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Watch These Stunning Videos Of Jimi Hendrix Playing The Fillmore East
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 18, 2012
Modified Sep 18, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 18, 2012
Modified Sep 18, 2012
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On this day in 1970, Jimi Hendrix died in London at the age of 27, joining Brian Jones as one of the early members of The 27 Club. Prior to his death Hendrix had been at a party, and then was taken by his girlfriend, Monika Dannemann, to her room at the Samarkand Hotel in Notting Hill. It's believed Hendrix took nine Vesparax sleeping pills and then "asphyxiated in his own vomit." There are a lot of stories about what actually took place that night, including a theory that Hendrix's manager, Mike Jeffery, had the musician killed because Hendrix had wanted to sever ties with him. However, the police have said there was no foul play.
Prior to all of that, Hendrix lived in Harlem at the Hotel Theresa starting in January of 1964, where he met his then-girlfriend Lithofayne "Faye" Pridgeon, "a Harlem native with connections throughout the area's music scene." In February of that year Hendrix won first prize in the Apollo Theater amateur contest and hit the club circuit, before accepting the position of guitarist for The Isley Brothers' back-up band. Following that he had a new band and was primarily playing Greenwich Village hotspot Cafe Wha?, and then in early 1966 he was introduced to The Animals bassist Chas Chandler, by Keith Richards' wife Linda. Chandler was leaving The Animals and looking to manage, and began to work with Hendrix. The rest is history.
Below you can watch stunning videos of Hendrix performing at the Fillmore East (which is now an Emigrant Savings Bank branch) on December 31st, 1969 and January 1st, 1970... in the last video he even trashes the University of Michigan's football team after they lost the Rose Bowl!
Listen to Auld Lang Syne here.
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death
deathiversary
fillmore east
jimi hendrix
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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