JIMI HENDRIX - LONDON AND THE FIRST TWO WEEKS

JIMI HENDRIX - ARRIVING IN LONDON - Auditions, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, Eric Clapton & Cream. Content: ARRIVING IN LONDON - (with a Fender Stratocaster, a spare set of clothes, and a jar of Valderma) ( - ) THE LONDON ROCK ESTABLISHMENT - (Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck were celebrated as the guitar heroes, while The Who dazzled audiences with their electrifying, and spectacular stage performances.) ( - ) JIMI MEETS KATHY ETCHINGHAM (I wanted him to be not only my friend but also my lover. He was a completely different kind of connection.) ( - ) NOEL REDDING AUDITIONS (Having a novice bassist like Noel was advantageous, as it meant he had no preconceived notions about the instrument.) ( - )) NOEL RECOUNTS THE STORY (He said, I must be groovy to have hair like that and as we walked back he asked if I would come up to the audition room again the next day as he hoped I’d be in a new group with him. ) ( - ) JIMI MEETS MITCH MITCHELL (With a promising background in music and an evident affinity for the drums, Mitch would soon prove to be an essential piece of The Jimi Hendrix Experience puzzle, contributing his remarkable talent to their iconic sound.) ( - ) WALKING THE STREETS OF LONDON (During those early days, we had leisurely afternoons with time to spare, and Jimi loved nothing more than strolling through the city, taking in the sights like an awe-struck tourist. The old buildings fascinated him, with their intricate gargoyles, statues, and ornate decorations that adorned the streets of London.) ( - ) JIMI’S JAMS WITH CREAM & ERIC CLAPTON FREAKS OUT (“Eric nearly fainted,“ Chas later revealed to us. “He said, ’Give us a cigarette, man! Is he really this good, or can he only do that one piece?’“ When I assured him that Jimi was the real deal, Eric could only exclaim, “Oh my God!“ He had only heard ten bars at the most. Within a week, he had his hair frizzed and would come by our flat anytime he had a spare moment, to be with Hendrix.) ( - ) DECIDING A DRUMMER - MITCHELL WINS THE COIN TOSS (“So that night, Jimi and I went back to the apartment and flipped a coin to decide who would be the drummer – Dunbar or Mitchell,“ Chandler explains. “We couldn’t make up our minds. Rehearsals had to start soon as the tour was only ten days away. Luckily, Mitch won the toss. ) ( - ) NOBODY WANTED TO SING (The main – or rather huge – problem was that nobody wanted to sing, not even at rehearsals. Even though Jimi had been singing in New York, he was still nervous about being in England and got terrible embarrassed about singing. ) ( - ) SELECTING A NAME ( Chandler recalls. It was he who came up with “Experience.“ Initially, Hendrix had reservations, but Chandler was certain that it perfectly captured the essence of the artist.) ( - ) CHAS CHANDLER - THE PLAN UNFOLDS (Working from the apartment, Jimi would share with Chas and his wife Lotta, Chandler and Hendrix plotted their next moves. ) ( - ) TRUST WAS EVERYTHING FOR US (Trust was everything for us. I knew they could trust me, and they were famous respected professionals. What could go wrong. ) ( - ) THE CONTRACT (As Noel explains: In our naivety, we failed to grasp the extent of the binding agreement we were entering into.) ( - ) #jimihendrix endrix #jimihendrixexperience #noelredding #mitchmitchell #celebrity #JanisJoplin #brianjones #jimihendrixlive #heyjoe #purplehaze #likearollingstone #voodoo #voodoochild #voodoochile #rockmusic #wildthing #montereypopfestival #monterey #beatles #sgtpepper #hendrix #rock #rockstar #rockmusic #beatles #celebrity #celebrities References: ‘JIMI HENDRIX - STARTING AT ZERO’ By Leon Hendrix, Bloomsbury 2013 ‘Jimi Hendrix – Electric Gypsy’ by Harry Shapiro & Caesar Glebbeek, Heinemann, 1990. ‘Hendrix – Setting the Record Straight’ By John McDermott with Eddie Kramer, Warner Books, 1992. ‘THROUGH GYPSY EYES – My Life, The 60s, and Jimi Hendrix’ by Kathy Etchingham, Orion, 1998. ‘Are You Experienced? – The inside story of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’ by Noel Redding and Carol Appleby, Fourth Estate Ltd, 1990. ‘Jimi Hendrix – The Inside Story’ By Mitch Mitchell with John Platt, Harmony Books, 1990. ’Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky - the Life of Jimi Hendrix, by David Henderson, Bantam Edition, October 1981. ‘The Inner Word of Jimi Hendrix’ by Monika Dannemann, Bloomsbury Publishing, 1995. ‘CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC: Jimi Hendrix and post-war pop’ by Charles Shaar Murray, Faber & Faber, 1989. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.