Address Book Used by Jimi Hendrix

From mid-1969 on, Jimi Hendrix kept an apartment in New York City at 59 West 12th Street, where he would crash and recuperate between gigs and tours. He began using this Tel-Address brand address book during this period, to keep track of contact information for friends, lovers, musicians, venues, and people he had met in the music business during his constant touring.  

The entries are in Hendrix’s handwriting as well as other hands, and feature entries for contacts centered around New York City and California, but also in Nashville, Memphis, London, and other locales. Some of the more recognizable entries include fellow musicians Juma Sultan, King Curtis, George Harrison, Herbie Rich, Sly Stone, Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn, and even Leonard Bernstein. Famed music venues, stores, and records labels are listed, including Manny’s Music, The Record Plant, The Speakeasy, Stax Records, and Hendrix’s own Electric Lady Studio. Jimi’s girlfriend Devon Wilson has an entry, along with the first names of several women who Jimi met in his travels. There is also a lyric fragment, which could be an early attempt at what would become Hendrix’s song, “Stepping Stone”. 

Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who gained mainstream prominence in the late 1960s with hits such as “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” “All Along the Watchtower,” and “Fire,” and is now celebrated as one of the most influential electric guitarists of all time.