'My preacher mother dated Jimi Hendrix before finding God,' claims Katy Perry



Katy Perry's religious parents may have been outraged by her hit track I Kissed A Girl, but it seems they weren't always quite so conservative.

The 24-year-old singer claimed the couple, now both evangelical Christian preachers, once mixed within the 1960s psychedelic scene.



'My mum went on a date with Jimi Hendrix. My dad was a part of Strawberry Fields Forever and hung out with Timothy Leary,' she said in an interview on Katie Couric's All Access Grammy Special.

Leary was considered a counter-culture icon who advocated psychedelic drug research and promoted the spiritual benefits of LSD.

'My parents have stories. They probably have better stories than I do.'

Family ties: Katy Perry claims her mother once dated Jimi Hendrix during an interview on Katie Couric's All Access Grammy Special

'And they found God. They needed to find God. Not that they needed to find God, but God found them, really.'



Katy said that her early years closely mirrored Jesus Camp, a documentary about young children and evangelical Christianity.



'I watched it and I went, 'Oh my gosh! I didn't know they had behind-the-scenes footage of my childhood!'

Her parents Keith and Mary Hudson - Katy performs under her mother's maiden name - have previously said they are deeply ashamed of the star for ‘promoting a sin’.



Secret past: Katy claims her now religious parents once had a wild streak



Mrs Hudson said of her first hit single: ‘I hate the song. It clearly promotes homosexuality and its message is shameful and disgusting.

‘Katy knows how I feel. We are a very outspoken family and she knows how disappointed her father and I are. I can’t even listen to that song.



'The first time I heard it I was in total shock. When it comes on the radio I bow my head and pray.’



Katy appeared in the video for the hit in revealing lingerie and posing provocatively, surrounded by writhing models.

Mrs Hudson claimed her daughter, who grew up singing in church, had been led astray by the music industry.



Unlikely crowd: Katy says her parents mixed with the likes of rocker Jimi Hendrix and Timothy Leary, who advocated psychedelic drug research



She said: ‘Katy is our daughter and we love her but we strongly disagree with how she is conducting herself at the moment.

'We cannot cut her out of our lives as she is our child but she knows we disagree strongly with what she is doing and the message she is promoting regarding homosexuality which the Bible clearly states is a sin.



'But the Bible also promotes understanding and forgiveness, which I keep reminding myself.



Katy's album: The star (centre) with her parents Keith and Mary

‘Katy is not a homosexual but I fear she has been led astray by the Hollywood crowd. I pray all the time that God will work through her and help her find salvation.’

Of Katy’s outfits, her mother said: ‘Some are too revealing and her father has had words with her about it. Like any child she is going through a period of rebellion.’



Mr Hudson calls himself a ‘prophet/evangelist’ and claims to be used by the Holy Spirit to heal people.



Before she was famous: The pop star revealed childhood pictures of herself during the interview

He travels America and Europe trying to ‘save people’. Katy toured America with her family before they settled in California when she was 11.

Mrs Hudson said: ‘Katy was raised in a very strict Christian household. She started performing in church at nine. She was a special child, she loved to sing and had an angelic voice. That is why this is all so disappointing and sad.



'I think she acts and says certain things to be provocative and to shock.’



Katy has previously acknowledged the rift with her parents, saying: ‘I stopped trying to change them at 21.’

'Too revealing': Katy's parents have previously complained about her wardrobe





