The Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Festival - 1995
On September 4, 1995, a Jimi Hendrix tribute concert was held at the Memorial Stadium during Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival. The line-up included Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars with Parliament and Funkadelic, Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, Vernon Reid, Little "Jimmy" King, Junior Brown, Clarence Clemons, Eric Burdon, Jerry Cantrell, Chris Duarte, Eric Gales, Randy Hansen, Little Jimmy King, John McLaughlin, Mike McCready, Vernon Reid, Juma Sultan, Neal Schon, The Spirit of Hendrix (Narada Michael Walden's house band), Ann Wilson, and the Washington State Mass Choir. Producer Narada Michael Walden oversaw the project as Music Director.
Paratroopers from the 101st Airborne division parachuted into the stadium with purple smoke trailing from a contraption in their boots. They landed flawlessly one after the other in a 10 by 10' area marked off area in the middle of the stadium floor. To the cheers of the audience, they crowned Al "King" in a ceremony on stage, giving him and a robe and having him light a cauldron with a guitar sculpture in it similar to the flame lit at the Olympics. It started raining heavily, just as it had at Jimi's last Seattle concert at Sicks' Stadium, but most people stayed. To make the night more spectacular, there were about four or five lightening cracks that lit up the sky
This is a backstage photo with Micth Micthell and Monika Dannemann. Monika was not allowed backstage during the concert per Noel Redding's request; she sat in the stands with photographer Nona Hatay. (Photo by Steven Roby)
Monika was the last person to be with Hendrix before his death in 1970. On April 5, 1996, she was discovered in a fume-filled car near her home in England. Police treated her death as a suicide.
The event was video taped, but never released. Appearantly, not all of the artists consented to the release. This was the last time, Buddy Miles, Noel Redding, Mitch Micthell, and Billy Cox appeared on stage together.
I was fortunate to watch the show backstage directly behind Mitch Mitchell.
Pictured here are: Candice (Noel's Girlfriend), Noel Redding, Janie Hendrix-Wright, and Al Hendrix; backstage, pre-concert. (Photo by Steven Roby)
At the end of the show, Janie spoke to the audience about her recent court victory. She reassured the crowd, not to worry about what would be released. Janie swore to preserve the integrity of Jimi Hendrix's memory, and urged bootleggers to come forward and give their tapes to the estate so that they could be released properly.
Guitarist Junior Brown and Vernon "Ice" Black trade off solos here. That's Brown's "guit-steel" giving him a unique sound. (Photo by Steven Roby) Check out "Sugar Foot Rag" off Junior High (MCG/Curb) for several incredible Hendrix licks.
To read about the Michael McCready/Neal Schon incident, go to the Straight Ahead page.