Jimi Hendrix Wrote ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ After His Girlfriend Hit Him With a Frying Pan
Jimi Hendrix was romantically involved with a number of women throughout his life. His muses often served as inspiration for songs that he wrote and recorded, including The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1967 single “The Wind Cries Mary.”
Jimi Hendrix’s girlfriends
Jimi Hendrix’s began dating his first girlfriend, Betty-Jean Morgan, in high school. According to Express, he painted “Betty-Jean” on his guitar as a dedication to her.
In the early and mid-1960s, Hendrix began making a name for himself as a backing guitarist for artists including Little Richard and Ike and Tina Turner. In 1963, he started dating Lithofayne “Faye” Pridgeon, and by 1965, he was in a relationship with Devon Wilson, who had become known as a “Super Groupie” due to her connection to popular musicians such as Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, and Miles Davis.
Hendrix soon formed his own band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and began releasing music in 1967. Their first album Are You Experienced was released in May 1967, while their sophomore LP Axis: Bold as Love arrived in December of that year.
Jimi Hendrix’s girlfriend hit him with a frying pan, and he wrote ‘The Wind Cries Mary’
Hendrix flew out to London in the mid-1960s to begin recording his own music. His first day there, he met Kathy Mary Etchingham, a DJ who performed at clubs around the city. They began dating shortly thereafter.
According to Etchingham, a fight between the two led to the creation of Hendrix’s single “The Wind Cried Mary.” She reflected on the fateful day in 1967 that led to the song being written.
“Most of our arguments seemed to stem from my cooking, or my inability to cook,” she said in a 2005 interview on BBC Sounds. “The mashed potatoes were lumpy and he made some cutting remark.” Etchingham was upset and proceeded to smash the plate of mashed potatoes on the ground, along with all the other dishes and pots and pans in the kitchen. “He was very upset,” she added.
“I hit him with a frying pan,” Etchingham later said, according to Rolling Stone. “We smashed the kitchen up. It was a horrific argument.” Hendrix and the band spent hours recording the song, and eventually settled on the first take.
In her view, Etchingham sees the song as a direct lyrical interpretation of their argument.
“‘All the jacks are in their boxes’ probably relates to during the argument when he said, ‘You play games, you’re always playing games,’” she explained to the BBC. “[The broom] drearily sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday’s life” is believed to be a connection to Hendrix himself, as he swept up the mess while Etchingham ran out the door that night crying.
Etchingham inspired other songs of Hendrix’s
“The Wind Cried Mary” is only one of the songs believed to have been written about Etchingham and his relationship with the British musician. Other songs such as “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)” and “Gypsy Eyes” are rumored to be about Etchingham. They would eventually part ways as The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s popularity continued to grow.
Hendrix began dating Monika Danneman in 1969 until his death a year later.
