- Messages
- 6,448
- Location
- South of Nashville
So, more on Jimi Hendrix: During the first part of his time in Nashville, and after he was released from the Army, he stayed in a room with a mattress on the floor with a bare lightbulb for light. This room was over the Club Del Morocco on Jefferson Street. I can't remember if Jimi played at the Morocco or at the (New) Era Club on Charlotte, or at another of the four or five clubs there on Jefferson Street. Probably all of them. Nashville had a huge R&B club and recording scene at the time. It was the other half of the Music City equation.
Bill, Hossman, Allen was one of the legendary DJs on WLAC radio. He along with John R (Richbourg), Gene Nobles and Herman Grizzard played the blues and R&B on the 50,000 clear channel giant back in the 50s through the early 70s, until new management came in and changed the direction of the station. The Hossman also produced R&B records. Billy Cox, Jimi's bass player, was one of the musicians Hoss used on a regular basis. One session Hoss needed a guitar player. Billy had been raving about the guitar player he was doing club work with. So Hoss asked him to go get him for the session. Hoss told me that all Jimi would play was psychedelic guitar and was totally unusable for the session. Jimi must have been smoking something that day, because he did other straight R&B gigs without the psychedelic stuff around that period of time. So, instead of me telling you about Jimi's first record as a sessions man, I am telling you about what was almost his first recorded work.
At any rate, I had always wondered where the Club Del Morocco had been back in its heyday. A friend of mine, Luther, Guitar Jr., Johnson (not be be confused with Luther Johnson, another guitar player), was in town and we were having ribs on Jefferson Street. Junior was a guitar player with Muddy Waters' band at the time. I told him the story about Jimi living over the club and playing in the area. Of course he wanted to find the Club Del Morocco. So, we started asking the older guys in the area about the club. One of them said it was just down the street, and that he would show us. He kinda smiled as he said it. So we got in my car and drove a few blocks. As we were approaching the underpass for I-40, he said slow down. He then pointed to the left where the I-40 exit ramp came onto Jefferson Street. He said, "Right there it was, the center of the building was right there, right where that exit ramp is now."
Well that was a bit of a letdown to have finally found the club, for it to not be there anymore. Junior was OK with it though. When we met up with the other band members that night, he proudly told them the story about finding where Jimi Hendrix used to live. We both just kinda kept quite about it having been taken out by the exit ramp.
Bill, Hossman, Allen was one of the legendary DJs on WLAC radio. He along with John R (Richbourg), Gene Nobles and Herman Grizzard played the blues and R&B on the 50,000 clear channel giant back in the 50s through the early 70s, until new management came in and changed the direction of the station. The Hossman also produced R&B records. Billy Cox, Jimi's bass player, was one of the musicians Hoss used on a regular basis. One session Hoss needed a guitar player. Billy had been raving about the guitar player he was doing club work with. So Hoss asked him to go get him for the session. Hoss told me that all Jimi would play was psychedelic guitar and was totally unusable for the session. Jimi must have been smoking something that day, because he did other straight R&B gigs without the psychedelic stuff around that period of time. So, instead of me telling you about Jimi's first record as a sessions man, I am telling you about what was almost his first recorded work.
At any rate, I had always wondered where the Club Del Morocco had been back in its heyday. A friend of mine, Luther, Guitar Jr., Johnson (not be be confused with Luther Johnson, another guitar player), was in town and we were having ribs on Jefferson Street. Junior was a guitar player with Muddy Waters' band at the time. I told him the story about Jimi living over the club and playing in the area. Of course he wanted to find the Club Del Morocco. So, we started asking the older guys in the area about the club. One of them said it was just down the street, and that he would show us. He kinda smiled as he said it. So we got in my car and drove a few blocks. As we were approaching the underpass for I-40, he said slow down. He then pointed to the left where the I-40 exit ramp came onto Jefferson Street. He said, "Right there it was, the center of the building was right there, right where that exit ramp is now."
Well that was a bit of a letdown to have finally found the club, for it to not be there anymore. Junior was OK with it though. When we met up with the other band members that night, he proudly told them the story about finding where Jimi Hendrix used to live. We both just kinda kept quite about it having been taken out by the exit ramp.