Never-before-heard Jimi Hendrix tapes to go on sale

Along with a cache of documents rescued by the former PA to Jimi Hendrix’s manager, four never-before-heard tapes will be sold at auction in London on 15 November – 54 years after the rock star’s death.

The 1968 demos are understood to be versions of ‘Up From The Skies’, ‘Ain’t No Telling’, ‘Little Miss Lover’ and ‘Stone Free’, running for around seven minutes. Per The Guardian, Mark Hochman, music consultant for auctioneer Propstore, said the demos are “very different in sound and length” from better-known versions.

Bidders will need to be feeling flush – each demo is expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of euros. But they can forget releasing them to the public or hosting listening parties for the masses: whoever buys the demo will need to negotiate their potential use with the Hendrix estate, beyond enjoying them in the privacy of home.

The eventual buyer will have “the kudos of having your own Jimi Hendrix songs which only you can listen to,” Hochman said.

The demos, recorded in 1978, form part of a wider auction of Hendrix memorabilia, sold by Patricia “Trixie” Sullivan, who worked for Hendrix’s manager Mike Jeffrey in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 

In addition to the tapes, would-be buyers can bid on material including payslips, dry-cleaning bills for stage costumes and tour itineraries – along with a note from Hendrix’s record label telling him he was being kicked out of Ringo Starr’s London flat!

Reflecting on the significance of the auction, Hochman commented, “It’s an incredible collection that not only reflects the personal life of Jimi Hendrix but also transports you back to a pivotal moment in music history.”

Considered by many to be the greatest guitarist in pop – and undoubtedly one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, with his hits including ‘Purple Haze’, ‘Foxy Lady’ and ‘All Along The Watchtower’ – Hendrix died in 1970 aged just 27.

The auction on 15 November will be live-streamed.