I am, without apology or any sort of repentance, a diehard Jimi Hendrix fan. I just received word from my mom, that the last of the original Jimi Hendrix Experience has died.
From the AP:
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience of the 1960s and the group’s last surviving member, was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday. He was 61.
Mitchell was a powerful force on the Hendrix band’s 1967 debut album “Are You Experienced?” as well as the trio’s albums “Electric Ladyland” and “Axis: Bold As Love.” He had an explosive drumming style that can be heard in hard-charging songs such as “Fire” and “Manic Depression.”
The Englishman had been drumming for the Experience Hendrix Tour, which performed Friday in Portland. It was the last stop on the West Coast part of the tour.
Hendrix died in 1970. Bass player Noel Redding died in 2003.
An employee at Portland’s Benson Hotel called police after discovering Mitchell’s body.
Erin Patrick, a deputy medical examiner, said Mitchell apparently died of natural causes. An autopsy was planned.
“He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend,” said Janie Hendrix, chief executive of the Experience Hendrix Tour and Jimi Hendrix’ stepsister. “His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated.”
Bob Merlis, a spokesman for the tour, said Mitchell had stayed in Portland for a four-day vacation and planned to leave Wednesday.
“It was a devastating surprise,” Merlis said. “Nobody drummed like he did.”
He said he saw Mitchell perform two weeks ago in Los Angeles, and the drummer appeared to be healthy and upbeat.
Merlis said the tour was designed to bring together veteran musicians who had known Hendrix — like Mitchell — and younger artists, such as Grammy-nominated winner Jonny Lang, who have been influenced by him.
Blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who is 31 and was part of the tour, said Mitchell was to the drums what Hendrix was to the guitar.
“Today many of us have lost a dear friend, and the world has lost a rock n’ roll hero,” he said.
Mitchell was a one-of-a-kind drummer whose “jazz-tinged” style was influenced by Max Roach and Elvin Jones, Merlis said. The work was a vital part of both the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the 1960s and the Experience Hendrix Tour that ended last week, he said.
“If Jimi Hendrix were still alive,” Merlis said, “he would have acknowledged that.”
During his career Mitchell played with the best in the business — not just Hendrix, but also Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Keith Richards, Jack Bruce, Jeff Beck, Muddy Waters and others.
Mitchell performed with Hendrix and Redding at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, the U.S. debut of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. He also was member of a later version of the band that performed the closing set of the Woodstock Festival in August 1969 — where Hendrix played a psychedelic version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the band launched into “Purple Haze.”
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1992. According to the Hall of Fame, Mitchell was born July 9, 1947, in Ealing, England.
Terry Stewart, chief executive of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, said Mitchell transformed his instrument from a “strictly percussive element to a lead instrument.”
“His interplay with Jimi Hendrix’s guitar on songs like ‘Fire’ is truly amazing,” Stewart said Wednesday. “Mitch Mitchell had a massive influence on rock ‘n’ roll drumming and took it to new heights.”
Hendrix, Redding and Mitchell held their first rehearsal in October 1966, according to the Hall of Fame’s Web site.
In an interview last month with the Boston Herald, Mitchell said he met Hendrix “in this sleazy little club.”
“We did some Chuck Berry and took it from there,” Mitchell told the newspaper. “I suppose it worked.”
Via the Jimi Hendrix Official Website:
Mitch Mitchell, the innovative drummer who anchored the Jimi Hendrix Experience, has died at the age of 62. Mitchell passed away on November 12 in Portland, Oregon of natural causes. The London native had completed an 18 city American tour as a featured performer with Experience Hendrix, a series concert series celebrating the legacy of Jimi Hendrix featuring an all-star line-up of artists including his one-time Hendrix bandmate and dear friend Billy Cox. Other performers on the tour included Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Robby Krieger of the Doors, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam as well as members of Los Lobos and others. Portland was the tour’s last stop and Mitchell had been staying in town for some vacation time before his planned return to England.
Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix, LLC commented, “We’re all devastated to hear of Mitch’s passing. He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend. His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated. Over the course of the recent tour, he seemed delighted with the interchange with the other musicians and the audiences. There is no question that he was doing what he loved.”
Mitchell began working with Experience Hendrix, the family owned company established by James “Al” Hendrix shortly after its inception. He had been featured in many of the documentaries and programs issued by the company over the years.Before signing on as the drummer with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mitchell had built a reputation through his work with The Pretty Things, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames and had been one of the top session drummers of the time starting at the age of 14. His drumming technique was an amalgam of rock and jazz styles as he was heavily influenced by the likes of Elvin Jones and Max Roach. He joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966 and performed with Hendrix and bassist Noel Redding at their US debut at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967. He was also, most notably, part of the later version of the Jimi Hendrix Experience that included Billy Cox who performed the closing set of the Woodstock Festival on August 18, 1969. Following the death of Jimi Hendrix in 1970, Mitchell worked with producer Eddie Kramer in completing work on both The Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge albums.
Prior to his music career, Mitchell was a noted child actor who starred in the TV series Jennings At School as well as numerous feature films. After falling in love with American jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll, he abandoned acting and devoted the rest of his life to music.
Mitchell was part of a super group known as “The Dirty Mac” that appeared in the 1968 TV special The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus joining with John Lennon, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. He later recorded and performed with bands including Ramatam as well as with Terry Reid, Cream’s Jack Bruce, Jeff Beck, Junior Brown and others. Mitchell is survived by his mother, his wife of 24 years, a daughter and two grand children.
Some videos in honor of Mitch:
An interview from the Movie “A Film About Jimi Hendrix” from 1973″:
There was an amazing ability of Mitch’s and that was to be able to follow Jimi Hendrix. Believe me when I tell you, that was no easy task; especially after the experience broke up and he did his new thing. Where Buddy Miles was more rough and tumble or the “Cement Mixer” type of a drummer, Mitch was elegant, a more formally trained drummer that seemed to always know what Jimi wanted.
So, they’re all gone now, Jimi, Noel, Mitch and Buddy… Only one left is Billy Cox. God be with him. All we have left is the music and the memories. I can speak for myself, Jimi’s Music, which included Mitch’s and Buddy’s and Noel’s Music; touched my life greatly. They broke doors down, took music to whole new level. They just don’t build them like that anymore.
