Kathy Etchingham

Kathy Etchingham

Kathy Etchingham - Jimi Hendrix Blue Plaque Unveiling.
Born Kathleen Mary Etchingham
18 June 1946
Derby, Derbyshire, England
Occupation Author[1]
Website
kathyetchingham.com

Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Etchingham (born 18 June 1946) is a British/Irish personality known from the Swinging London music scene of the 1960s and her relationship with Jimi Hendrix.[2]

Early life

Etchingham was born in Derby, the daughter of Charles Etchingham, an Irishman from Dublin. Her mother deserted the family when Kathy was ten years old, and Kathy was sent to the Holy Faith convent boarding school in Skerries, Dublin. Returning to England, having been snatched from the convent by her mother, she eventually made her way to London.

1960s London

In London, Etchingham became a DJ at the Cromwellian Club in Kensington and later at the Scotch of St James,[2] in addition to working as a hairdresser.[3] She knew the up-and-coming musicians of the period including Brian Jones, The Animals, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, The Moody Blues, The Move, and many others. These bands became known as the British Invasion of the USA in the mid-1960s.

Etchingham, at age 20, met Jimi Hendrix in the Scotch of St James nightclub, on the night of his arrival in London on the 24th of September 1966.[2] They became a couple during the time of his rise to stardom. Etchingham was the inspiration for many of Hendrix's compositions including "The Wind Cries Mary" (penned after an argument between Hendrix and Etchingham), "Foxy Lady" (during one of the first performances of this number Hendrix pointed her out from the stage), as the Katherina in "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" and in "Send My Love to Linda" (the original lyrics of which were "Send My Love to Kathy", until Etchingham objected to being named).[4] In 1969, she and Hendrix drifted apart.[2]

Later events

Etchingham's first marriage broke up, and she later remarried and had a family.[5] In 1997, she was instrumental in the placement of an English Heritage Blue Plaque for Jimi Hendrix’s home at 23 Brook Street, Mayfair.[6] In 1998, she published a book, Through Gypsy Eyes, which Etchingham wrote with Andrew Crofts, about her life, the sixties, and Jimi Hendrix.[1] Etchingham now lives in Australia.[7]

In 2014, Etchingham criticised the biographical film which covered her relationship with Hendrix in the 1960s, Jimi: All Is by My Side, written and directed by John Ridley. Etchingham described the film depiction of her life with Hendrix as "absolute nonsense".[7]

"I want him to be remembered for what he was – not this tragic figure he has been turned into by nit-pickers and people who used to stalk us and collect photographs and 'evidence' of what we were doing on a certain day. He could be grumpy, and he could be terrible in the studio, getting exactly what he wanted – but he was fun, he was charming. I want people to remember the man I knew."

~Etchingham on Jimi Hendrix[8]

Book

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Through Gypsy Eyes: My Life, The 60s, and Jimi Hendrix". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Watts, Simon (February 3, 2013). "Kathy Etchingham: Life as Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxy Lady'". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  3. ↑ Braid, Mary (1 May 1996). "A rock legend unto herself: She was with Jimi Hendrix when he died and built up a life based on their relationship. But in the end Monika Dannemann was the victim of her own self-delusion". The Independent.
  4. ↑ "Kathy Etchingham website". Original document.
  5. ↑ "'Foxy Lady' is winner over Hendrix slur". Independent.
  6. ↑ Hudson, Mark (August 23, 2010). "The only place Jimi Hendrix called home". The Independent. Retrieved Oct 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Barnes, Henry (October 21, 2014). "That never happened: the biopic conundrum". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  8. ↑ Vulliamy, Ed (August 8, 2010). "Jimi Hendrix: 'You never told me he was that good'". The Observer (London). Retrieved October 21, 2012.

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