Signed Jimi Hendrix Lyric Sheet Pieced Back Together After 55 Years
In 1967, guitar legend Jimi Hendrix signed a lyric sheet. Now, 55 years later, that sheet — an extremely rare piece of Hendrix history — has been restored from damage and will soon go up for sale.
As the story goes, Hendrix was filling in for Chuck Berry at the Bath Pavillion in England when two teenage girls asked for his autograph. The 15- and 16-year-olds were waiting for his signature at the stage door; however, when he arrived, Hendrix didn't have anything to sign.
Indeed, neither the girls nor Hendrix had any blank paper, apparently, so "Hendrix tore a page from an exercise book he had on his had on his person, ripped it in half and gave a piece to each of the girls," according to Guitar World.
Not only did Hendrix sign the torn lyric sheet, so did his Jimi Hendrix Experience bandmates, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. The girls then saw that what Hendrix had signed was handwritten lyrics to a song he would release weeks later, "51st Wedding Anniversary," a B-side on the 1967 "Purple Haze" single.
The girls from the show have since reconnected, and the lyric sheet has been pieced back together. It's super rare because there are very few surviving Hendrix manuscripts, as a representative for the rock memorabilia store Tracks Unlimited explained, and even fewer that "have been signed by Jimi and two other members of the Experience," they added.
Looks like it paid off to hang onto that piece of paper for 55 years. The reconstructed page is expected to fetch a five-figure sum.