To mark the late guitarist’s birthday, this month saw the launch of the “Jimi Hendrix – The Complete Experience” app for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The app provides information on Jimi’s discography, concerts and documentaries. It is also integrated with iTunes so you can play the songs that you already own or purchase those that you don’t.

The app also acts as a GPS, alerting the user when they are near a landmark of significance to Jimi Hendrix.

Brett Cortese, President & CEO of Universal Mind, said:

Click here if you want to celebrate Jimi’s birthday by downloading the free app.

The auction, organised by Gotta Have Rock and Roll, includes stage and video worn costumes, concert played instruments, personal clothing, handwritten lyrics, set lists and letters, signed and inscribed guitars and album covers, contracts, never-before-seen photographs, rare concert posters, gold album awards and much, much more.

Among the many highlights of the auction are a pair of leopard spotted mohair shoes worn on stage by Elvis Presley in 1954, which are expected to fetch $45000 – $50000. Other top Elvis lots include the leather boots worn by the star in his legendary 1968 NBC television special, and a suit he wore on stage in 1956 during his short season at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. The suit was purchased at Lanskys In Memphis.

These are just two of 59 Elvis-related lots up for auction. The Beatles are also very well represented with 175 items relating to the band or the members’ solo projects, including a “Twist and Shout” promotional flyer signed by all four members, and a McCartney-signed “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album.

There are 32 Hendrix items, including the publishing agreement for his first album and a guitar strap worn on stage at the 1968 Lincoln Center in New York. Bruce Springsteen is also represented by 32 items, including a copy of the “Born To Run” album signed by Bruce and E Street Band members Clarence Clemons (now deceased), Roy Bittan, Garry Tallent, Danny Federici (now deceased), Max Weinberg, Steven Van Zandt, Patty Scialfa and Nils Lofgren.

Other highlights in the Rock & Pop Culture Auction include:

• Prince’s stage used “Yellow Cloud” guitar
• Bob Dylan’s stage used Martin acoustic guitar
• a fedora worn by Michael Jackson on stage
• Joni Mitchell handwritten “For Free” lyrics
• a motorcycle jacket jacket worn by Madonna
• the 1990 “Stravinski” Custom Strat used by Slash on Guns N’ Roses “Use Your Illusion” Tour
• a “Concert For New York City” drum head featuring over 50 signatures from musicians and VIPs, including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elton John, and President Bill Clinton.

Click here to view the full Rock & Pop Culture Auction catalogue.

The top 20 in Rolling Stone’s greatest guitarists of all time list are:

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jimmy Page
4. Keith Richards
5. Jeff Beck
6. B.B. King
7. Chuck Berry
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Duane Allman
10. Pete Townshend
11. George Harrison
12. Stevie Ray Vaughan
13. Albert King
14. David Gilmour
15. Freddy King
16. Derek Trucks
17. Neil Young
18. Les Paul
19. James Burton
20. Carlos Santana.

Hendrix’s top spot on the list is accompanied by an article from guitarist Tom Morello who said “Jimi Hendrix exploded our idea of what rock music could be: He manipulated the guitar, the whammy bar, the studio and the stage.”

Click here to view Rolling Stone’s complete list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

A Jimi Hendrix biopic has been rumoured for years, with various actors linked to the role, including Lenny Kravitz. Andre put his own name forward to play Hendrix in 2004, so perhaps his wish is about to come true. On a positive note, he does have past acting experience, including a role in the Travolta movie “Be Cool,” but this would certainly be his most challenging role to date.

Like Jimi, Andre is of African American and Native American descent.

See also:
New Jimi Hendrix titles from Sony Legacy

The Thriller Jacket was designed by Deborah Nadoolman Landis and given by Michael Jackson to his longtime costume designers Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, who used it as a reference for jackets created for Jackson to wear when he performed the song in concert over the years. The inside lining of the jacket is inscribed with “To Bush and Dennis, All My Love, Michael Jackson.” The sleeve is also signed “Love Michael Jackson.” The jacket is expected to fetch between $200,000 and $400,000.

The Music Icons event will include over 600 items, with many other superstar names represented, including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Kurt Cobain, Madonna, Frank Sinatra, Garth Brooks, The Grateful Dead, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, The Ramones, Fleetwood Mac and more. Highlights include:

• a stage-worn Denim Jacket from Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run tour (estimate $2,000 to $4,000 thousand)
• Frank Sinatra’s exclusive 1986 Jaguar (estimate $10,000-20,000)
• many Elvis Presley items, including an original TCB necklace (estimate $20,000-40,000) and Gibson acoustic guitar used by Elvis in the movie “It Happened at the World’s Fair” (estimate $20,000-30,000)
• the cape worn by Ringo Starr in the movie “Help!” (estimate $20,000-30,000)
• a wah-wah peddle used by Jimi Hendrix on stage and in the studio (estimate $6,000-8,000) and a recording of “Here Comes the Sun” made in Jimi Hendrix’s appartment, complete with two pages of handwritten lyrics and guitar instructions. This is an original Hendrix composition, not The Beatles’ song of the same name (estimate $25,000-30,000).

Julien Auctions’ Music Icons event runs from June 25-26 at the Julien’s Auctions Gallery in Beverly Hills.

See if you can identify these stars before they were famous. Click on the images to enlarge and scroll down for the answers.

1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24

Leave a comment below to tell us how many you guessed correctly.

PSA/DNA notes that the amount of authentic Elvis autographs is “extremely limited” and that there are a large number of forgeries in the United States and Europe – particularly Germany and the Netherlands. Elvis autographs go from $1,500 for a signed cut to $35,000 or more for a signed contract or letter. Signed photographs are the most common authentic Elvis autographs. Elvis rarely wrote letters, so handwritten letters should be treated with caution.

This is an example of an Elvis letter/signature that PSA/DNA has judged to be authentic:

The letter was written while Elvis was in the army.

Autographs of The Beatles can go for $5,000 for a signed cut to $15,000 or more for a signed photo, so it is big business. As such, it’s no surprise that they are the most commonly forged band in the autograph world.

PSA/DNA president, Joe Orlando, said:

Orlando also noted the increasing supply of Michael Jackson autographs:

PSA/DNA compiled the following “ten most dangerous” (ie most commonly forged) autographs of historical/entertainment figures:

1. Elvis Presley
2. The Beatles
3. John F. Kennedy
4. Marilyn Monroe
5. Michael Jackson
6. Jim Morrison
7. Neil Armstrong
8. Jimi Hendrix
9. James Dean
10. Walt Disney.

Babe Ruth topped the list of “ten most dangerous” sports autographs of 2010.

The 90 minute DVD movie, titled “Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero”, is directed by Jon Brewer and narrated by Slash, with contributions from stars such as Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, Mick Taylor, Eric Burdon, Jack Bruce and Lemmy. The 132-page magazine is a companion guide to the film, edited by Mick Wall, whose recent works include the award winning “‘When Giants walked the Earth: The unofficial story of Led Zeppelin.”

The Jimi Hendrix magazine/DVD collectors’ pack is available now in the UK and from December 28 in the US.

The film is already available on its own in the US.

Title
Jimi Hendrix Collectors’ Pack (Magazine/DVD)	Buy Now	Buy Now	N/A	N/A
Jimi Hendrix – The Guitar Hero (DVD)	Buy Now	N/A	Buy Now	Buy Now

Next year will see the release of a documentary movie chronicling Jimi Hendrix’s two gigs at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Hendrix played the Royal Albert Hall on February 18 and February 24, 1969. They were the last European appearances of the original line-up of the Jimi Hendrix Experience (Jimi Hendrix on guitar, Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums).

Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s half-sister and president/CEO of Experience Hendrix, told Billboard:

A theatrical and DVD release is planned for the documentary, as well as a soundtrack album.

Janie Hendrix also said that 2012 will see the release of a film of Jimi’s performance at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, making use of recently discovered footage.

The announcement follows last week’s release of remastered editions of three Hendrix albums (“Blues“, “Live at Woodstock” and “The BBC Sessions“), as well as the “West Coast Seattle Boy” 4CD/1DVD box set.

To mark the 40th anniversary of Jimi’s death, let’s enjoy some of his classic performances.

Little Wing (Live at the Albert Hall, February 1969)

Hey Joe (Live At Monterey, October 1967)

The Wind Cries Mary (Live at Monterey, October 1967)

Purple Haze (Marquee Club, London, March 1967)

Red House (Atlanta, Ga, June 1970)

As a rock guitarist, Jimi was a visionary and he deserves his place among the greats of rock music. To coincide with the 40th anniversary of his death (albeit delayed several weeks), there are a series of excellent releases on the way, including deluxe editions of three albums (Blues, Live at Woodstock and BBC Sessions), and the West Coast Seattle Boy: Jimi Hendrix Anthology 4 CD/1 DVD set of unreleased songs, demos and live recordings.