems, yet their bond would still last. According to Eva, James Daniel Sundquist’s birth on October 5 was precisely nine months after meeting in Stockholm.
Eva Sundquist told Jimi Hendrix about his son’s pregnancy and birth. Jimi promised Eva that he would try to meet his son by the time he returned to Stockholm in 1970. Unfortunately, Jimi Hendrix never saw his son and he had no chance to return to Sweden, since he died in September of that year. James Daniel Sundquist never had the chance to actually meet his father in real life, but at least he was granted with the chance to meet his grandfather (James Allen Hendrix) in person.
In the Stockholm church register for James Daniel’s birth, Eva wrote that the father was a ‘famous American,’ but a year after Jimi Hendrix’s death, she claimed he was Hendrix, although she did not specify how. There was no paternity test, despite a Swedish court ruling.
Legal Battle for a Share of Jimi Hendrix’s Estate
In a lawsuit filed by the man who claims to be Jimi Hendrix’s oldest son, James Daniel Sundquist, against James ‘Al’ Hendrix, the rock legend’s father, Sundquist alleges fraud and concealment from him of his rights’ to the estate. He wants a court to rule that he is and shall be recognized as a son of Jimi Hendrix.
Meanwhile, in court, it was alleged that Branton and Al Hendrix had declared the estate insolvent in an attempt to deter claims. The late rock star’s legacy, worth tens of millions, is still being fought over by record and publishing companies.
“I’m not angry with Al,” explains James Daniel Hendrix., who says he met his American grandfather on a visit to Seattle with his mom when he was 7 years old. “I just feel I’ve been treated unfairly. I want people to know that I am not a fake.” James Daniel Hendrix, was legally declared to be Hendrix’s son in 1975, even though no sample of the purported father’s blood was available.
Today’s DNA-matching methods could decisively prove paternity but would require the exhumation of Jimi Hendrix’s body. “It’s a horrible thought,” says James Daniel Hendrix, “but if it’s the only way to find out what’s right or what’s wrong, then it can’t be avoided.”
Is Eva Sundquist Still Alive?
Since then, not too much has been heard from Eva, who now lives a quiet, private life. Eva Sundquist is 73.
How many kids Jimi Hendrix had?
Jimi Hendrix had two children. There is no DNA test that confirms his paternity, but many feel he fathered both a daughter and a son. Tamika Hendrix was born on 11 February 1967 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and says she is Hendrix’s eldest daughter and the mother is Diana Carpenter.
Did Jimi Hendrix Have a Twin Brother?
No, Jimi Hendrix did not have a twin brother. He was born on 27 November 1942 in Seattle, Washington, the eldest of five children. The younger brother closest to him, Leon Hendrix, was not a twin but the third child of Jimi’s mother Lucille Jeter, who had three children after Jimi: Joseph Allan Hendrix, Kathy Ira Hendrix and Pamela Hendrix.
Why Did Jimi Hendrix’s Father Change His Name?
Al Hendrix – Jimi’s father – was born Johnny Allen Hendrix and changed his name to James Marshall Hendrix in 1942. He did this to secure legal recognition for himself and his son. He chose to adopt the name to incorporate the memory of his brother, Leon Marshall Hendrix, who was a crucial part of his life. Since he felt that Leon’s death was a tragedy, changing the name seemed an appropriate tribute.
Families of Jimi Hendrix Experience Sue Sony Music for Millions
The estates of the bassist Noel Redding and the drummer Mitch Mitchell, who both died in 2003 and 2008, are suing Sony Music in the High Court in London, demanding millions from the label, claiming that each man was entitled to 25 per cent of the income from the Jimi Hendrix Experience, formed in 1966, with the remaining 50 per cent going to Hendrix.
They filed suit against the Hendrix estate in the US in 1972, but the case was settled in July 1975 with Mitchell receiving $247,500 and Redding $100,000 – equivalent to around $1.5 million and $600,000 in today’s money. However, Sony executives pointed out that the settlement agreement basically mean that the current claims can’t be considered valid at all.
Redding ended up filing a legal action against the Hendrix estate, which worth more than £3,000,000 before he died. Eventually however, this action was dropped. His estate is left to his partner, Deborah McNaughton; while Mitchell left his own estate to his daughter, Aysha.
Is Janie Hendrix Related to Jimi Hendrix?
Jimi Hendrix’s afterlife has been a rollercoaster ride, filled with lawsuits, family drama, and complicated intellectual property rights and royalties. These days, it’s mostly managed by Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s stepsister. After their father, Al Hendrix, died in 2002, Janie has been stewarding the bespectacled guitar god’s musical legacy through years of copyright infringements and unlicensed merchandising sales.
In between legal battles, though, she has worked tirelessly to reintroduce Jimi Hendrix to new generations by releasing remastered albums and creating documentary movies and educational programs. She’s ensured that we are still dealing with Hendrix, the honky-tonking guitarist, and she’s kept him off the shuffle. It’s part of the task of keeping the legend alive, respecting Jimi’s vision, and maintaining the integrity of the musical voice.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Tour – Sweden, 1969