Step Back into 1968
A brand new Jimi Hendrix exhibition is opening in London next month, housed in one of the capital’s quirkiest museums.
“Hendrix in London” opens on 19 June and features over 500 pieces of memorabilia from Hendrix’s life – from bills and letters to contracts – offering a rare and more down-to-earth look at the musician’s time in London during the late 1960s.
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The exhibition is built around the personal collection of Patricia “Trixie” Sullivan, who served as assistant to Hendrix’s manager, Mike Jeffery. This means we get to see the musical icon partly through her eyes – and many of these documents have never been displayed publicly before.
Sullivan worked with Jeffery from 1966 to 1973, covering Hendrix’s rise to fame and the period following his tragic death in 1970.
Where two musical legends once lived
“Hendrix in London” will be on show at 25 Brook Street – also known as Handel Hendrix House. This is the place where two of the most famous musicians of all time, Jimi Hendrix and George Frideric Handel, both lived – if not in the very same rooms.
Hendrix lived in a flat at the top of 23 Brook Street from July 1968 to March 1969, while Handel lived at 25 Brook Street for 36 years, right up until his death.
The legendary guitarist lived there with Kathy Etchingham, his girlfriend at the time.
No extra charge – and plenty of history
There won’t be any additional charge for the Hendrix exhibition. It’s included in the standard Handel Hendrix House entry fee, which gives you access to all four floors of 25 Brook Street and the Hendrix flat.
“The main room of the flat where he lived, entertained friends, rehearsed, wrote new music, and gave numerous press and media interviews has been restored,” the museum’s description notes.
“Permanent exhibitions introduce Hendrix’s place in the musical and social world of 1960s London, his influences and his legacy.”
Also showing: Handel Through Mozart’s Eyes
On the classical side of the musical fence, the museum is currently home to the “Handel Through Mozart’s Eyes” exhibition. Its centrepiece is a transcription of a Handel work made by Mozart – quite different from the restaurant receipts featured in the Hendrix exhibit.
That exhibition runs until 13 September, so you can catch both with the same ticket this summer.
Key points from Jimi Hendrix’s remarkable career:
- Full name: James Marshall Hendrix, born in Seattle in 1942
- Breakthrough: Rose to international fame after moving to London in 1966
- The Experience: Formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience with Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell
- Iconic songs: “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” “The Wind Cries Mary,” “Voodoo Child,” and “All Along the Watchtower”
- Legendary performance: Set his guitar on fire at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival
- Headlined Woodstock in 1969 with his legendary rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”
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