LONDON (AP).- Clothing, mementoes and handwritten lyrics belonging to Jimi Hendrix are going on display at his former London home to mark the 40th anniversary of his death.

The guitarist lived during the late 1960s in an apartment in the Mayfair area of London. He died in the city on Sept. 18, 1970. Composer George Frideric Handel lived next door in the 18th century, and Hendrix's former home is now part of the Handel House Museum.

The museum is holding an exhibition devoted to Hendrix's London years. It gave photographers a preview Monday.

The exhibition opens Aug. 25 and runs to Nov. 7. For 12 days in September visitors will also be able to tour the rooms where Hendrix lived, which are not usually open to the public.

Sarah Bardwell, Director of Handel House Museum, said ‘We are excited to be celebrating the life of Jimi Hendrix. After moving to Brook Street in 1968, Hendrix learned of the Handel connection with the building and headed to One Stop Records in South Molton Street and HMV in Oxford Street to pick up whichever records of Handel music he could find. Clearly he was intrigued by the connection and we’re pleased to be celebrating his own legacy today. We are delighted to be opening up the flat which was a true home base to Hendrix during his seemingly endless schedule of touring in the UK and elsewhere.’

Brought to London by manager Chas Chandler in September 1966, Jimi Hendrix quickly established a reputation as a spectacular live performer, based on an intensive period of playing such London clubs as the Speakeasy, Bag o’ Nails and Marquee, as well as venues across the UK, often delivering more than one set per night. The success of his first two single releases, Hey Joe (December 1966) and Purple Haze (March 1967), and his first album with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced? (May 1967), coupled with the reputation established by his UK shows, led to fame; ensuring that when he returned to play shows in the USA, only nine months after he had arrived in London, he was already a European star.

23 Brook Street, which carries an English Heritage Blue Plaque in memory of Hendrix (alongside the Blue Plaque for Handel), is the only Hendrix site anywhere in the world to be officially recognised. When he moved in with Kathy Etchingham in 1968, the rent charge was £30 per week; when Handel lived in the building next door he paid rent of £60 per year. Hendrix and Etchingham entertained many friends, musicians and contemporaries in the flat.

Hendrix in Britain will explore the particular contribution Hendrix made to the sound of the electric guitar, examining his personal style and use of technology on stage and in the studio. It will also feature a contemporary map of London showing significant Hendrix-related sites, including the venues he played. And Hendrix’s legacy will be discussed in interviews and personal reminiscences by some of the guitarists and songwriters he inspired, from his contemporaries to performers from successive generations.

The Museum will also host a series of special events to accompany the exhibition. These will include guitar workshops exploring Hendrix guitar effects, his particular use of amps and tips for playing guitar like Hendrix.


Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.