John Graham “Mitch” Mitchell (9 July 1946–12 November 2008) was an English drummer and child actor, best known for his work in the Jimi Hendrix Experience, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2016, Mitchell was ranked number 8 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time.”.

Biography

Mitchell was born in Ealing, Middlesex, to Phyliss C. (née Preston) and Thomas J. Mitchell on 9 July 1946 (although several modern sources have incorrectly claimed that he was born in 1947). As a 13-year-old, he had a leading role in the British film Bottoms Up (1960) with Jimmy Edwards.[8] As a teenager, he starred in a children’s television program, Jennings at School, and also had a big part in the 1963 film Live It Up!, which starred Heinz Burt, David Hemmings, and Steve Marriott.

Mitchell became a musician by spending his Saturdays working at Jim Marshall’s drum shop while still in school. The main influences on him among drummers were Elvin Jones and Tony Williams. [9] One of his earliest bands was the Soul Messengers, founded in November 1963 at the Ealing Club with tenor saxophonist Terry Marshall (born 15 March 1944), son of Jim Marshall. [10] Mitchell left the band around July 1964.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Mitchell auditioned for the Jimi Hendrix Experience on 6 October 1966 [13] and was chosen over Aynsley Dunbar in a coin toss. Mitchell’s fast, driving, jazz-influenced playing meshed well with Hendrix’s open-ended, revolutionary approach to the electric guitar. He played on the three best-selling Experience studio albums, Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1968), and Electric Ladyland (1968).

Mitchell stayed with Hendrix after the Experience split in June 1969, following Noel Redding’s resignation. He played in Hendrix’s new extended lineup at Woodstock in August 1969. Mitchell was briefly replaced by Buddy Miles for the Band of Gypsys album (1970) but rejoined Hendrix (with Billy Cox on bass) for the April–September 1970 Cry of Love Tour.

Was Mitch Mitchell a great drummer?

Mitchell began his professional career with the Hendrix Experience, playing a Premier drum kit in England and Europe in 1967. When the Experience traveled to the US for the Monterey Pop Music Festival in June 1967, Mitchell was playing that same set. He remained with Ludwig until later in the summer when he started playing on a Ludwig drum set, stayed there throughout 1967, then on through 1968 and into 1969. For his last year of recording with the Hendrix Experience, he changed over to a double bass Gretsch drum set in 1970. Except for the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival, in which he played a Rodgers Powertone snare drum, during his tenure with the JHE, Mitch played a Ludwig Supraphonic 400, a 5- by 14-inch metal snare drum. Much later, and until his untimely passing, he played DW drums.

Discography

• 1966: Georgie Fame — Sweet Things
• 1967: Wishful Thinking — Count to Ten (Decca F12598, UK, DK)
• 1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Are You Experienced
• 1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Axis: Bold As Love
• 1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Electric Ladyland
• 1969: Martha Veléz — Fiends and Angels
• 1971: Jimi Hendrix — The Cry of Love
• 1971: Jimi Hendrix — Rainbow Bridge
• 1972: Jimi Hendrix — War Heroes
• 1972: Ramatam — Ramatam
• 1975: Mitch Mitchell — Squeeze My Little Finger / Put Your Faith in Me
• 1980: Roger Chapman — Mail Order Magic
• 1986: Greg Parker — Black Dog
• 1996: David Torn—What Means Solid, Traveller?
• 1998: Junior Brown — Long Walk Back
• 1999: Bruce Cameron — Midnight Daydream

Other Projects

• Dirty Mac (December 1968): An impromptu band featuring John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Yoko Ono.
• Jack Bruce and Friends: Collaborated with Jack Bruce, Mike Mandel, and Larry Coryell from late 1969 to early 1970.

What Did Mitch Mitchell Do After Hendrix?

After Hendrix’s death, Mitchell completed production work with engineer Eddie Kramer on incomplete Hendrix recordings, which led to the releases of The Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge. In 1972, he joined forces with guitarists Mike Pinera and April Lawton to form Ramatam. They cut the first of Ramatam’s two albums and were an opening act for Emerson, Lake & Palmer at several shows. 

Mitchell and Hendrix had been invited to join the band Keith Emerson and Greg Lake were putting together, but Carl Palmer landed the drum slot instead. Ramatam never reached commercial success, and Mitchell departed the act before their second album was released. He also toured with Terry Reid, Jack Bruce, and Jeff Beck as the drummer for Cozy Powell during three tours.

Mitchell was part of the 2008 Experience Hendrix Tour that, for nearly four weeks in October and November 2008, traveled on an 18-city tour of the US, finishing in Portland, Oregon. Other artists that took part in the tour were Billy Cox, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Robby Krieger, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Cesar Rosas, David Hidalgo, Brad Whitford, Hubert Sumlin, Chris Layton, Eric Gales, and Mato Nanji.

What was the cause of the death of Mitch Mitchell?

Five days after the tour concluded, Mitchell died in his sleep on 12 November of natural causes in his room at the Benson Hotel in Portland. Mitchell had been suffering from an immune system disorder and cancer for many years. He had experienced severe bouts of exhaustion in 2007 and 2008 but had recovered within a few days of rest. By the end of the 2008 show, however, Mitchell was performing only two or three songs and always accompanied by a backup drummer. At his last show in Portland, Oregon, Mitchell was so frail that his drum technician and tour manager asked him to skip the entire concert.