In 1967, legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix ripped one of his lyric sheets in half in order to sign each side for fans.
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Now, some 55 years later, those two halves have been put back together, essentially restoring the musical artifact.
Ahead of his gig, with his group The Jimi Hendrix Experience, at the Bath Pavilion on February 20, 1967, a gig which Hendrix accepted after another legendary artist, Chuck Berry, canceled his appearance, the legendary guitarist ripped his lyric sheet in half and gave each half to two local fans, who were reportedly aged 15 and 16 at the time, according to The Guardian.
They had been waiting backstage for an autograph. But Hendrix found himself without blank paper to sign, so he did what he could. And the guitarist’s bandmates, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, also signed each half.
According to the girls, who wish to remain nameless, they realized their autograph page also contained handwritten lyrics and was headlined “51st Wedding Anniversary.” Weeks later, Hendrix dropped a new song called “51st Wedding Anniversary” as a B-side to his hit “Purple Haze.”
The girls, who drifted apart, both kept their autograph half-pages. And in 2021, one of them contacted an England-based memorabilia store for a quote on the souvenir. The store asked if she could track down her friend to find the other half. Now, the paper is expected to garner five figures.
Said Paul Wane, owner of the memorabilia shop, Tracks Limited, “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.”
In other Hendrix news, the artist is featured in two new films out this month. Ronnie’s chronicles the life and times of saxophonist Ronnie Scott and his London jazz club of the same name. The Hendrix section features the guitar player sitting in with Eric Burdon and the band War at the club.
The second Hendrix-featured movie is called Music, Money, Madness…Jimi Hendrix In Ma. You can read more about the films HERE.
The estates for Hendrix and his bandmates are also engaged in a court battle over royalties. The Jimi Hendrix estate has filed a lawsuit against the heirs of former Jimi Hendrix Experience bandmates, drummer John Graham “Mitch” Mitchell, and bassist David Noel Redding, after they threatened to sue for millions of dollars in unpaid royalties dating back several decades.
And read some of Hendrix’s best quotes HERE.
Photo by Doug McKenzie/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
