Is The Jimi Hendrix Experience The First All-Dead Band?
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Artist:Mitch Mitchell
Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell has died at the age of 62. He was on the final leg of an Experience tour in the US and passed away in his hotel room.
With his passing there are no remaining original members of the band alive; original manager Chas Chandler is also dead. Is this the first '60s band where every member is dead? (I don't include Billy Cox, etc. as being part of the Experience.)
Mitch Mitchell was something of a child prodigy, drumming with Georgie Flame and the Blue Fames when he was only 15. His resume includes time in a number of mid-60s British bands, but the Experience is where he made his mark, his jazz-influenced style being a perfect support for Hendrix's sonic explorations.
The band was an instant hit in London. Here, playing at The Marquee, it's easy to see and hear why.
Here's Mitch underpinning Hendrix when they played a weekend at Winterland in San Francisco from October 10 - 12, 1968. "Voodoo Child" had only been in the repetoire a few weeks and the way Mitch follows Hendrix while simultaneously shifting through several different patterns is what made him so appropriate. The band was celebrating its two year anniversary.
Four songs later they played "This Is America", an exploration of the war and chaos that was consuming youth culture at the time. As you can hear, these are the seeds from which Hendrix created his version of "The Star Spangled Banner". How many jazz drummers can you hear in Mitch's freeform patterns?
Two moths later he was at The Roundhouse in London contributing to The Rolling Stones' 'Rock And Roll Circus' as part of John Lennon's band Dirty Mac.
Give the drummer some, indeed.
Comments (14)
Hmmm, that is a very good question indeed. Nice collection of Mitch-isms here. I shall return to listen shortly.
Damn. Makes me think how sad it is that so many legends have to die in hotel rooms on the road (Entwhistle comes to mind). Reminds you how lonely an existance a muscian can sometiems have.
Damn shame to hear this. The man could certainly pound the skins!
yeah this post makes you think... the end of the classic rock era? or the start of the end?
Rock died it's first death in 77. It's really only on about it's 2nd or 3rd by now. These things are cyclical.
Guess this is probably not the best context for this comment, but myself, I always preferrd Buddy Miles to Mitch. Nonetheless, it is sad, it seems like the great rock gods leave us all too ofetn these days, kind of hard to believe there will be a time relatively soon, when they are all gone. Except of course the Stones, they'll outlive the roaches, I think.
hopefully he didn't die from doing cocaine in his 60's with a heart condition
that was one of the worst exits imaginable for the ox
we should be so thankful for the miracle of the hendrix experience finding each other and magically creating a symbiotic psychadelic wonderland
bold as love baby
bold as love
Great post, J.
CB, you're right......i can personally vouch for loneliness on the road. seems glamorous (and it often is), but those moments are often overshadowed by the big picture. maintaining a career in music can be VERY tough (on the road and off), even though you're really doing what you love to do. catch-22.
as far as being the first 60's band with every member dead, that's pretty amazing as well. between the toll emotionally that the industry takes on you and its repercussions (often drug and suicide related), there's also the physical touring aspect and i'm not just talking about things like heart attacks.....there have been plane crashes and bus crashes leading to deaths as musicians headed to their gigs. even though i've watched this stuff going down through the 60's and CBGB's days though, i can't think of any other bands where all the members are gone. yet.
"Axis Bold as Love" ..the best album, has some of my favourite recorded "chops" from Mitch.."the "outro" of "Wait till Tomorrow" ..the intro of "You Got me Floatin" ...the way "Aint no Tellin" races along...
thanks for posting all that stuff, great info and wicked classic vids
Sad to hear, but a fucking great career move.
thanks for this tribute. I was bummed too when I heard on pitchfork he'd gone :(
You have all made fascinating comments. One of the first things I learned (and it was a non sequiter) from someone about music business was that insurance companies consider musicians to be terrible insurance risks. Their expsoure to danger is up there with people like racing car drivers. It seems borne out by the number who die in their 60s. On the other hand, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard are both playing in London next week - they're in their 70s and both have lived an...ummm...eventful life. Chuck Berry is in his 80s. So who knows.
I never got Axis Bold As Love when it came out because it didn't seem as visceral as the first one. But I picked it up for £3 a few weeks ago and it's sitting top of the stack by my elbow right now. I'm going to listen to Chris's suggestions and float on that light busyness that made Mitch unique.
My fav was always Electric Ladyland, it's just amazing how uniquely different all 3 Experience albums are. I just feel it's really becoming Jimmi's intended sound with that one, he's bringing it back home.
But over all, I'll take any Hendrix live. I don't know how many boots I have, but each show is so different from the last. Even with similar setlists in each show, is comletely different. Plus you really get to hear Hendrix (and Mitchell, and Noel Redding) create amazing magic out of the frame work of the songs.
Jonh, so this might actually be the first all-dead 60's band. Thank you for digging up such great Mitch Mitchell moments.