Although some important events of Jimi's early career include forming a band with future bassist-collaborator Billy Cox in 1961 (the King Kasuals, unrecorded) and meeting guitarist Larry Lee in 1963 (who would later provide rhythm guitar backing for a few post-Experience projects), his recording career mainly begins in early 1964 with the Isley Brothers' "Testify, Pts 1 & 2". This session was followed by two years of bouncing around the States, playing and recording with several different R&B "chitlin circuit" bands. However, by July of 1966, Jimi is "discovered" by Chas Chandler at the Cafe Wha? in New York City (although a couple friendly sessions with Curtis Knight would extend into his Experience years).
Jimi's session work ended up on a few dozen (!) R&B singles (some of them essentially different vocalists overdubbed onto his rhythm tracks from previous singles), but the easiest way to find the best of them is on the 2010 West Coast Seattle Boy anthology, which includes an entire disc comprised entirely of pre-Experience singles.
The Isley Brothers:
- "Testify, Pts 1 & 2" (March (?) 1964): This propulsive, funky tune is driven by bass and organ. Jimi adds guitar licks in between the vocal verses, and contributes to some nice, accented cadences. His solo starts at 1:12 and anticipates some of the lead work on Electric Ladyland's "Come On". "Pt 2" starts at 2:55 (the record flip), and it's likely just an edit of "Pt 1", since the solo there is exactly the same as in "Part 1".
- "Move Over and Let Me Dance" (65.08.05): Chronologically recorded much later than the above track, this Motown dance groove has some nice clean guitar with a Steve Cropper-ish Stax accompaniment (which would be further developed in Experience songs like "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Wait Until Tomorrow"). Several parts seems to be faded out on this mix (for example, brass). Jimi doesn't get a solo, but his loose comping here is always interesting and dynamic.
- "Have You Ever Been Disappointed" (65.08.05): From the same session (the last with the Isleys), this soulful B-side ballad in waltz time (also with faded-out keys, brass, etc) features largely-arpeggiated chordal accompaniment with amp tremolo effects (pulsed dynamics). The bridge at 4:07 features some nice guitar comping which would come in handy in future ballads like "Little Wing". The outro section from 4:53 also has some nice comping embellishments enhanced by backup vocals (see "Purple Rain"-era Prince). At 5:48 it sounds like he changes his tone for a second by picking near the bridge.
- "Mercy Mercy" (March or May 1964): This tune is another cheerful, swaying dance number which uses clean chordal Stax licks in the same style as those later found in "Wait Until Tomorrow" (and dialed down for "The Wind Cries Mary"). Jimi has a brief chordal lead break at 1:44. From 2:08 there are some additional lead embellishments, although these are fairly forgettable.
- "Can't Stay Away" (March or May 1964): From the same session, this slow shuffle has rhythm guitar elements which will somewhat resurface in the Experience's cover of the Bob Dylan song, "Like A Rolling Stone". The guitar intro anticipates the beginning of "Hey Joe" as well. Jimi's dialogues with the bar-stool piano part is pretty cool. The bridge has some melodic lead material but, like "Mercy, Mercy", again sounds fairly generic (and could in fact be someone else on guitar).
- "My Diary" (circa Feb-Apr 1964, Los Angeles): Like Covay's "Can't Stay Away", this song also has a chiming opening guitar break, an idea later perfected in "Hey Joe" (and "Remember"). The comping style featured here would come in handy for Axis' "Castles Made of Sand". Essentially a feature for Rosa Lee Brooks, there is no guitar solo here (although backup vocals include Arthur Lee from Love).
- "Utee" (circa Feb-Apr 1964): From the same session, this uptempo "Supremes"-like hip-shaker has some nice accented cadences and a rock and roll solo at 1:10.
- "I Don't Know What You Got But It's Got Me" (1964/65): This waltz-time ballad features a gentle guitar intro followed by arpeggiated chordal accompaniment, but no solo.
- "Dancing All Around The World" (1964/65): This tune is like a slower "Tutti Frutti", and features fairly nondescript rock 'n roll rhythm guitar (but does include a sax solo).
- Frank Howard & The Commanders, "I'm So Glad" (65, Summer): Jimi's first session with Billy Cox on bass, this Motown-inflected dance tune has no guitar solo, but does include some moments of biting guitar riffage in line with the fuzzier sounds used on contemporaneous rock records by the Rolling Stones, the Who, etc... The original single was backed by "I'm Sorry For You" (not included on West Coast Seattle Boy).
- Ray Sharpe (with King Curtis Band), "Help Me (Get The Feeling) Pt. 1" (66.01.21): This song uses the same classic groove as Van Morrison's 1964 hit "Gloria", enhanced by a nice brass arrangement. From a guitar standpoint there's not much of note here, except that it fades out just as a single-note lead line begins to surface.
- The Icemen, "(My Girl) She's A Fox" (1966): Another waltz, the opening here possibly anticipates Jimi's later "Villanova Junction". The bridge at 1:10 uses some sliding chordal licks which would later be refined for "Little Wing". The original single was backed by "(I Wonder) What It Takes (Win Your Love)" (not included on West Coast Seattle Boy).
- Jimmy Norman, "That Little Old Groove Maker" (1966): This rowdy rocker starts off with a honking guitar break in a nice, muscular tone (the opening accent "slam" will resurface in "Bold As Love"). The song eventually ends up in a Stax groove (see Steve Cropper's "In The Midnight Hour") and this kind of electric blues rocker would soon lead to others such as Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" and Earl King's "Come On". Jimi would be recording Are You Experienced? within the year, and one can hear how he's here becoming more assertive with his tone. The ending features a nice embellishment on the main guitar groove. The original single was backed by "You're Only Hurting Yourself" (not included on West Coast Seattle Boy). An alternate take of this song with a different intro break also exists as a single.
- Billy Lamont, "Sweet Thang" (1966): Jimi's tone here is also pretty close to his "mature" sound, and the see-saw octave harmony in the very beginning precedes a similar device later perfected/mutated in "Purple Haze". The intro is followed by a cool, loose electric boogie with lots of nice Hendrix-ey double-stop riffage. The break at 1:47 also anticipates the signature cadence figure in "Fire" ("Alright-tuh! Now dig this, baby!"). In any case, a great showcase for Jimi's guitar just before the Experience.
- King Curtis, "Instant Groove": This is a 66.04.28 remix of Ray Sharpe's "Help Me", featuring new vocals, a slippery sax solo and a cool bass break (no additional guitar parts).
Jimi's sessions with Curtis Knight ("& The Squires") have circulated in various less-than-stellar presentations over the years, but the only "official" collection is 2015's You Can’t Use My Name: Curtis Knight & The Squires (featuring Jimi Hendrix) The RSVP/PPX Sessions.
- "How Would You Feel" (65.10.06): This tune includes a high register arpeggio figure which Jimi would use on the similar chorus to his cover of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone". There are two guitar tracks, one clean and one fuzzed out (left side). Sadly, the song fades out just as it sounds as if Jimi is about to start a fuzz guitar solo...
- "Gotta Have A New Dress": This uptempo rock and roller features a clean, slick guitar solo at 1:21. The ending coda also features Jimi stretching out a bit.
- "Don’t Accuse Me": Similar in groove to Bo Diddley "I'm A Man", this track features a slinky solo at 1:44, but is otherwise fairly straight-forward. This kind of modal blues would eventually be perfected in Jimi's "Hear My Train A Comin'".
- "Fool For You Baby": This is a fairly psychedelic tune with some interesting production choices. Jimi comps imaginatively, mixing accents and heavier figures (but no guitar solo).
- "No Such Animal": This instrumental jam opens with a T-Rex groove, leading to soul jazz with organ, and book-ended by rock and roll cadences. Jimi gets two meaty solos at 1:18 and 3:17 and essentially owns this tune.
- "Welcome Home" (October 1965): B-side to "How Would You Feel", this cheerful, mid-tempo, blues-progression-based tune features two rhythm guitar tracks spitting out accented "walking" chords, leading to a fuzz-twang solo at 1:35. Jimi develops the left speaker guitar part during the ending jam section.
- "Knock Yourself Out [Flying On Instruments]" (June 1966): Instrumental B-side (composed by Hendrix) to "Hornet’s Nest" (see below), the "Miserlou" opening figure leads to a blues-based riff groove (somewhat like a primal "Day Tripper"), leading to a snarling solo at 1:14 featuring a variety of tasty licks, sliding double-stops and free-meter shredding. At 2:43 is a stop-time drum solo, eventually leading to an (unintended?) increase in tempo. At about 4:00, Jimi breaks from the main riff and stretches out into some freer rhythm guitar, leading to some loose lead playing with octaves - and ending on a massive tremolo bar dive bomb!
- "Simon Says": This is a rock and roll dance tune featuring Knight as the dance "caller". The chorus harmony is somewhat similar to the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" riff. No solo.
- "Station Break": Another mid-tempo instrumental, the opening accent figure will resurface in the opening to "If 6 Was 9". The bulk of the song features tasty, slightly-over-driven comping, similar to that later heard in "Wait Until Tomorrow".
- "Strange Things": An "exotica"-tinged bongo-and-fuzz-guitar intro leads to a tropical "I'm A Man" groove with two rhythm guitars. This kind of loose, free-wheeling groove would be useful in future live renditions of "Voodoo Chile". At 1:28, Jimi takes a cheerfully-frenzied solo, opening with some tremolo-picking.
- "Hornet’s Nest" (June 1966): This instrumental "I-IV-V" rocker (somewhere in between "Batman" and "Peter Gunn", but credited to Hendrix) apparently gets its name from the heavily-fuzzed out main guitar riff and the swirling keyboard figure (somewhat evocative of "Flight of the Bumblebee", I guess). Jimi employs some fairly noisy sonic mayhem during the breaks, and takes one of his most distorted solos ever at 0:39 (although the tone is very unrefined compared to his mature work). His second solo at 2:11 takes on a straight rockabilly tone, but a third lead break at 4:03 fuzzes out again.
- "You Don’t Want Me": This uptempo Motown groove has some tasty, clipped rhythm guitar and a brief 'rock and roll' lead break at 0:56. Some strange panning seems to be at work in this mix as well...probably unintended? The ending features an added heavy fuzz riff line.
- "You Can’t Use My Name" (1967): This is basically studio talk, not an actual song.
- "Gloomy Monday" (Aug 1967): This is a nicely-mixed funk workout featuring a more- matured Hendrix comping style (it was recorded during the Experience years). At 1:19 the song suddenly takes a "psychedelic pop" detour (a la early Pink Floyd).
Experience Hendrix's sub-label, Dagger Records, has also released a live album, Curtis Knight [featuring Jimi Hendrix]: Live At George’s Club 20 1965 & 1966 (which I'll probably cover in a later chapter). A few notable singles not yet released under the Experience Hendrix label banner include Jimi's cuts with Lonnie Youngblood ("Go Go Shoes/Go Go Place", "Soul Food", and "Goodbye, Bessie May"), and a couple B-sides mentioned above. The earliest video of Jimi Hendrix can be seen in this 1965 clip of "Shotgun", where he backs up Buddy & Stacy. Finally, the best online resource for pre-Experience Hendrix is indisputably EarlyHendrix.com.
As an addendum, it might be interesting to note that Jimi's first band, The Rocking Kings included these songs in their set (from Jas Obrecht's great article):
As an addendum, it might be interesting to note that Jimi's first band, The Rocking Kings included these songs in their set (from Jas Obrecht's great article):
- Ritchie Valens: La Bamba
- Boots Randolph: Yakety Sax
- Bobby Freeman: Do You Want to Dance
- Danny & The Juniors: At the Hop
- The Coasters: Poison Ivy, Charlie Brown
- Ray Anthony: Peter Gunn
- Shirley & Lee: Let the Good Times Roll
