Jimi liked the 1968 427 Corvette. He had two, the first one he crashed almost as soon as he left the lot
While possibly never having a driver’s license, he and bassist Noel Redding (he himself a guitarist who would later form Fat Mattress) were in Cleveland and decided to shop for a car. Jimi picked up an International Blue 1968 Corvette from Blaushild Chevrolet. However, according to reports from those around him, Jimi wasn’t the best driver and crashed the Vette. According to drummer Mitch Mitchell:
One Saturday night we went to see Cream and had a party back at the house. The party didn’t break up until 5 am and at 7 am I got to sleep. I’d heard Jimi’s voice, ‘Guess what, I’ve just crashed my car.’ I thought I’d dreamed that and went back to sleep. Several hours later, I discovered that it was true.
After the insurance company processed the claim, Jimi bought another Corvette, this time a Cortez Silver ’69, then had it painted Candy Green Metallic
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/10/jimi-hendrix-and-his-pair-of-corvettes/
http://phscollectorcarworld.blogspot.com/2012/05/lost-star-cars-jimi-hendrix-corvettes.html
He did indeed own two Vettes...yup, he crashed the first one around Oct20th of 1968...a couple days later, in L.A., he bought a 2nd one--a 1969 model with a Cortez Silver paint job....he did change the color to a silver metal-flake , in early 1969...and no one remembers him changing the color again, despite rumors. The 2nd one was sold off by his management, and no one really knows where it wound up--of course, there a few rumors about that also!..I have to say--his first one was an "International Blue" shade, and the screen shots shown here seem to be of a blue Vette...if so, then it did not have long to live, as Jimi totaled it, likely later on the day of this photo!...and it must have been a 68, not a 69, as it was purchased March 26, 1968, in Cleveland...the 2nd one was purchased in California a couple of days after Jimi wrecked the first one!...But there are no details, or photos of jimi actually buying that car, that must have been a 69 model.
ReplyDeleteOK...more info...Jeff Beck, the fabulous guitarist who did know Hendrix, has said in an interview seen on youtube ( a show called Car Crazy)..that he rode around NYC with Jimi, in a GREEN Vette!...Beck is a car guy, and actually builds hotrods as a hobby...I take his word about the color...Hendrix must have repainted his 2nd Vette, moving on from his first repaint (silver metal flake) to a green color...this must have been done not long before he died...there is no evidence, other than hearsay, that Hendrix owned more than two Vettes.
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for Jeff Beck, but I did have a 5 minute conversation with JImi (and Devon Wilson) on 8th Street in Manhattan near the Black Cube in 1970, and he was driving a Candy Green-over-Gold Metalflake Corvette. I had seen it coming up 8th and thought "Nobody custom-paints cars in New York - who's this guy?" only to walk over to the drivers side and see, well, him. Rolls down the window and says (as I did) "hey man." I commented on the car; he talked about the Isle of WIght Festival ("Hey man. you ought to come over!" Yeah, sure..). I called my then-girlfriend over; we talked some more..then she tapped me on the shoulder and said "The cars behind him have been there through at least three red lights!". I excused myself and off he drove as we headed for the Astor Place subway entrance. So people can investigate the internet all they want and can repeat thrice-told-tales, but I actually SAW the Corvette with him in it, so...
DeleteWOW, I've talked to some people who've talked to some famous people... but damn, I think you're the only person I've ever heard from that talked to Jimi.
DeleteThank you for sharing your story!
Not only am I a car guy, and a fan of the 68-71 Corvette, but I'm a fan of Jimi's music. Ever since I heard Watchtower, and Wind Cries Mary, I've thought the world of Jimi's elocution while masterfully crafting a guitar's sounds at the same time. It's a thing I was asking about on facebook, but I guess I'd get a lot more responses here on my blog, the question "have you ever witnessed a historic event" and meeting a legend is definitely that.