Experience Hendrix Tour 08 was the last tour of Mitch Mitchell, 1947-2008  

Mitch Mitchell, 1947-2008

MITCH MITCHELL

Experience Hendrix BuddyGuy & Mitch''s Drum kit

A five week long, cross-country tour featuring some of the best known and most respected figures in rock and blues has been set to celebrate the legacy and music of Jimi Hendrix. Presented by Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., the Hendrix family-owned company founded by James A. Al Hendrix, Jimis father, entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix together with musical instrument giant Gibson Guitar, this years Experience Hendrix Tour represents a dramatic expansion beyond last years seven sold out performances.

Featured artists who will be performing music written by and associated with Jimi Hendrix include blues giant Buddy Guy, contemporary guitar greats Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Eric Johnson, Cesar Rojas and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos as well as Aerosmiths Brad Whitford.

Various combinations of these artists will perform such Hendrix signature songs as "Purple Haze," "Hey Joe," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and Red House and are sure to make the concerts very special events for both new and veteran Hendrix fans.

Activision has announced that the iconic rocker will be gracing Guitar Hero: World tour not only with some music, but also with his afro.

Hendrix will be a playable character on GH:WT and two of his songs will be featured on the game, a live version of Purple Haze recorded in 1969 at the San Diego Sports Arena and The Wind Cries Mary. Additional songs from legendary star will be made available later as downloadable content.

Drug addiction not included. No word on whether or not players can choke to death on their own vomit in the game either.

Experience Hendrix Tour dates:
(Tickets now on sale)
Oct 15
Hampton Beach, NH Casino Ballroom

Oct 16
Albany, NY Palace Theater

Oct 17
Providence, RI Providence Performing Arts Center

Oct 18
Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre

Oct 19
Waterbury, CT Palace Theatre

Oct 21
New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Oct 22
New York, NY United Palace Theatre

Oct 23
Philadelphia, PA Tower Theater

Oct 25
Detroit, MI Fox Theatre

Oct 26
Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre

Oct 27
Louisville, KY Whitney Hall Kentucky Performing Arts Center

Oct 29
Omaha, NE Orpheum Theatre

Oct 30
Denver, CO Paramount Theatre

Nov 1
Las Vegas, NV The Pearl at The Palms

Nov 2
Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre

Nov 3
San Francisco, CA Nob Hill Masonic Center

Nov 5
Spokane, WA INB Performing Arts Center (Spokane Opera House)

Nov 6
Seattle, WA Paramount Theater

Nov 7
Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall



John Mitch Mitchell was an English drummer, best known for his work in The Jimi Hendrix Experience. After completing the Experience Hendrix tour in Portland with one-time bandmate Billy Cox and a multitude of noteworthy musicians (Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Cesar Rosas, David Hidalgo, Aerosmiths Brad Whitford, Hubert Sumlin, Chris Layton as well as Eric Gales and Mato Nanji) on November 7, Mitchell was spending some down time in the city before returning to his native England. He likely died on the morning of November 12 in a Portland, Oregon hotel room of natural causes, according to the Multnomah County Medical Examiners office. His mother, his wife, a daughter, and two grandchildren survive him.

Before joining The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mitchell gained experience touring and as a session musician and had starred in a childrens television program called Jennings at School when he was a teenager. Pre-Experience bands included Johnny Harris and the Shades, The Pretty Things, The Riot Squad, and Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. He had also worked in Jim Marshalls (creator of the Marshall amplifier) music shop in London.

Mitchell played in Hendrixs Experience trio from October 1966 to mid-1969, his Woodstock band in August 1969, and with the later incarnation of the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1970 with Billy Cox on bass, known as the Cry of Love band. Hendrix would often record tracks in the studio with only Mitchell and in concert, the two fed off each other to exciting effect. Mitchell was praised for his work with The Hendrix Experience on songs such as Manic Depression, Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Fire, and Third Stone from the Sun. Mitchell came from a jazz background and like many of his drummer contemporaries was strongly influenced by the work of Elvin Jones, Max Roach, and Joe Morello.

Mitchell also played in the band The Dirty Mac assembled for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in 1968. Other members included John Lennon as vocalist and rhythm guitarist Winston Leg-Thigh; Eric Clapton as guitarist, and Keith Richards as bassist. The group recorded a cover of Yer Blues as well as a jam called Whole Lotta Yoko.

After Hendrixs death, Mitchell helped producer Eddie Kramer assemble the albums Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge, featuring unfinished Hendrix material. He played occasional gigs with Terry Reid, Jeff Bruce, and Jeff Beck, but he rarely recorded as his career went on.

For the rest of the 70s through to the 90s, Mitchell continued to perform and occasionally record although essentially doing so under the radar of most of his previous fans. He kept reasonably busy doing occasional session work (such as Junior Browns Long Walk Back album) as well as participating in various Hendrix-related recordings, videos, and interviews. Most recently, he was part of the Gypsy Sun Experience, along with former Hendrix bassist Cox and guitarist Gary Serkin. He entered semi-retirement living in Europe before joining the four-week tour celebrating the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix on the 2008 Experience Hendrix Tour.

Mitchell pioneered a style of drumming which would later become known as fusion. This is a lead style of playing distinguished by interplay with lead instruments such as guitar or keyboards, and the melding of jazz and rock drumming styles. Though a lead drum was not a new concept in the world of jazz, it was relatively unheard of in the rock genre at the time. Upon joining Hendrix in late 1966, it soon became evident to Mitchell that the trio format of the band was very similar to the recently formed Cream, and that it would allow him an opportunity to become freer with his playing. Alongside Hendrixs revolutionary guitar work and songwriting, Mitchells playing helped redefine rock music drumming. You can hear him drumming on almost any Jimi Hendrix song played here on IHearDeadPeople.com!

Mitchell was found dead in his Portland, Oregon, hotel room. A Multnomah County coroner''s spokesman said it appeared he died of natural causes, although a formal finding had not yet been issued.

The drummer had been in Portland for the last stop on an 18-city U.S. tour with Experience Hendrix, a concert series celebrating the legacy of the late rock star.

"We''re all devastated to hear of Mitch''s passing. He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend," Hendrix''s sister, Janie Hendrix, said in a statement on behalf of the estate.

"His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated," she said. "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."

The British-born Mitchell started in show business as a child actor but abandoned that for his true love, jazz and rock music.

He was a top session drummer who joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966 and backed the rocker for his legendary performance at Woodstock three years later. He drummed on Hendrix classics such as "Fire," "Manic Depression" and "Third Stone from the Sun."

Mitchell also is credited with helping to develop a "fusion" drumming style that combined rock with jazz and was influenced by such jazz giants as Elvin Jones and Max Roach.

The style made the drums essentially a lead instrument, an innovative concept in rock and roll.

Hendrix - a songwriter, guitarist and showman - was a pioneer of the 1960''s psychedelic rock scene who died in September, 1970, at the age of 27.

Mitch Mitchell, 62, was found dead in his Portland, Oregon, hotel room.

Celebrate the Music& Legacy of Jimi Hendrix 2008, November 2, the Greek Theatre
Mitch Mitchell, 1947-2008
EXPERIENCE HENDRIX TOUR 2008
Jim Hendrix site
Hendrix Files Tour 2003

Сайт создан в системе uCoz