Jimi Hendrix was a member of rock and roll pioneer Little Richard’s band, The Upsetters, in the ‘60s. He performed with the group at Boston’s Back Bay Theatre, formerly the Donnelly Theatre, in 1965. Recordings of Jimi’s guitar stylings were caught on tape and are being preserved in Little Walter DeVenne’s personal archives after the Boston radio personality engineered them using a Scotch 190 reel-to-reel tape at 7.5 ips.
The decade-long tape will be sold off by Boston-based RR Auction, which focuses on historic memorabilia of its kind. The company’s executive vice president, Bobby Livingston, commented that “finding a live recording with both Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix is akin to discovering a musical holy grail.”
Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix perform in 1965 together – music holy grail unveiled
At the time of the performance in May 1965, Jimi had yet to become famous and was a 22-year-old who left The Isley Brothers to play with The Upsetters. Jimi would later become a sensation in the late ‘60s, however, the video portrayed his potential as he complemented Little Richard’s impressive vocal range with his guitar playing skills.
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Jimi did not last with Little Richard either due to disagreements on important and trivial issues such as costumes. Jimi recalls how Richard reprimanded him for wearing ruffled shirts as he was “the only one allowed to dress pretty.” The “Tutti Frutti” crooner alleged that Jimi was constantly tardy, hence his reason for firing him off the group.
Little Richard greatly influenced Jimi Hendrix
Regardless of their ensuing feud, Richard significantly influenced Jimi’s career, which was short-lived and lasted until his death in 1970. They met in Seattle when Jimi was only 12, and Richard was trying to become a preacher then. Their time together, although brief, was important to Jimi’s career as an upcoming musician, as he took a cue from experiencing Richard’s genius firsthand.
Sadly, Jimi’s supposed mentor became threatened by his skills, particularly after he became the center of attention at Brooklyn’s Paramount Theatre, New York, making his signature move of playing the guitar behind his head and captivating the crowd. Richard reportedly reacted to the memorable performance saying, “Don’t you ever play your f***ing guitar behind your head again, don’t you upstage me, I’m f***ing Little Richard.”