Estates of Jimi Hendrix bandmates Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding gain permission to sue Sony over copyright dispute
The estates of the late Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, who played in the Jimi Hendrix Experience, have been granted permission to sue Sony Music Entertainment over a longstanding royalty dispute.
The two British musicians played on all three albums by the band and contributed to the creative process. Although Hendrix was their principal songwriter, they shared the royalties equally while the Jimi Hendrix Experience were active. However, following the legendary guitarist’s death in 1970, Redding sold his share of the rights for $100,000 and Mitchell followed suit for $240,000.
At the time, they believed their future earnings would be nominal because the industry was yet to advance. Therefore, the pair of musicians lost out on sizeable incomes, which could have dramatically changed their lives.
In February 2022, their estates began work on a lawsuit, claiming the two men “have not been compensated for their work and both died in relative poverty”. Mitchell died in 2008, while Redding passed away in 2003.
Sony attempted to use the documents which Mitchell and Redding signed as a reason for the case to be thrown out, but in London’s high court on January 29th, Judge Michael Green gave the case permission to head to trial.
Lawrence Abramson of Keystone Law, who represented both estates, said in a statement: “We could not have got a better result. I am pleased that after almost two years of delay, the case will finally move forward, and we can hopefully obtain some justice for the families of Noel and Mitch. No one is denying that Jimi Hendrix was one of, if not, the greatest guitarist of all time. But he didn’t make his recordings alone, and they could not have achieved any success without the contributions of Noel and Mitch.”
Meanwhile, Edward Adams, a director for the claimants, added: “Noel and Mitch died in penury despite being two-thirds of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and owning the copyright in the recordings jointly with Jimi. We see our case as carrying a torch for Noel, in particular, who spent over three decades seeking justice”.
As of yet, no official date has been set for the trial, but it’s likely to commence in 2025.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.