0 Prince, Hendrix and James: 4 Books, 2 Magnets and 2 lapel pins
- Flashback
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 02/10/2026
February's Black History Month is a perfect time to touch the memory of some musical icons. Prince, Rick James and Jimi Hendrix are in the spotlight.
The red model is wearing Rick James and Prince lapel pins.
Here are two of my favorite Hendrix books: Midnight Lightning: Jimi Hendrix and The Black Experience and 2) Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads To Psychedelic London, The Untold Story of a Musical Genius.
4 books, 2 magnets and 2 lapel pins
Prince's The Beautiful Ones features his story in his words through private photos, lyric sheets, scrapbooks, and parts of the memoir he was writing before his death.
Rick James is from The Motown Album. First edition was 1990, with a foreword by Berry Gordy, a history by Ben Fong-Torres, an essay by Elvis Mitchell, and the discography by Dave Marsh. Note that this book covers the entire Motown universe of performers.
It's a masterpiece of photos and research with anecdotes about the history of the artists.
I was lucky to receive The Motown Album as a gift. This is the original hardcover book enclosed in its first edition gold foil wrap.
Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Rick James are criticized in some circles for their artistic independence as Black creators.
Good literature provides a deep dive below the superficial surface of what we just see or hear in music. That's what the pages of these manuscripts offer.
A book, an audio story, a podcast, a video, a live performance or an interview are great vehicles to promote understanding. These communication tools can pull back veils that may prevent the light of an artist from shining through.
Bad Bunny
The hate thrown at Bad Bunny, after his 2026 Super Bowl performance by some national tabloid readers in their comments about the show is a disturbing negative sign of the times.
Many of these people didn't even watch the intermission. I thought Bad Bunny was great. I don't speak Spanish. I'm eager to learn more about him beyond just his ability to capture millions of fans with his zeal, energy, and music.