Groups visiting Handel Hendrix House in London can now explore previously unseen archive material revealing intimate details of Jimi Hendrix’s life. The new permanent display features dry cleaning tickets for his iconic clothes, phone bills and equipment invoices, alongside extracts from manager Trixie Sullivan’s diaries.
The display will open on Friday 19th June at the Mayfair museum which was once home to composer G.F. Handel and rock legend Jimi Hendrix (at 25 Brook Street).
Groups will be able to see documents from the corporate records of Anim Records, the company that managed The Jimi Hendrix Experience and other acts, including The Animals.
Isabel Deards, the Handel Hendrix House project archivist who has researched the documents explains: “Through these previously unseen materials, visitors to the museum will be able to picture the everyday life of Jimi Hendrix. From dry cleaning tickets for his incredible clothes and unpaid bills for the two phones he had in his flat, to invoices for the music equipment that helped shape his trailblazing sound; these documents are rare survivals that bring us closer to Jimi’s life in London both on and off stage.”
Whilst Anim Records founder Mike Jeffrey was officially Hendrix’s manager, the day-to-day affairs of Hendrix and the bands was looked after by Patricia ‘Trixie’ Sullivan. Trixie, who was then in her 20s, forged an incredible career in music, entertainment and fashion throughout the swinging sixties and beyond, blazing a trail for other women to follow.
Extracts of Trixie’s 60s diaries which include stories of gigs, late nights and parties will be on display for visitors to read.
The archive will go on display in an exhibition at Handel Hendrix House that sets Jimi’s life in London in context, after which museum visitors explore the bedroom of the flat he shared with Kathy Etchingham which has been meticulously recreated. The project will also create a digital catalogue of the collection accessible online.
About Handel Hendrix House
George Frideric Handel lived at 25 Brook Street from 1723 until his death in 1759. It was here that Handel wrote and rehearsed his greatest works, including Messiah and its ever popular Hallelujah chorus – considered one of the most famous pieces of classical music ever written. His stirring anthem Zadok the Priest, was also written in Brook Street and has accompanied the coronation of every British monarch since George II (for whom it was written in 1727), including HM King Charles III.
In 1968, Jimi Hendrix moved into an adjoining flat at number 23. Here, in the only place he said he felt truly at home, Hendrix entertained, inspired, and collaborated with other icons of British 60s rock music.
Handel Hendrix House has completed a £3million project to open all of Handel’s house to the public for the first time by restoring the basement and ground floor, featuring a faithful recreation of Handel’s basement kitchen with all its fixtures and fittings, carefully detailed on research and an inventory made shortly after the composer’s death.
Among the highlights of a visit to the museum are:
• Historic rooms presented as they might have been in the 1740s during Handel’s time.
• Recently acquired works of art, creating a collection representative of the more than 100 works of art Handel owned in Brook Street.
• Visitors can walk up and down the stairs to Hendrix’s flat, where George Harrison famously had to step over one of Jimi’s other visitors who had passed out en route to the exit.
• A new exhibition features a film exploring Hendrix’s legendary guitar technique and his influence on musicians and creatives.
Group visits
Groups of more than ten receive discounted tickets. Those of more than 20 should contact the museum regarding a visit.
For more information about Handel Hendrix House, go to handelhendrix.org
