ith Little Richard to form his own band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, shedding the role of back-line guitarist for the spotlight of lead guitar. Throughout the latter half of 1965, and into the first part of 1966, Jimmy played the rounds of smaller venues throughout Greenwich Village, catching up with Animals' bassist, Chas Chandler, during a July performance at the Caf, Wha. Chandler was impressed with Jimmy's playing and returned again in September, 1966, to sign Hendrix to an agreement that would have him move to London to form a new band.
             Switching gears from bass player to manager, Chandler's first task was to change Hendrix's name to "Jimi", a name that would become synonymous with the musical sound of a changing generation. Featuring drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, the newly formed Jimi Hendrix Experience quickly became the talk of London in the fall of 1966. The Experience's first single, "Hey Joe", spent ten weeks on the UK charts, topping out at spot number
             ...