Some of Jimi Hendrix‘s earliest known recordings as sideman for Curtis Knight & The Squires will soon be making themselves known and heard in the forthcoming collection You Can’t Use My Name: Curtis Knight & The Squires (featuring Jimi Hendrix) The RSVP/PPX Sessions. That’s a helluva a title, I know, but it cleverly plays off Jimi’s tumultuous relationships with studios and management over his tragically short, but endlessly influential career, which began with these very recordings. By now, most of you are probably aware of how the guitar gawd spent his early years in the game hopping around the chitlin circuit with some of r&b’s most heralded acts. From The Isley’s to Little Richard to Wilson Picket to Jackie Wilson, Hendrix played with (and out-staged) them all.
According to Rolling Stone, in 1965, Jimi signed a contract with Ed Chalpin’s PPX Records to record with Knight and his ensemble, acting as sideman yet again. But within two year’s time, Jimi’s greatness manifested on the pivotal Are You Experienced?, forcing PPX to release their Knight record, praising the Voodoo Chile for his work on the record, but never actually acquiring his consent.
After decades of litigation, Sony Legacy has finally acquired the tapes and gained the approval of his estate to release them. What’s more, the recordings were give to studio sage and engineer Eddie Kramer (who was Jimi’s go-to sound man for all three of his records) to be retouched and spruced. While there is no firm release date on the collection, you can lay your eyes on the tracklisting and a personal statement from estate CEO and sister to the very first Purple One, Janie Hendrix below.
“What makes them so special is that they provide an honest look at a great artist during the pivotal time when he was on the cusp of his breakthrough, a time when Jimi’s number one priority was playing and recording, and this set captures him doing just that, both as a collaborator and an innovator. They are more than just recordings, they represent a significant segment in the timeline of Jimi’s musical existence.”
You Can’t Use My Name: Curtis Knight & The Squires (featuring Jimi Hendrix) The RSVP/PPX Sessions:
1. “How Would You Feel”
2. “Gotta Have A New Dress”
3. “Don’t Accuse Me”
4. “Fool For You Baby”
5. “No Such Animal”
6. “Welcome Home”
7. “Knock Yourself Out [Flying On Instruments] ”
8. “Simon Says”
9. “Station Break”
10. “Strange Things”
11. “Hornet’s Nest”
12. “You Don’t Want Me”
13. “You Can’t Use My Name”
14. “Gloomy Monday”
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