Five decades after his death, it has recently been revealed that the iconic rockstar Jimi Hendrix wasn’t confident with his vocals at the beginning of his career. While speaking to VintageRock Pod, his almost-bandmate Arthur Brown recalled the guitar legend’s insecurities regarding his vocal capabilities.
Arthur Brown recently unveiled that he and Jimi almost formed a band together by saying, “It was set up by Chris Stamp, who was co-manager with Kit Lambert, of ourselves and The Who, and of course, Hendrix came out on Track Records, so there was a point at which Jimi wanted to go further.”
Jimi Hendrix soon wanted to expand and create an entertaining performance. Brown recalled, “He’d come to a certain point; he was experimenting with all the electronics, but he wanted to go further, and he wanted a multimedia show with projections on the big screen. He wanted Vincent Crane on the keyboard, and he wanted the Experience.”
“He didn’t like his singing at that time,” disclosed Arthur, which is highly surprising to hear considering his then-future career. “So he wanted me to sing and to be the dramatic figure because he wanted to make the music dramatic.” The band he wanted to form with Vincent Crane and Arthur Brown was well in the works, and they were ready to begin their ventures.
Unfortunately, the musician, Vincent Crane, had to leave before they could actualize their plans. Arthur Brown recalled, “We were beginning that when Vincent had to go, and he committed himself to Banstead, an institution specializing in mental health. He was in there for several months.”
Brown’s words on Jimi Hendrix’s early wish to improve live shows through technology reflect the late icon’s dedication to creating something different. Although Arthur gave some interesting details about their plans to form a band, it was definitely surprising to hear once again that Hendrix was self-conscious about his voice and questioned his talents. It looks like he ultimately got over this insecurity, as he is now praised both for his guitar skills and his baritone voice that suited his tracks.
