New information has surfaced recently which reveals that it is former Buddy Miles Express organist Duane Hitchings and not Larry Young contributing keyboards to the February 11, 1969 recording of "It's Too Bad" featured on the Jimi Hendrix Experience box set.

This is the third personnel mystery solved in the aftermath of the Jimi Hendrix Experience box set release. The first was the identification of Al Marks and Rocky Isaac as the two musicians who backed Hendrix and bassist Billy Cox on the April 21, 1969 recording of "Room Full Of Mirrors". The second was the revelation that Steve Stills had served as the bassist for the 3/13/68 recording of "Somewhere".

Duane Hitchings first met Hendrix through his association with Buddy Miles. He came to know the guitarist when Hendrix served as Co-Producer of the 1969 Buddy Miles Express album Electric Church. Hitchings stint with the Express was short lived, as Miles dismissed the group in late 1969 to serve in Hendrix's Band Of Gypsys. After the Express, Hitchings fulfilled stints with such groups as Steel and Cactus. By the close of the 1970's, Hitchings' abilities as a songwriter had begun to emerge. He developed a close association with Rod Stewart and co-wrote such chart hits as "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy", "Young Turks", and "Infatuation" [with fellow Buddy Miles Express band mate Roland Robinson]. Hitchings also penned theme songs for the films Rocky IV and Iron Eagle and earned a Grammy Award for "I'll Be Where The Heart Is" from Flashdance. Hitchings is now based in Nashville and has composed songs in recent years for such Country artists as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

Hitchings vivid interest in the music of Jimi Hendrix remains strong. Upon first listening to the box set and "It's Too Bad", he immediately recalled the inspired session that he had participated in. Hoping to put the historical record in order, Hitchings contacted Experience Hendrix. In our recent conversation, Hitchings' claim came somewhat as a surprise for me. Eddie Kramer and I had interviewed Hitchings in 1990 at his then home in Marina Del Ray, California for our 1992 book Hendrix: Setting The Record Straight. During that interview, Hitchings recounted the friendships he enjoyed with both Buddy Miles and Jimi Hendrix and spoke fondly of his participation in the still unreleased "Blue Window" recording session with the Express at Mercury Studios in March 1969. In that 1990 interview, I did query him about "It's Too Bad", but without the benefit of a tape of the recording to reference his memory, Hitchings could not recall the session.

Hearing the recording as part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience box set proved a revelation to Hitchings. Later, when supplied with a recording of the full session from that evening, Hitchings also recalled the unreleased song "World Traveler", another promising demo that the trio had completed on that productive February evening at the Record Plant. "It was such an honor to have known that guy and to have recorded with him," states Hitchings. "He had such a talent. I remember the session clearly. It was just Buddy on drums, Jimi on vocals and guitar, and me on Hammond B-3."

Credits within future print runs of the Jimi Hendrix Experience box set will be modified to reflect this new information.

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