Jimi Hendrix

Within 18 Months He Had Turned Rock Music Upside Down

The place was Ronnie Scott’s club in London, the date was 16th September 1970 and Geordie rock singer Eric Burdon was on stage with is band War. Jimi Hendrix climbed on stage and jammed with Eric for what would be his last public appearance. Two days later he left a message on the answering machine of another Geordie legend, Chas Chandler, it simply said “I need help bad, man”.  One of the greatest guitarists on the planet was dead.

Many muse what he would be like of he was alive today, what would the music industry be like? It was almost four years earlier to the day that Hendrix arrived on a plane in London with his Stratocaster and a small bag of clothes. He was unknown, but the next four years would change rock ‘n’ roll for ever.

With him was Chas Chandler, his new manager. The Animals had just split, but Chas Chandler had spotted the immense talent of Hendrix. The first week was spent jamming when he could as he had to dodge immigration officials through not having a work permit. On the 29th September 1970, Noel Redding had finished his audition for Eric Burdon’s New Animals when Chas Chandler asked him if he could play the bass. Needing to earn some money, Redding said he would give it a try and borrowed Chandlers guitar.

The line-up was Jimi Hendrix, Mike O’Neill on piano, Noel Redding on bass and Aynsley Dunbar on drums. The jamming continued with Hendrix going to the Central London Poly and this time getting on stage with Cream. Lead guitarist Eric Clapton was impressed, especially with Hendrix’s version of Howlin’ Wolf’s Killing Floor.

During the first week in October, Georgie Fame sacked his drummer, but his manager tipped off Mitch Mitchell that Chas Chandler was looking for a drummer. He got the job and the Jimi Hendrix Experience minus Mike O’Neil, was complete. The new band  headed for France and started gigging. News of the new phenomena soon travelled and within the month Record Mirror was writing about “the next big thing”.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience remembered the faulty stage. It had a circular, revolving stage and the motor didn’t work. Noel Redding said, “Yeh, I remember the place, they couldn’t get the stage round because the motor was knackered so we had to push it!”. From there they played the following night in Darlington at the Imperial Hotel. Just over a month later and Chas Chandler brought Jimi back to play a couple of shows at the legendary Club A Go Go on the 10th March.

But Northeast rock fans loved him and the Go Go wasn’t quite big enough. On the 21st April 1967 he was back again, this time at the City Hall. 1967 was a great year for Hendrix including chart success with Purple Haze reaching number 3 in March, The Wind Cries Mary was at number 6 in May and Burning Of The Midnight Lamp went to number 18 in August.

Noel Redding recalled, “The first 18 months were brilliant. The shows were spontaneous, but could really freak me out as the Beatles or the Stones would be there watching. We were probably at our peak by the back end of ‘67, but it went a bit sour. Jimi got attitude and Chas Chandler left and told me I should do the same thing.”.

The package shows in the 60’s look incredible and impossible thirty odd years later. In November ’67 Jimi Hendrix joined one of these UK tours playing twice a night with The Move, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner and The Nice in one show! In December of the same year, the second album Axis Bold As Love entered the UK charts to hit number 5.

It got even more amazing on the 22nd December when Hendrix does a Christmas concert at the Olympia in London with The Move, Traffic, Pink Floyd and Eric Burdon & The Animals. They were the days when you could see such an array of incredible talent in one night without going to a stadium clutching a blanket and a pair of binoculars.

The following year was another whirlwind of gigs and All Along The Watchtower went to number 5 in October. Jimi Hendrix did not get a number 1 until Voodoo Chile in November 1970 after his death.

This little piece is just a tiny glimpse of a man who changed rock. It’s now 35 years since that peak year of 1967 and the place is awash with off-the-peg bands. The Northeast however has not lost the Hendrix bug, the region has a wealth of bands who keep the guitar tradition alive. Many of these bands are superb, but will never hit the big time if they can’t dance or look like models from Cosmo. Check out the listing on teletext and you will find a blues based band playing at a pub near you tonight, so get yourself out and support them.