Widely considered to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Jimi Hendrix died on September 18, 1970, aged just 27. In recognition of the date, a major exhibition of Hendrix's memorabilia is to be put on show at the home he rented in Brook Street in Mayfair, London.
The site of the exhibition would normally be the administrative centre for the Handel House Museum, as George Handel lived in the house next door until his death in 1759 and the two buildings are now one. But the staff will be moving out with all the Handel material for the duration of the exhibition.
Hendrix was fascinated to hear that the famous composer had lived so close and immediately bought a number of his records, so the staff were happy to return the compliment.
The exhibition will include clothes, handwritten lyrics and other memorabilia, and tickets will be available from June 1. To get collectors in the mood, here are our top three pieces of Hendrix memorabilia:
#3 Photos of the Jimi Hendrix Experience
A set of 30 black and white prints of Hendrix performing at the Albert Hall in London in 1967 went up for sale at Bonhams in 2005. The images show the guitar maestro doing what he did best - strumming the instrument whilst on his knees and even playing with his teeth.
 Photos of the Jimi Hendrix Experience |
Those photos sold for £5,040 in London. This Friday May 21, another photograph of Hendrix will sell with a £3,000-5,000 estimate, signed by Linda McCartney, at Christie's.
#2 An original Recording of Hendrix in Concert
A year later, Hendrix was playing at Woburn Music Festival, Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, and the performance was recorded on a 2-track mono Ampex reel on a professional Revox deck.
That recording is over two hours in length and included some of Hendrix's best-loved tracks, including Purple Haze and Voodoo Child. Excited bidders at Christie's 2008 auction battled to take home the rare recording, which eventually sold for £48,050.
#1 His legendary vintage Fender guitar
Hendrix's 1966 red Fender Mustang, used to record his studio albums, sold for $480,000 at the Icons of Music sale held by Julien's auctions, in 2007. It is now listed as one of the Top 10 Celebrity Relic Sales at Auction.
A year later, the first guitar Hendrix torched on stage sold for £280,000 (around $550,000 at the time) courtesy of The Fame Bureau.
It seems unlikely that Hendrix memorabilia will cease to be extremely collectible, and a safe investment, any time soon.
