Mitch Mitchell
| Mitch Mitchell | |
|---|---|
Mitchell performing with The Jimi Hendrix Experience for Dutch television show Hoepla in 1967
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Graham Mitchell |
| Born |
9 July 1946 Ealing, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 12 November 2008 (aged 62) Portland, Oregon, US |
| Genres | Rock, psychedelic rock, blues rock, jazz fusion, hard rock |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1960–2008 |
| Associated acts | Johnny Harris and the Shades, the Pretty Things, the Riot Squad, the Who, Georgie Fame, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, the Dirty Mac, Jack Bruce, Larry Coryell, Ramatam, Gypsy Sun Experience |
John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 1946 – 12 November 2008) was an English drummer who was best known for his work in the Jimi Hendrix Experience. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2009.
Mitchell was born in Ealing, Middlesex to Phyliss C (née Preston) and Thomas J Mitchell. As a teenager, he starred in a children's television programme, Jennings and Derbyshire, and starred in a leading role in the 1960 British film Bottoms Up with Jimmy Edwards. Mitchell became a musician through working at Jim Marshall's drum shop on Saturdays while still at school. Early in his career, he gained considerable musical experience as a touring and session musician, working with Pete Nelson and the Travellers, Frankie Reid and the Casuals (1962), Johnny Harris and the Shades, the Pretty Things, Bill Knight & the Sceptres, the Riot Squad, and the Who as a session drummer while the band was in the process of replacing Doug Sandom with Keith Moon. In 1965, he also replaced temporarily Viv Prince as drummer in the Pretty Things.
From December 1965 until October 1966, Mitchell was the drummer of Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, appearing on their 1966 album, Sweet Things. In a 2015 interview, Fame recalled, "His main hero was jazz drummer Ronnie Stephenson and if you look at early film clips of Mitch, he had that Ronnie Stephenson look, the way he set his jaw. And he loved crashing around on the cymbals like Ronnie, but in my band I liked the arrangements pretty tight. When he started splashing around I'd say, 'Just play the hi-hat!'."
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