In the 54 years since Jimi Hendrix’s death, every part of his archive has been mined for fresh material. Recordings of long-forgotten gigs, obscure B-sides and abandoned demos have all been released.
But it appears that not everything the American rock guitarist, singer and composer recorded has seen the light of day. Newly unearthed master tapes with never-before-heard tracks are now up for sale in an auction of Hendrix memorabilia.
The unreleased 1968 demos, which are said to be “very different in sound and length” from better-known versions, run for seven minutes and include Up From the Skies, Ain’t No Telling, Little Miss Lover and Stone Free. That tape alone is expected to sell for up to £200,000.
Mark Hochman, music consultant for the auctioneer, Propstore, said the person who buys them will have “the kudos of having your own Jimi Hendrix songs which only you can listen to”.
Hendrix was a virtuoso who pioneered the expressive, explosive possibilities of the electric guitar in music that fused rock, soul, blues and jazz. His classic hits include Purple Haze, Foxy Lady and All Along the Watchtower.
He died in 1970 aged just 27, after an apparent overdose. The sale includes repeated bills from a Harley Street doctor, made out to Hendrix and members of his band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hochman said: “You can only imagine what that was for in the late 1960s … I think it was for their drugs.”
The collection is being sold by Patricia “Trixie” Sullivan, who was personal assistant to Hendrix’s manager, Mike Jeffery, between 1966 and 1973. She dealt with his musicians, booking sessions at recording studios and creating tour itineraries. While overseeing the day-to-day running of the music mogul’s business empire, Sullivan accompanied the musicians on tours worldwide.
After Jeffery’s death in 1973, she collected the material from his office in central London. Bailiffs had ransacked it, taking away furniture, among other items that they deemed valuable, but leaving behind the demo and master tapes, among other archival material.
Everything has remained in her possession ever since. Having come to light earlier this year, this is the first time any of it has come to auction.
There are more than 50 rare tapes, including master recordings from Hendrix, as well as bands including the Animals and Soft Machine. Some of the original boxes bear titles in Hendrix’s own neat handwriting.
Three of the unreleased demos – Up From the Skies, Ain’t No Telling and Little Miss Lover – are of tracks from the Experience’s second album, Axis: Bold as Love, while Stone Free was the B-side to Hey Joe, Hendrix’s first UK single released in 1966.
Hochman said: “These versions have never been heard before, circulated or broadcast and are very different in sound and length to the more common examples.
“They’re a lot tighter and smoother. You can hear more guitar, which is obviously what Hendrix was famous for. The experts who have visited and heard the recordings all agree that these are far superior to all the other versions of these tracks.”
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The auction also includes dry-cleaning bills for a green velvet jacket, a gold suit and orange trousers, among Hendrix’s other trademark psychedelic costumes inspired by London’s Carnaby Street. A note from Hendrix’s record company informs him that he is being evicted from Ringo Starr’s London flat because there had been so many complaints from other tenants.
There are payslips for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and even the band’s first-ever contract. One document shows that they were guaranteed to receive up to seven figures for a one-off performance, although half would go to Jeffery.
Among other documents is a US form filled out by Hendrix requesting a birth certificate in order to get a passport, tour itineraries and details of financial dealings.
Three collectors have flown over from the US and from Europe just to examine the collection, while three documentary production companies have looked at the material for possible documentaries and dramas. One planned project is about Hendrix, his life and time in London.
But whoever ends up owning the recordings will need to negotiate their potential use with the Hendrix estate. Failing that, they can just enjoy them in the privacy of their own home.
The live-streamed auction is to be held in London on 15 November by Propstore, specialists in film, TV and music memorabilia.