Vanilla Fudge keyboardist Mark Stein recently spoke to Fox News about Jimi Hendrix and claimed they impressed the guitarist with their arrangements.
On September 4, 1968, The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed with Eire Apparent, Soft Machine, and Vanilla Fudge at the Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona. The performance lasted 65 minutes, and Hendrix played the hit songs like ‘Are You Experienced,’ ‘Purple Haze,’ ‘Hey Joe,’ and ‘Little Wing’ during the show.
At the show at the Memorial Coliseum in Arizona, Vanilla Fudge was the opening act. In a recent interview with Fox News, Mark Stein recalled those days and revealed his thoughts on sharing the same stage with Jimi Hendrix. He stated that performing with Hendrix during that show was incredible.
Mark Stein said they did around 15 shows then, and Vanilla Fudge was at their prime. Hendrix loved their ‘electrifying’ performances and supported them. Stein stated the guitarist would watch them and hang out after the shows, which was like a dream for him.
Following that, Stein said he found Hendrix’s records incredible and his live shows compelling. He then recalled that they would hang out at the hotel and talk about music. As Stein said, Hendrix loved talking about music and would tell them how he was impressed with Vanilla Fudge’s arrangements.
When Fox News asked him about the time when Vanilla Fudge performed with Jimi Hendrix, Mark Stein said the following:
“Oh, what an incredible time. We opened for Hendrix in the late ’60s. I think it was 1968. We did about 13 to 15 shows. Hendrix was a really cool guy, and we were right at our prime as young guys. Our shows were electrifying, and Hendrix just loved it. He was very supportive of us. He used to watch the shows, and then we would hang out together. It’s part of classic rock history, but we were just a bunch of guys living out our dreams at that time.”
He then continued:
“I was blown away by his records. I thought he was incredible. His live performances were so compelling — nothing prepared you for them. And then, when he wasn’t on stage, Jimi was just this really laid-back guy. I remember we would hang out at the hotel after our shows, share a pizza and talk about music. He loved having conversations about music. He used to tell us how he loved our record and used to wear it out. He was impressed with our arrangements. I felt lucky. It was a magical time.”
Mark Stein stated that Jimi Hendrix was actually a fan of Vanilla Fudge. Moreover, he claims Hendrix loved Fudge’s music so much that he confessed to being impressed by their arrangements. As Stein is also a fan of Hendrix, it’s not a surprise this made him feel lucky.
