Describing how the city of London helped transform a little-known musician named Jimmy James into rock legend Jimi Hendrix, this revealing volume details how Hendrix helped transform London into a dynamo of popular music and social rebellion. The book examines Hendrix's impact on London's leading musicians--including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton--and follows Hendrix as he acquires a savvy manager, a tight band, and a forgiving girlfriend and launches himself into a breakneck career that whisked him from dingy clubs to Woodstock and recording and television studios. Each chapter introduces unforgettable characters and takes readers on a trip through the psychedelic era, concluding with Hendrix's tragic death in a London apartment. It explores the public as well as the private man, capturing the contrast between the wild showman on stage and the unassuming guy behind the scenes.