Never-released Hendrix song to be sold at auction

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A never-released song that legendary
U.S. rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix recorded 40 years ago is to be
sold at auction in New York in October.

Ocean Tomo LLC, a merchant bank that specializes in
intellectual property, said the song, “Station Break,” was
recorded during a session early in Hendrix’s career.

Ocean Tomo spokeswoman Wendy Chou said that for unknown
reasons the song was never released unlike others from the 1966
New York session.

“It has never been clear why it was not released when other
songs from that session were,” Chou told Reuters on Tuesday.

Other songs released from that session included “Kato’s
Special,” “Flying On Instruments” and “No Such Animal.”

“Station Break” was composed by Hendrix and Jerry Simon,
president of R.S.V.P. Music, with whom Hendrix signed a
publishing contract in 1966.

Hendrix, who was born in Seattle, died in 1970 at the age
of 27 in London. He suffocated on his own vomit.

Chou said Simon’s widow Celeste Simon reported stumbling
across the recording in a closet in 1994 and realized nothing
had ever been done with it.

“At that time Simon had no reason to sell it but it is now
being put up for sale,” said Chou.

The copyright and original reel-to-reel recording will be
sold at an intellectual property auction in New York on October
26 with the successful bidder getting the reel-to-reel and the
right to digitally remaster the recording.

Half of the proceeds from any royalties will go to the
Hendrix estate.

“We are anticipating a lot of interest in this but we
really have no indication of what it will raise,” said Chou.

Janie Hendrix, the musician’s sister and president and
chief executive of Experience Hendrix which owns and
administers the rights to his recordings, said occasionally
unknown songs recorded by her brother did come to light.

“We have acquired most of these but there are still a few
stragglers. I did not know about this one,” Hendrix told
Reuters.

“We will have to have discussions about this as there could
be copyright issues.”