Jimi Hendrix’s Bandmates ‘Died in Relative Poverty,’ U.K. Court Told as Trial Over Royalties Begins
The ongoing legal battle over the royalties from Jimi Hendrix’s iconic music catalog has reached a critical juncture, as a trial commenced this week in London’s High Court. This contentious litigation pits the estate of the legendary rock guitarist against the heirs of his former bandmates from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The heirs are contesting the fairness of their compensation from royalties linked to three seminal albums, including the landmark 1968 release *Electric Ladyland*, which not only topped charts but also solidified Hendrix’s legacy as a musical innovator. The trial, which is expected to last until December 18, will first determine liability, followed by a potential second phase focused on financial damages if the heirs prevail.
At the heart of the case is the assertion by Redding and Mitchell’s estates that they have been unjustly deprived of royalties that reflect their contributions to Hendrix’s most celebrated works. Their barrister, Simon Malynicz KC, emphasized the dire financial circumstances surrounding Redding and Mitchell at the time of their deaths, arguing that they had earned little from the very recordings that defined their careers. Malynicz claims that Hendrix would have wanted his bandmates to receive their fair share, suggesting a moral obligation to rectify past inequities. Conversely, Sony Music’s barrister, Robert Howe KC, contends that the heirs forfeited their right to sue during the probate process following Hendrix’s death in 1970. Howe argues that the claimants are misdirecting their legal action by targeting Sony, which merely distributes Hendrix’s music under a licensing agreement with his estate.
This legal feud dates back to 2021 when Redding and Mitchell’s heirs began asserting their rights to Hendrix’s music, claiming they were owed millions in royalties. The dispute has seen a series of lawsuits filed in both New York and the U.K., with the English court ultimately taking precedence. A judge ruled earlier this year that the case should go to trial, rejecting Sony’s claims that previous probate settlements from 1973, which provided one-time payments to Redding and Mitchell’s estates, barred further claims. As the trial unfolds, it not only highlights the complexities of music royalties and rights but also raises questions about the legacies and financial recognition of artists who contributed significantly to the music industry yet often found themselves in precarious financial situations.
Are the estates of
Jimi Hendrix
’s bandmates entitled to royalties from the rock legend’s catalog? The thorny legal question will be decided at a trial that began this week in London’s High Court.
Court proceedings kicked off on Tuesday (Dec. 9) in long-running litigation between Hendrix’s estate and Sony Music on one side and the heirs of Hendrix’s former bandmates in
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
— namely bassist
Noel Redding
and drummer
Mitch Mitchell
— on the other.
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Redding and Mitchell’s estates allege they’ve been unfairly deprived of royalties from three classic Hendrix Experience albums, including the 1968 chart-topper
Electric Ladyland
. According to
The Independent
and
Agence France-Presse
, barrister
Simon Malynicz KC
argued in a written submission Tuesday that both musicians “died in relative poverty, having earned almost nothing from the recordings that defined their careers and their lives.”
Malynicz reportedly told the court that Hendrix “would have wanted his fellow musicians to receive everything to which they are entitled.”
The barrister for Sony Music Entertainment UK,
Robert Howe KC
, countered in his own written submission on Tuesday that Redding and Mitchell forfeited the right to sue during probate proceedings that followed Hendrix’s 1970 overdose death.
Howe also argued that Redding and Mitchell’s heirs are going after the wrong party by suing Sony, which distributes Hendrix’s music under a licensing deal with his estate.
“In essence, what the claimants have done in this action is the equivalent of suing the sub-tenant of one room in a house for trespass, as a device to try to obtain a declaration as to their alleged ownership of the house,” wrote Howe, per
The Independent.
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The trial’s liability phase is expected to run through Dec. 18, with a written judgment to follow. If Redding and Mitchell’s heirs win their claims, the court will then hold a second trial to determine financial damages.
Hendrix, Redding and Mitchell collaborated via The Jimi Hendrix Experience from 1966 to 1969. The group’s 1968 album
Electric Ladyland
spent 40 weeks on the Billboard 200, including two weeks at No. 1, and the set’s hit track “All Along the Watchtower” peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The legal feud began in 2021, when Redding and Mitchell’s heirs began asserting rights to Hendrix’s music and claiming they were owed millions in royalties. Dueling lawsuits ensued, both in
New York
and the
U.K.
, and the English court case was ultimately granted precedence.
A
London judge ruled
at the beginning of 2024 that the dispute would have to go to trial, unpersuaded by Sony’s arguments that the claims were entirely barred by Redding and Mitchell’s 1973 probate settlements. Those settlements, which resolved the musicians’ claims against Hendrix’s estate, amounted to one-time payments of $100,000 and $247,500 each.
An
appeals court agreed
with that assessment this past February, teeing up the current trial in London.
