Mitch Mitchell
Encyclopedia
John Ronald "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 1947 – 12 November 2008) was an English
drummer
, best known for his work in The Jimi Hendrix Experience
.
at his drum shop on Saturdays while still at school. Pre-Experience bands included Frankie Reid and the Casuals (1962), Johnny Harris and the Shades
, The Pretty Things
, Bill Knight & The Sceptres, The Riot Squad
, Georgie Fame
and the Blue Flames, and The Who
as a session drummer while the band was deciding on a replacement for Doug Sandom
. (The band's eventual choice was Keith Moon
). Mitchell auditioned for Hendrix's band in October 1966, beating out many other British drummers, including Aynsley Dunbar
(who, according to Hendrix's manager Chas Chandler
, was their other final choice. Mitch won the job on the flip of a coin).
Mitchell was praised for his work with the Jimi Hendrix Experience
on songs such as "Manic Depression
", "Stepping Stone
", "Little Miss Strange", "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
", "Fire" and "Third Stone from the Sun
". Mitchell came from a jazz
background and like many of his drummer contemporaries was strongly influenced by the work of Elvin Jones
, Max Roach
, and Joe Morello
.
Mitchell played in Hendrix's Experience trio from October 1966 to mid-1969, in his Woodstock band of August 1969, and also with the later incarnation of the Experience in 1970 with Billy Cox
on bass, known posthumously as the "Cry of Love" band. Hendrix would often record tracks in the studio with only Mitchell, which would enhance on-stage chemistry.
In December 1968, Mitchell played in the band The Dirty Mac
assembled for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
in 1968. Other members included John Lennon
as vocalist and rhythm guitarist "Winston Leg-Thigh"; Yoko Ono
providing improvised primal screams; Eric Clapton
as guitarist
, and Keith Richards
as bassist
. The group recorded a cover of "Yer Blues
" as well as a jam called "Whole Lotta Yoko".
Another noteworthy musical collaboration in the late 1960s was with the Jack Bruce and Friends band featuring Mitchell along with ex-Cream
bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce
, keyboardist Mike Mandel and jazz-fusion guitarist and future The Eleventh House
frontman Larry Coryell
. Mitchell played in this band during late 1969 and early 1970, when Hendrix was working with the Band of Gypsys
.
Mitchell also took part in some of Miles Davis
' demo sessions for Miles' 1969 album Bitches Brew
, but does not appear on the final album.
) finished production work on multiple incomplete Hendrix recordings, resulting in the posthumous releases The Cry of Love
and Rainbow Bridge
. In 1972, he teamed up with guitarists Mike Pinera
and April Lawton
to form Ramatam
. They recorded one album and were Emerson, Lake & Palmer
's opening act at a number of concerts. Mitchell and Hendrix had been offered spots in the band Keith Emerson
and Greg Lake were forming, but Carl Palmer
got the drum position instead.
Ramatam never achieved commercial success and Mitchell left the act before their second LP was released. Mitchell also performed in some concerts with Terry Reid
, Jack Bruce
and Jeff Beck
(substituting for drummer Cozy Powell
, then sick).
According to John McDermott's book Hendrix: Setting the Record Straight, Michael Jeffery, Hendrix's manager, relegated Mitchell and Noel Redding
to paid employees without an ownership share in future revenues. This limited their earnings to a low rate and led to Mitchell and Redding being largely excluded from sharing in future revenues generated from their work with the Experience. This arrangement pressured Mitchell in the mid-1970s to sell a prized Hendrix guitar. In addition, he sold his small legal claim to future Hendrix record sales for a sum reported to be about $200,000. In 1974, he auditioned for Paul McCartney
's band Wings
, but was turned down in favour of Geoff Britton
.
For the rest of the 1970s through to the 1990s, Mitchell continued to perform and occasionally record. He kept reasonably busy with session work (such as Junior Brown
's Long Walk Back album) as well as participating in various Hendrix-related recordings, videos, and interviews.
In 1999, Mitchell appeared on the Bruce Cameron
's album Midnight Daydream that included Billy Cox
and Buddy Miles
along with Jack Bruce
. Mitchell also played a series of live shows with the Hendrix emulator Randy Hansen
. Most recently, he was part of the Gypsy Sun Experience, along with Cox and guitarist Gary Serkin. He became semi-retired, living in Europe.
In 2005, he was named the 23rd greatest drummer of all time by Rolling Stone.
, Buddy Guy
, Jonny Lang
, Kenny Wayne Shepherd
, Eric Johnson
, Cesar Rosas
, David Hidalgo
, Aerosmith
's Brad Whitford
, Hubert Sumlin
, Chris Layton as well as Eric Gales
and Mato Nanji. Five days after the tour ended Mitchell was found dead at about 3am on November 12, in his room at the Benson Hotel
in downtown Portland. Following medical tests, it was revealed by the Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office that Mitchell had died in his sleep of what was thought to be natural causes (it should however be noted that Mitchell had alcohol-related problems for decades). He was the last surviving member of the original Experience. Mitchell had planned to leave Portland that day to return to his home in England. Mitch Mitchell was buried in Seattle, Washington.
. This is a "lead" style of playing distinguished by interplay with lead instruments such as guitar or keyboards, and the blending of jazz
and rock drumming styles. Though the use of lead drums was not a new concept in the world of jazz, it was relatively unheard of in the rock genre at the time. Upon joining Hendrix in late 1966, it soon became evident to Mitch that the trio format of the band was similar to the recently formed Cream
, and that it would allow him an opportunity to become more free with his playing. Like a jazz drummer, Mitchell's playing not only provided a rhythmic support for the music, but also a source of momentum and melody. He made heavy use of snare rudiments, fast single and double stroke rolls, and jazz triplet patterns in his playing, and shifted between both traditional and matched grips. Notable examples of his style include the rudiment-heavy fills on Hey Joe
, which help to carry the song through a series of increasingly intense climaxes. Manic Depression
is a 3/4 rock waltz that finds Mitchell playing a driving Afro-Cuban inspired beat, which then shifts to an explosion of triplets all around the drumkit during the outro.
Third Stone from the Sun
incorporates a swing ride pattern to underpin Hendrix's jazzy surf guitar, and the spacey breakdown section features polyrhythmic drum fills that float over the 4/4 meter. 1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)
features military-style snare drum work and delicate cymbal playing that evokes the sound of wind chimes. The long blues jam Voodoo Chile
features Mitchell playing a deep blues groove with subtle hi-hat accenting and powerful drum fills that help to propel the song to new heights. Alongside Hendrix's revolutionary guitar work and songwriting, Mitchell's playing helped redefine rock music drumming.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, best known for his work in The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
.
Early life and the Jimi Hendrix Experience
Before joining the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mitchell gained considerable musical experience touring and playing as a session musician. He also had an acting background, and had starred in a children's television programme, Jennings and Derbyshire, when he was a teenager. He became a musician through working for Jim MarshallJim Marshall (businessman)
James Charles "Jim" Marshall, OBE , known as The Father Of Loud, is a pioneer of guitar amplification. His company, Marshall Amplification continues to produce amplifiers with an iconic status.-Early Years:...
at his drum shop on Saturdays while still at school. Pre-Experience bands included Frankie Reid and the Casuals (1962), Johnny Harris and the Shades
Johnny Harris (musician)
Johnny Harris is a Scottish born composer, producer, arranger, conductor and musical director. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland; and a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music in London. He has lived in the US since 1972...
, The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
, Bill Knight & The Sceptres, The Riot Squad
The Riot Squad
The Riot Squad were a pop group from London, initially managed and produced by Larry Page and later, for their reunion, by Joe Meek.Members included Graham Bonney , Ron Ryan , Len Tuckey , Mark Stevens , brian davies , Mitch Mitchell , Roger Crisp, Terry Clifford, Butch Davis, Derek "Del" Roll...
, Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
and the Blue Flames, and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
as a session drummer while the band was deciding on a replacement for Doug Sandom
Doug Sandom
Doug Sandom is a British drummer who was the original drummer for the English rock band The Who. During the infancy of the band's career, while they were playing as The Detours , Sandom, a bricklayer, joined as drummer...
. (The band's eventual choice was Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
). Mitchell auditioned for Hendrix's band in October 1966, beating out many other British drummers, including Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
(who, according to Hendrix's manager Chas Chandler
Chas Chandler
Bryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
, was their other final choice. Mitch won the job on the flip of a coin).
Mitchell was praised for his work with the Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
on songs such as "Manic Depression
Manic Depression (song)
"Manic Depression" is a song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix and first released in 1967 on the Are You Experienced album.-Overview:The song's name is an old name for bipolar disorder, a mental health disorder...
", "Stepping Stone
Stepping Stone (song)
"Stepping Stone" is a song by American psychedelic rock musician Jimi Hendrix, featured on his 1972 third posthumous studio album War Heroes. It was originally released as a single in the United States backed with "Izabella" on April 8, 1970 – the last single released by Hendrix before his...
", "Little Miss Strange", "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
"Voodoo Child " is the closing track on Electric Ladyland, the third and final album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The song is known for its wah-wah-heavy guitar work. It is #101 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs of all time....
", "Fire" and "Third Stone from the Sun
Third Stone from the Sun
"Third Stone From the Sun" is a song written and originally recorded by Jimi Hendrix and released as "3rd Stone From The Sun" on the 1967 Are You Experienced album by Jimi Hendrix Experience...
". Mitchell came from a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
background and like many of his drummer contemporaries was strongly influenced by the work of Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
, Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
, and Joe Morello
Joe Morello
Joseph Albert Morello was a jazz drummer best known for his 12½-year stint with The Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was frequently noted for playing in the unusual time signatures employed by that group in such pieces as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk"...
.
Mitchell played in Hendrix's Experience trio from October 1966 to mid-1969, in his Woodstock band of August 1969, and also with the later incarnation of the Experience in 1970 with Billy Cox
Billy Cox
William "Billy" Cox is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix.-Early years:Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Cox was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Schenley High School. He first met Jimi Hendrix in the early 1960s, when they were both in the United States...
on bass, known posthumously as the "Cry of Love" band. Hendrix would often record tracks in the studio with only Mitchell, which would enhance on-stage chemistry.
In December 1968, Mitchell played in the band The Dirty Mac
The Dirty Mac
The Dirty Mac were a one-time English supergroup consisting of John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell that Lennon put together for The Rolling Stones' TV special entitled The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus...
assembled for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a film released in 1996 of an 11 December 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The event comprised two concerts on a circus stage and included such acts as The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull...
in 1968. Other members included John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
as vocalist and rhythm guitarist "Winston Leg-Thigh"; Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
providing improvised primal screams; Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
as guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
as bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
. The group recorded a cover of "Yer Blues
Yer Blues
"Yer Blues" is a song by The Beatles, the second song on the third side of The Beatles, also known as The White Album. It is credited to Lennon–McCartney, but was written by John Lennon while in Rishikesh, India.-Lyrics:...
" as well as a jam called "Whole Lotta Yoko".
Another noteworthy musical collaboration in the late 1960s was with the Jack Bruce and Friends band featuring Mitchell along with ex-Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
, keyboardist Mike Mandel and jazz-fusion guitarist and future The Eleventh House
The Eleventh House
The Eleventh House was an important jazz fusion group of the 1970s led by guitarist Larry Coryell. The band was formed in 1973 and disbanded in 1976...
frontman Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist.-Biography:Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands The Jailers, The Rumblers, The Royals, and The Flames. He also played with The Checkers from nearby...
. Mitchell played in this band during late 1969 and early 1970, when Hendrix was working with the Band of Gypsys
Band of Gypsys
Band of Gypsys was a blues rock band led by Jimi Hendrix and backed by Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. Hendrix formed the band after the dissolution of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Band of Gypsys is also the band's eponymous live album recorded on two separate nights, 31 December 1969 and 1 January...
.
Mitchell also took part in some of Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
' demo sessions for Miles' 1969 album Bitches Brew
Bitches Brew
Bitches Brew is a studio double album by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in April 1970 on Columbia Records. The album continued his experimentation with electric instruments previously featured on his critically acclaimed In a Silent Way album...
, but does not appear on the final album.
Post-Hendrix
After Hendrix's death, Mitchell (with engineer Eddie KramerEddie Kramer
Edwin H. Kramer is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with, among others, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Kiss , Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Spooky Tooth, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Loudness, and Robin Trower.-1960s:Eddie...
) finished production work on multiple incomplete Hendrix recordings, resulting in the posthumous releases The Cry of Love
The Cry of Love
-Personnel:Band members*Jimi Hendrix – lead vocals, guitars, backing vocals on tracks 3 and 9, piano on track 1, production on all tracks except 5*Billy Cox – bass on all tracks except 5 and 10...
and Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge (album)
-Non album tracks that appear in the film:*"Bleeding Heart" Released on War Heroes in 1972....
. In 1972, he teamed up with guitarists Mike Pinera
Mike Pinera
Mike Pinera is an American guitarist who started professionally in the late 1960s with the group Blues Image, which had a #4 hit in 1970 with their song "Ride Captain Ride". After the breakup of that group, he joined Iron Butterfly, and later formed the group Ramatam...
and April Lawton
April Lawton
April Lawton was a guitarist, singer, and composer who rose to some prominence in the early to mid 1970s as a member of the band Ramatam, which also included former Iron Butterfly guitarist Mike Pinera and the former Jimi Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell...
to form Ramatam
Ramatam
Ramatam was a 1970s rock band featuring Mike Pinera on guitar and vocals, April Lawton on lead guitar, and, for a short time, Mitch Mitchell on drums....
. They recorded one album and were Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
's opening act at a number of concerts. Mitchell and Hendrix had been offered spots in the band Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
and Greg Lake were forming, but Carl Palmer
Carl Palmer
Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist. He is credited as one of the most respected rock drummers to emerge from the 1960s...
got the drum position instead.
Ramatam never achieved commercial success and Mitchell left the act before their second LP was released. Mitchell also performed in some concerts with Terry Reid
Terry Reid
Terry Reid is an English rock vocalist and guitarist. He has performed with high profile musicians, as a supporting act, a session musician, and sideman.- History :...
, Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
and Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
(substituting for drummer Cozy Powell
Cozy Powell
Colin Flooks , better known as Cozy Powell, was an English rock drummer who made his name with many major rock bands.-Early history:...
, then sick).
According to John McDermott's book Hendrix: Setting the Record Straight, Michael Jeffery, Hendrix's manager, relegated Mitchell and Noel Redding
Noel Redding
Noel Redding was an English rock and roll guitarist best known as the bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Biography:...
to paid employees without an ownership share in future revenues. This limited their earnings to a low rate and led to Mitchell and Redding being largely excluded from sharing in future revenues generated from their work with the Experience. This arrangement pressured Mitchell in the mid-1970s to sell a prized Hendrix guitar. In addition, he sold his small legal claim to future Hendrix record sales for a sum reported to be about $200,000. In 1974, he auditioned for Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's band Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
, but was turned down in favour of Geoff Britton
Geoff Britton
Geoff Britton is a rock drummer known for his work with Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1975, where he was featured on the Venus and Mars album,...
.
For the rest of the 1970s through to the 1990s, Mitchell continued to perform and occasionally record. He kept reasonably busy with session work (such as Junior Brown
Junior Brown
Jamieson "Junior" Brown is an American country guitarist and singer. He has released nine studio albums in his career, and has charted twice on the Billboard country singles charts. Brown's signature instrument is the "guit-steel" double neck guitar, a hybrid of electric guitar and lap steel...
's Long Walk Back album) as well as participating in various Hendrix-related recordings, videos, and interviews.
In 1999, Mitchell appeared on the Bruce Cameron
Bruce Cameron (guitarist)
Bruce Cameron was a guitarist who managed to attract a number of famous rock-and-roll musicians to record his 1999 debut and only album, Midnight Daydream, released by Brain Cell Records...
's album Midnight Daydream that included Billy Cox
Billy Cox
William "Billy" Cox is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix.-Early years:Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Cox was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Schenley High School. He first met Jimi Hendrix in the early 1960s, when they were both in the United States...
and Buddy Miles
Buddy Miles
George Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock and funk drummer, most known as a founding member of The Electric Flag in 1967, then as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970.-Early life:George Allen Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on...
along with Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
. Mitchell also played a series of live shows with the Hendrix emulator Randy Hansen
Randy Hansen
Randy Hansen is a U.S. guitarist, best known for his "Rock Tribute Act" honoring Jimi Hendrix. Hansen performs such signatures of Hendrix's style as playing a guitar with his teeth or behind his back...
. Most recently, he was part of the Gypsy Sun Experience, along with Cox and guitarist Gary Serkin. He became semi-retired, living in Europe.
In 2005, he was named the 23rd greatest drummer of all time by Rolling Stone.
Death
His last days were spent celebrating Hendrix's music on the 2008 Experience Hendrix Tour. For nearly four weeks the tour travelled coast to coast in an 18-city tour in the US, finishing in Portland, Oregon. The tour also featured Billy CoxBilly Cox
William "Billy" Cox is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix.-Early years:Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Cox was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Schenley High School. He first met Jimi Hendrix in the early 1960s, when they were both in the United States...
, Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
, Jonny Lang
Jonny Lang
Jonny Lang is a Grammy award-winning American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter and recording artist. Lang's music is notable for both his unusual voice, which has been compared to that of a forty-year-old blues veteran, and for his guitar solos...
, Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced a rare level of commercial success both as a blues artist and a young musician.-Biography:Shepherd graduated Caddo Magnet High School in Shreveport, Louisiana...
, Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is an American guitarist. Though he is best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, gospel and country and western music into his recordings...
, Cesar Rosas
Cesar Rosas
César Rosas is a singer, songwriter and guitarist for Los Lobos. Rosas also participates in the Latin supergroup Los Super Seven. Perhaps the most recognizable member of Los Lobos, Rosas is known for his trademark black sunglasses and slicked-back, black hair. His singing voice is reminiscent of...
, David Hidalgo
David Hidalgo
David Hidalgo is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. He is also a member of the supergroup Los Super Seven and of the Latin Playboys, a side project band made up of some of the members of Los Lobos...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
's Brad Whitford
Brad Whitford
Bradford Ernest Whitford is the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith. He graduated Reading Memorial High School in 1970.-Career:...
, Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer, best known for his celebrated work, from 1955, as guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band. His singular playing is characterized by "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic...
, Chris Layton as well as Eric Gales
Eric Gales
Eric Gales is an American blues-rock guitarist, originally hailed as a child prodigy. Gales has recorded ten albums on major record labels, and has done session and tribute work...
and Mato Nanji. Five days after the tour ended Mitchell was found dead at about 3am on November 12, in his room at the Benson Hotel
Benson Hotel
The Benson Hotel is a 287 room historic hotel building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States.It is owned and operated by Coast Hotels & Resorts. It was originally known as the New Oregon Hotel, and is commonly known as "The Benson". It has a reputation as one of Portland's finest hotels...
in downtown Portland. Following medical tests, it was revealed by the Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office that Mitchell had died in his sleep of what was thought to be natural causes (it should however be noted that Mitchell had alcohol-related problems for decades). He was the last surviving member of the original Experience. Mitchell had planned to leave Portland that day to return to his home in England. Mitch Mitchell was buried in Seattle, Washington.
Style
Mitchell pioneered a style of drumming which would later become known as fusionJazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
. This is a "lead" style of playing distinguished by interplay with lead instruments such as guitar or keyboards, and the blending of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock drumming styles. Though the use of lead drums was not a new concept in the world of jazz, it was relatively unheard of in the rock genre at the time. Upon joining Hendrix in late 1966, it soon became evident to Mitch that the trio format of the band was similar to the recently formed Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, and that it would allow him an opportunity to become more free with his playing. Like a jazz drummer, Mitchell's playing not only provided a rhythmic support for the music, but also a source of momentum and melody. He made heavy use of snare rudiments, fast single and double stroke rolls, and jazz triplet patterns in his playing, and shifted between both traditional and matched grips. Notable examples of his style include the rudiment-heavy fills on Hey Joe
Hey Joe
"Hey Joe" is an American popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and as such, has been performed in a multitude of musical styles by hundreds of different artists since it was first written. "Hey Joe" tells the story of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico...
, which help to carry the song through a series of increasingly intense climaxes. Manic Depression
Manic Depression (song)
"Manic Depression" is a song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix and first released in 1967 on the Are You Experienced album.-Overview:The song's name is an old name for bipolar disorder, a mental health disorder...
is a 3/4 rock waltz that finds Mitchell playing a driving Afro-Cuban inspired beat, which then shifts to an explosion of triplets all around the drumkit during the outro.
Third Stone from the Sun
Third Stone from the Sun
"Third Stone From the Sun" is a song written and originally recorded by Jimi Hendrix and released as "3rd Stone From The Sun" on the 1967 Are You Experienced album by Jimi Hendrix Experience...
incorporates a swing ride pattern to underpin Hendrix's jazzy surf guitar, and the spacey breakdown section features polyrhythmic drum fills that float over the 4/4 meter. 1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)
1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)
"1983... " is a song by English/American psychedelic rock The Jimi Hendrix Experience, featured on their 1968 third studio album Electric Ladyland...
features military-style snare drum work and delicate cymbal playing that evokes the sound of wind chimes. The long blues jam Voodoo Chile
Voodoo Chile
"Voodoo Chile" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded in 1968, closing Side 1 of The Jimi Hendrix Experience album Electric Ladyland. The song is Hendrix's longest studio recording and features additional musicians in what has been described as a "studio jam"...
features Mitchell playing a deep blues groove with subtle hi-hat accenting and powerful drum fills that help to propel the song to new heights. Alongside Hendrix's revolutionary guitar work and songwriting, Mitchell's playing helped redefine rock music drumming.
Discography
- 1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You ExperiencedAre You ExperiencedAre You Experienced is the debut album by English/American rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, it was the first LP for Track Records...
- 1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As LoveAxis: Bold as LoveAxis: Bold as Love is the second studio album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Under pressure from their record company to follow-up the successful debut of their May 1967 album Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love was released on Track Records in the UK in December 1967...
- 1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric LadylandElectric LadylandElectric Ladyland is the third and final album of new material by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968 on Reprise Records, catalogue 2RS 6307. It is the only Hendrix studio album professionally produced under his supervision. It topped the Billboard 200 album chart for two weeks in...
- 1969: Martha VelezMartha VelézMartha Carmen Josephine Hernandéz Rosario de Veléz is an American singer and actress of Puerto Rican descent. Veléz is the former wife of famous trumpet player Keith Johnson. Her son is performance artist,writer/poet, singer, Taj Johnson. Taj appeared as series regular for two years on Parker...
- Fiends and Angels - 1971: Jimi Hendrix - The Cry Of LoveThe Cry of Love-Personnel:Band members*Jimi Hendrix – lead vocals, guitars, backing vocals on tracks 3 and 9, piano on track 1, production on all tracks except 5*Billy Cox – bass on all tracks except 5 and 10...
- 1971: Jimi Hendrix - Rainbow BridgeRainbow Bridge (album)-Non album tracks that appear in the film:*"Bleeding Heart" Released on War Heroes in 1972....
- 1972: Jimi Hendrix - War HeroesWar Heroes-Personnel:*Jimi Hendrix – guitars, lead vocals, bass on track 1, backing vocals on "Izabella"*Mitch Mitchell – drums*Billy Cox – bass*Noel Redding – bass on "Highway Chile", "Tax Free" & "Midnight"-Recording details:...
- 1972: Ramatam - Ramatam
- 1980: Roger ChapmanRoger ChapmanRoger Chapman , also known as Roger "Chappo" Chapman and Chappo, is an English rock vocalist. He is best known as a member of the Progressive rock band Family, which he joined along with Charlie Whitney, in 1967 and also the rock, R&B band Streetwalkers formed in 1974...
- Mail Order Magic - 1986: Greg Parker - 'Black Dog'
- 1998: Junior BrownJunior BrownJamieson "Junior" Brown is an American country guitarist and singer. He has released nine studio albums in his career, and has charted twice on the Billboard country singles charts. Brown's signature instrument is the "guit-steel" double neck guitar, a hybrid of electric guitar and lap steel...
- Long Walk Back - 1999: Bruce CameronBruce Cameron (guitarist)Bruce Cameron was a guitarist who managed to attract a number of famous rock-and-roll musicians to record his 1999 debut and only album, Midnight Daydream, released by Brain Cell Records...
- Midnight DaydreamMidnight DaydreamMidnight Daydream is an album by Bruce Cameron, released in 1999.-Track listing:#"Midnight Daydream" – 6:42#"Doctor Please" – 4:52#"Mind Gardens" – 5:24#"Miles Away" – 3:29#"Born to Lose" – 5:32#"I Want to Be Late" – 4:19... - 2010: Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of NeptuneValleys of Neptune-Recording details:All recording details are included in the Valleys of Neptune booklet, except for the Target tracks, which are listed on the inside of the Digipack behind the CD.Target bonus tracks-Album artwork:...
External links
- Obituary in The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
- Obituary in The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
- Remembered at NPR