Jimi Hendrix lyric sheet pieced back together 55 years later
The legendary guitarist tore the lyric sheet in half to sign autographs before a gig in 1967
A rare Jimi Hendrix lyric sheet that was ripped in half and given to fans 55 years ago has been put back together.
On February 20, 1967, the legendary guitarist was performing with The Jimi Hendrix Experience at Bath Pavilion, in place of Chuck Berry who had cancelled.
Two fans, who wish to remain anonymous, approached the stage door for an autograph when Hendrix tore a page out of an exercise book and ripped it in half to sign for the girls, aged 15 and 16.
With both pieces also signed by band members Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, the other side of the paper featured handwritten lyrics titled ’51st Wedding Anniversary’ and ‘Key of B’.
Three weeks later the song was released as the B-side to Hendrix’s hit ‘Purple Haze’.
When one of the women brought her autograph to rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia store Tracks Limited for a quote last year, the store requested the seller track down her friend, despite drifting apart over the years.
The second woman, located in Bath, still had her autograph intact and agreed to sell it. The reunited lyric sheet is now expected to fetch five-figures.
“There are extremely few Jimi Hendrix manuscripts in existence and even fewer that have been signed by Jimi and the other two members of the Experience, Paul Wane, owner of Tracks said (via The Guardian).
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the estates of Redding and Mitchell had filed a lawsuit against Sony Music, alleging copyright infringement.
It followed a case filed in January made by Sony Music and the Hendrix estate, which stated that the former band member’s estates do not have the right to sue for copyright.
This came after a lawyer representing the families of Redding and Mitchell sent a cease-and-desist letter in December that claimed they owned a stake in Hendrix’s music.
However a lawyer for Sony Music and Hendrix’s estate alleged that they signed away the rights to the music in the early 1973, detailed in a Rolling Stone report.
Lawyers for the Redding and Mitchell, who died in 2003 and 2008 respectively, claimed that “both died in relative poverty having never received their true entitlement from their works, performances and founding membership of the Jimi Hendrix Experience”.